Everything can’t be free but it sure is nice when it is. When you want to get new clients/customers you have to hit them from every angle and look for new business in as many places as possible. Have you ever bought something or visited a business because you saw there ads and things that reminded you of them plastered all over the place? I know I have.
Here are some low cost techniques that can get you more exposure:
Fliers – You can print these out yourself by the hundreds and pay someone $10 per hour to hand them out for you. If you go to Manhattan or any major city a lot of times you see people handing out fliers. There’s a reason why they do this…it works.
You aren’t limited to just handing out fliers in front of your business. You can have the person walk around handing out fliers. As annoying as it is they can place them under windshield wipers (check your local laws first). You can drop stacks off at businesses, post them on bulletin boards, and the list goes on and on.
They are cheap to make and the main thing is giving them out to as many people as you can.
Business cards – Just about everyone has these made already so now you have to give them out. Give them out to everyone you meet, drop them off at stores, post them on bulletin boards. You can do almost the same thing with a business card as you can with a flier but a business card is much smaller and doesn’t fit the same amount of information. A business card is appropriate in a lot of scenarios where you can’t use a flier.
Yard signs – You can get small plastic yard signs very cheap if you buy them in bulk. Just pay someone to stick them all over the place and you’ll have an advertisement for as long as the sign is up. In a lot of places as long as it’s public land or you ask permission you can stick your sign up. These have an advantage over fliers and business cards because each sign can be potentially seen by thousands of people.
T-Shirts – Create a stylish t-shirt with your company information. Everyone that you give these to will be walking billboards.
Here’s a little tip: If you don’t know anyone that travels a lot in public, try going to a local bus or train station and handing out your t-shirts. These are people that are using public transportation and a lot of times they travel all over the place.
If your business targets young people hand out your t-shirts to young people, if your business targets older people hand them out to older people. Also if you see someone that wears a suit all day, they might not be your best target to give out free t-shirts. Look for people that normally wear t-shirts. If your t-shirt is visually appealing people will wear it.
Tell everyone – Simple and free. Tell everyone about your business.
Tell everyone to tell everyone – Also free. Ask people to tell their friends and family about your business. Something as simple as, “I really appreciate your business, if you have any friends or know anyone that would be interested in my services or products, please let them know. I would appreciate it.” When you tell someone to do something for you, they realize they are helping and a lot of times will oblige.
Give something away – Give out something that costs you close to nothing to buy. Word of mouth spreads when there is something free on the table. A lot of companies have loss leaders; where they give something away or sell something at an incredible discount because they know most customers will buy something else.
Work with other businesses – A lot of businesses compliment each other. You can create an exclusive discount for customers of another business and have that other business hand them a flier or card with your discount. Your best bet here is using businesses that compliment yours, not competing businesses. If the other business wants you to reciprocate, then you do the same for them. That way you both leverage your clientele and help each other. It’s like having double the traffic for almost free.
Mailers – You can mail your ads/fliers to potential clients. If your client is a certain type or age group you can find lists of your target demographic and send them a mailing. Most successful mailings are multi-part, so one mailing won’t always get you the best results. Make sure to give a discount or offer a compelling reason to buy from you.
The list can go on and on. Be creative and spend a couple of bucks to build your business. Not everyone uses the internet and the one’s that do it’s not guaranteed they’re going to find or look for you. Sometimes a surprise ad will remind someone they need a service and it can help you find the impulse buyers.
