Marketing when you have no money !! (HACC Flagship October, 2009)

Q: Dear Coach Barry: I run a small business in Hyannis, and am looking for some low-cost or even no-cost techniques that can charge up my marketing activities. What do you suggest? – Baffled in Barnstable

A: Dear Baffled … You ask a very good question. Many businesses, especially the seasonal variety, have been hit hard. They don’t have much cash, but know they need to do something to stand out from the crowd and generate more business. But they have to watch every penny.

Any marketing technique can be effective when it has a good message and is targeted at the audience you want. If you miss these two important ideas, your marketing is wasted. So I’m going to assume that you have decided who you need to reach. Maybe existing customers to offer new services. Maybe new customers who don’t know you. Maybe year-rounders. Maybe seasonal residents. Maybe business owners. You know that one campaign won’t do a good job for all, and if you try the all-in-one campaign, you’ll probably miss the mark altogether.

As for cheap, here are two of my favorite low-cost ideas. These work best for service companies.

Email marketing – If you’ve been clever enough to gather email addresses from customers, visitors to your store, or prospects, you’ve ready to roll. For under $200 per year, you can send out email blasts using a service like Constant Contact. It’s a great way to introduce your ‘friends’ to new specials. If you don’t have the emails, start collecting them NOW.

Make a few phone calls – If you have service customers that use you sporadically or regularly, set up a list of customers to call. Do as few as 3 per day, but not more than 20 … or you’ll get burned out. And the script that can generate new business and customer loyalty goes like this…” Hello. How are you today? I’m calling to make sure you’ve been happy with what we did for you (sold to you). Do you need any more or something to go with it? Do you know anyone else who would like to know about us that I could call? Do you mind if I call back in 6-9 months again?” Trust me, for service businesses especially, this works. If you deal in one-time sales to walk-in customers, get their email or phone, and call them the next day with the same script. You’ll really stand out from the crowd.

Multi-purpose print items – Suppose you printed a 3-part card to pass out … at networking events, to your visitors, and as billing stuffers. One part simply says “Thank You” and lists all the items and services that you offer. The next part is a customer satisfaction survey or mailer to show you care. And the third part is a coupon for a new service or a card for your customers to give to their neighbors and friends. Print on a sturdy paper or card stock, perforate the 3 parts, and you’ll have a full service form for a fraction of the cost of multiple handouts.