How to Create a Marketing Campaign with No Money
Contrary to common belief, it is not impossible to run a marketing campaign without money. With a bit of work, you can get the word out about your business without spending a dime. Here are some ideas for increasing your sales both locally and nationwide.
In some areas, there are classified papers that allow you to place a small ad for free. If you have papers like this in your service area, make sure to advertise in them as often as possible. Many times, these ad sheets are delivered to all of the houses in their coverage area, so there is a chance that a lot of people will see it.
Word of mouth is a great way to get business if you can persuade people to talk about you. Try to motivate your existing customers to spread the word by offering discounts or bonuses for each new customer they bring in. Also, make sure to leave your business cards where people can easily pick them up. If a customer is sufficiently impressed with your offering or service, he or she may pick up a card to pass along even without an incentive.
Sending out press releases is a well-established method for getting free publicity. For major newspapers to run your story, your release will need to be interesting and newsy. Try putting out a press release about a new product or service your company is offering. If your company just opened its doors, that alone can be considered news by smaller local papers.
The Internet offers many opportunities for free advertising. Opening a site on a free web host offers your company a chance to be seen online. To get visitors, you’ll almost surely need to do some link building and search engine optimization. Free online press releases are a great way to get more links. Submit a press release including your link to one of the free distribution sites. They’ll syndicate it out to many other sites, some of which will be major.
Surprisingly, there are several free versions of small business software available online. The functions performed by such software vary widely. People with websites will likely appreciate software that helps them position their sites in the search engines. One example of this sort of software is Google’s keyword tool. It’s an excellent free online app that makes it easier to figure out which keywords to target.
E-commerce software, also known as shopping cart software, is another example of small business software. This type of software is essential for online sales of physical goods and downloadable items. If you’re sending traffic to your website, you’ll likely want to install a cart so you can capture sales right when the visitors are most interested in buying.
There are many free versions of online shopping carts available. Good e-commerce software is easy to customize and will integrate with all of the major payment processors. If you’d like a free payment processor, try PayPal or Google Checkout. They have no out of pocket cost.
These are just a few of the ways you can create a marketing campaign with no money and tie it into your sales process. Thanks to the robust open source community, many free online options are professional grade and will serve you even as your company grows. If you think something will be expensive, always search for a free version before buying. You’ll be surprised at how many solutions you’ll find.
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