4 ways to Promote your business on a shoe-string budget.

4 ways to Promote your business on a shoe-string budget.

 Guest Blog Post by John

Printed merchandise is one of the most effective forms of promoting your business.  It can ensure quick response and brand loyalty in a much better way compared to conventional advertising. Everyone loves freebies or promotional products and if you print the name of your company, your website, logo and such other information on them, people will tend to recollect them more than a random advertisement that they may see on the web or television.  For instance, a promotional product like a calendar that has your company information provided on it, will gain maximum visibility because there is a high degree of chance that the calendar will be hung on the wall of your prospect and he or she will see at least once daily. The barrier now, is the cost – if you have a shoe string budget, is it possible to promote your company through printed merchandise?  The answer is ‘yes’.

Here are some ways in which you can promote your company through printed merchandise.

1. Business Cards –  If you are serious about your business, it is better to invest in business cards because they are a professional identity of what you do, and is sought for by your clients, customers and by people in general .  You can invest in some creatively designed businesses cards and include your company logo, web page address and contact details in it. You can also include a QR code in your business card which leads to your Facebook Page or YouTube page or a part of the website where you put up attractive offers.
2. Bumper sticker or decal on your car – Using a bumper sticker at the back of your car or a trendy decal on the body of your car with your company name, logo information about your business on the QR code can help promote your business at negligible cost. In a busy street or at the parking lot, many will chance upon your company  name, logo and QR code and use their smartphone QR reading app to know more about your business
3. Email newsletters – You can send newsletters to your prospects with information about your company, the latest products and your new offerings for the festive season. You can also tell them about the discounts on your products by redirecting them to the page of your website where there are QR codes that contain discounted offers, which can be availed when printed out and presented at your outlet. Alternatively, you can direct your customers to the section of website or Facebook Page, where people can download and take a print-out of those coupons to be presented at the outlet.
4. Eco Friendly Products – You can set up an eco-friendly website that may be an extension of your website. You may also set up a Facebook Page, which talks about a better environment. If you know someone who is promoting an eco-friendly campaign or launching an initiative, you can tie up with them and offer eco-friendly merchandise like disposable cups, bags, napkins and pens with your company information printed on them.
5. Pens and highlighters – Custom printed retractable pens, pencils, highlighters do not cost much but are a great-away to market your business.  Distribute them in a school, hotels, and banks and see how effectively, your business grows through word-of-mouth publicity.
6. Promoting your products in a trade-show – You can increase the brand identity of your business on a shoe-string budget by doling out badges, lanyards, bottled water with your slogan and company name or logo.
7. Offering awareness products – Key chains, pens, highlighters, ribbons and bracelets are great giveaways for an awareness cause.  While you show solidarity to the cause and promote awareness, you are also making people familiar with what you do. People who form a part of the awareness campaign would keep these products as souvenirs and would be your loyal customers.
8. Offer a gift for your purchase – Wouldn’t you like to buy a product if it comes with a free gift? Sales are known to steamroll when there is a freebee backing up a purchase.  You may as well offer a printed eco-friendly shopping bag, bearing your company logo and website name and customer would be happy to take it.
9. Promoting your business through your employees- You can give incentives to your employees for a job well done, in the form of a professionally engraved metal pen, an umbrella or a printed T-shirt bearing you company name and logo.  This work in three ways – you reward the employee handsomely for a job well done. Secondly, the other employees strive to do better. Thirdly, your employees build your brand resulting in better exposure to your company.
10. Be active on social networking sites – Being on social media sites costs nothing, the only thing you have to invest is your mind and exercise your marketing strategy in a smart manner. You can run a contest and ask people to upload their pictures, videos on social networking sites and tag their friends. Offer a prize which includes printed merchandise to the winners.  There are several other methods in which you can promote your company through the power of social media. For instance, you can go to a conference and talk to people on the topic that you are an ace at, and then ask people to join your Facebook Page and subscribe to your newsletters. You can offer them printed merchandise like stickers which contain QR codes to your website or Facebook Business Page.

For more information visit Everyone loves freebies or promotional products

9 Proven Strategies to Retain Customers & Increase Sales

9 Proven Strategies to Retain Customers & Increase Sales
Guest post by http://localbusinessadvertisingtips.com

It’s no secret, if you own a small business, the methods of advertising and getting customers have drastically changed. Even in the last few years, tons of different social media platforms and mobile marketing programs have emerged onto the scene and tend to be the standard form of advertising now.

And if you aren’t on board, your competition will be and you won’t be in business very long.

Now I am not saying to rush out and master social media or mobile marketing. But you do need to at the very least, learn what you need so you can find the right people to help you.

For example, do you have a website, are you building an email list? Do you at least have a Facebook fan page?

There are so many crucial things that every business owner needs to have, but might not necessarily understand how to set it up.

That is why I created this free guide, to give you the shortcuts you need to catch up to the whiz-kid marketers and stop them from running circles around you.

What are you going to learn inside the Local Business Advertising Blueprint?
In this free guide, I cover the 9 most important things all business owners need to focus on if they want to survive in 2013.

The guide is short and is not technical. It is designed as a blueprint that any business owner can follow and use the resources we recommend to outsource 99% of the work at an affordable cost.

Grab your FREE copy of Local Business Advertising Tips – 9 Proven Strategies To Retain Customers & Increase Sales –

High ROI expected for businesses in the Super Bowl commercials 2013

When it comes to expect high Return on Investment for the Ad expenditure for businesses – the Super Bowl is the right stage . But advertising at the Super Bowl comes with a price . The rates that were charged to businesses for the Super Bowl commercials 2013 is near $4 million . But yes its worth the money for the tremendous exposure your business gets  and nearly all the Ad slots have been booked already .

One of the prominent advertisers in the Super bowl has been FIAT .  FIAT has followed its own trend of advertising in the Super Bowl – Scorpions , fast cars , Suited up men and lots of beautiful women .

Will this help push Fiat to the top of everyone’s at the end of the Super Bowl ?

All the 5 ads on the list of “Which one goes on with the Super Bowl” has really caught a lot of peoples’ attention already . With quirky , funny humour , the car giant seems to really be taking off .

All five advertisements are for Fiats’ new 500L , an electrically powered super car , with a large trunk , a plus for the Fiat , and spacious back seats as well .

All the adverts in their five are all surrounding ‘everyday happenings’ that are maybe not so everyday. Love it ! The ads are , to put it lightly , all set to charge adrenaline levels and keep your blood pumpin’ . Check it out , and you’ll see exactly what we mean .

Ending with the tagline , “Environmentally Sexy” , Fiat has truly stepped up their game in the advertising world with this new line of ads.

The ad titled “Sisters” has got to be one of the quirkiest they’ve put up . Good old brother-in-law tucks in all the Italian sisters he can into that backseat , and a bunch a beautiful Italian women giving the man “Hello” kisses isn’t something you can say no to . “Family Friendly” indeed.

The “Test Track” ad, clearly PG stuff , is the racy one , pun intended . Little miss Test Run tries out the new electric 500L , only to end her test run , making out with Little Mister Test Run .

The “Wedding” shows how much the back space has really expanded , showing two absolutely fine women getting out of their bridesmaid gowns only into another and on their way through the countryside off to yet another  Wedding .

“Date” has to be an absolute favourite ! The tagline at the end , “More room , More possibilities” really gets you laughing in the end !

“Topless” , clearly not being to subtle there . Topless she goes indeed . Clever little scorpion .

An altogether very appealing set of advertisements , but maybe not as close as they wish they were to the top , Fiat has certainly upped their game , but only to a level of sex appeal . Lets see what the audience thinks come Super Bowl Sunday 2013 !

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