Five Secrets to Marketing on the Cheap

The other day, I went to a barbershop for a haircut. I’d been putting it off, because I had been trying to contact a costly “hair studio” all week. Problem was, they closed at dinnertime, and every time I tried to call to make an appointment, I got their fax machine. This was their main number! Nearby was a new little barbershop. I’d avoided it, because I kept thinking of Mayberry’s Floyd and his one-size-fits all Opie cut. But necessity won, and I went in.

The proprietor told me they’d only been open a few months. They were still trying to drum up business. She lamented being located near a professional hair studio. However, I know the neighborhood, the influx of university students, the profitable walk-in traffic that was possible in such a prime location – and I’d already given up on the “pros” next door.

There was nothing wrong with the location. The problem was in their targeting!

In order to make your own marketing clearer and more cost-effective, there are five secrets to marketing on the cheap which you should keep in mind when designing your strategy:

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The First Secret:

Target before taking aim! It doesn’t matter how much traffic you reach; but how many potentially interested customers you can target. If you can reach those 5 paying customers at the cost of reaching 5 paying customers, instead of 2000 random people, you can save yourself a lot of canvassing expense.

Above all, never place your enterprise in jeopardy by making it dependent on your advertising budget to win customers! If these funds dry up before you get your customers, you’re out of business. Get your state phone directory. Are there any groups that would be interested in your product or service? Make the biggest list you possibly can.

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The Second Secret:

Tweak their nervous system! You must reach your customers with effective communications. Effective here means print which they read without thinking, and which doesn’t cost much to produce. The human brain naturally reads print – provided it is in short bursts: faxes, photocopies, banners hanging over your doors, text links, and sandwich boards (what is this, 1932?). You’ve got to send your message in 5 words or less!

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The Third Secret:

Grab their self-interest! Once someone reads your copy – it’s got to grab them! I don’t mean word styling or fancy lettering. I don’t mean shouting. I mean, it’s got to offer them an amazing deal, and this deal has got to be limited in time or quantity, during a special promotional time only. This compounds their already natural inclination to your business by exciting that natural impulse into action. They already like your business. Make them want it now. And don’t forget to give them an action to take – buy now, call today, visit your website, get out your credit card, get inside here today!

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The Fourth Secret:

Show ‘em you know ‘em! Talk to your customers by name. Enter your customers into a database using software like ACT; there are many reasons this is a good idea. One of the important reasons is that you can access their information quickly if they call, and give them personal attention and service. Another reason is that you can make follow up calls after several weeks or months. These are good sources of repeat business! They remember you. Don’t forget them!

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The Fifth Secret:

Stop keeping secrets! New customers have to be taught about your products or services in a glance! People are constantly making snap judgments about shallow surface assumptions. If your business has a special feature, or for some reason does not fit into the traditional mold of what people may assume, put it out there in front! People fear the unknown. If there are any aspects of your business which is perceived as “unknown”, make it known! People do not respond well to salespeople making the unknowns known. They want to do it themselves, and at a glance. Worse for you, is if they already think they know all they need to know about your business. Find a few features or products that exemplify your enterprise’s “personality”, and put them right in the shop window!

I was happy with my haircut. Had I known the many styles the barber was capable of, I would have gone in months before. In her case, I suggested a bulletin board in the window of possible cool hairstyles that university students would like. This would have been enough to assure me, anyway!

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Tips for Marketing on the Cheap:

* Send faxes with special promotions to targeted customers
* Photocopy brochures to be displayed on bulletin boards and in lobbies, mailboxes and telephone poles.
* Print out door hangers and canvas a neighborhood. (These are ok; car windshields are off-putting).
* Put your business on a clever bumper sticker or magnet. You can also make magnetic signs for your car door. People do read in traffic!
* Hang a banner where it can be seen. Sell it in 3-5 words!
* Have T shirts made promoting your business (funny ha ha, not funny hmmm). Think of a message that sells itself – and nothing is as contagious as laughter!
* Viral videos can be made and uploaded to the internet easily. The topics can be anything at all. Don’t make a commercial. Make something real and post your website at the end. Post it as a response to a more popular director’s video – though it should relate.
* Utilize a cost-conscious internet promotion service. The internet is vast and slow to locate your business; to be noticed takes time, constant plugging in hundreds, thousands of websites, persistence and a widespread, human network of placements. Also? Don’t use spam, but legitimate seller resources. Definitely something to check out!

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It’s not how many people see your business. It’s how accurately you target interested paying customers. It’s how well you spark their attention and compulsion to act. It’s how well you treat them, and inform them at a glance! Go after your customers directly, irresistibly, with no secrets, and on the cheap! Every cent saved is profit!

Image credit: Berkeley