Small businesses do not usually have the funds to do a full blown marketing blitz, or even afford some of the more expensive forms of marketing, such as television commercials. For a new small business, the marketing budget would be more wisely spent on a few little marketing tricks that are both inexpensive and effective at getting the company’s name in front of customers.

Non-Advertising Approaches

Many small businesses get caught up in spending their marketing budget on advertising, but advertising is not only the most expensive form of marketing, it isn’t always the best for business. There are a number of other styles of marketing that promote a small business.

Coupons are a great promotional tool. They can be distributed in all types of ways. Coupons can be given out at the place of business and given to customers after they make a purchase. Or they can be mailed to a select group of customers or members of a target market. Coupons do not have to be fancy. Customers are more interested in how much they are going to save, not how pretty the coupon looks.

Just as good as saving money is getting something for free. Research has shown that people will spend more money on the initial purchase in order to get something for free. Contests are another popular promotion. Get enough people talking about the contest – especially if it is something outrageous and fun – and there is a good chance the media will pick up the story and possibly provide some free advertising.

Rewarding Loyal Customers

It is always good to keep regular customers happy, and there are some marketing tricks geared to do just that. One is to provide a reward for frequent purchases. Many businesses give out cards that are punched or stamped with every purchase of a particular item. When a certain number of purchases are reached, the customer receives the next purchase for free. Exclusive offers are another way to reward loyal customers. This could be giving regular customers the chance to be the first to purchase a new item or it could be a special offer that is available only to a select group of customers.

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