| You've set up your business, you've got a great | | | | 2. Launch a competition (with a prize from your own |
| product or service, you've got your first customers, but | | | | product or service range) and advertise it heavily on |
| you need to get a lot more. You know that good | | | | your website. |
| marketing ideas are what you need, but you think | | | | 3. Make sure your "give-aways" are unusual and |
| marketing will be: | | | | memorable - not just a pen which will languish in a |
| - Complicated | | | | drawer, but something to make the customer smile |
| - Expensive | | | | each time they look at it - and see your company's |
| - Difficult | | | | name. |
| - Specialist | | | | 4. Give a guarantee and stick to it - "money back if |
| - Scary | | | | you are not 100% satisfied". You believe in your |
| - Not for beginners! | | | | product or service, so you should be prepared to |
| Worst of all you have no idea where to begin. Read | | | | stand behind it. Very few people will try to claim |
| on for some free marketing ideas. | | | | unreasonably. |
| What is marketing? | | | | 5. Provide free information on your industry and |
| - Marketing is the way you create value for your | | | | technical information on your products - this should be |
| customers and build strong customer relationships, so | | | | easy for you to do, but very helpful to your customers. |
| that you can get value from your customers in return. | | | | Make sure your website and your literature explains |
| - You can have the best product or service in the | | | | why your product or service is so good - what makes |
| world, but if no-one will pay you for it, you can't | | | | it better than the competition? |
| succeed - so to drive up your sales, you need great | | | | Why not get together with your key employees (or |
| marketing ideas. | | | | your friends or family if you are a one-man-band) and |
| - Innovative marketing will attract customers' attention | | | | brainstorm some marketing ideas? |
| to YOUR business and YOUR products or services. | | | | - Think about who you are targeting (existing clients or |
| - Successful marketing will help those customers make | | | | new clients? what age range, what social group? |
| a conscious decision to buy from YOU. But how can I | | | | individuals, or other businesses? etc.) |
| afford to advertise? - Marketing is not just about | | | | - Think about how you will reach them (what medium, |
| advertising. Creative marketing ideas need not be | | | | what gimmick? person to person or on the telephone? |
| expensive. - The best marketing ideas may be those | | | | point of sale or mail shot? etc.) |
| which cost you the least. - You can build awareness | | | | - Think about what you will offer them (what is there |
| of your brand by providing your customers and | | | | which means a lot to the customer but can cost you |
| potential customers with benefits which cost you little, | | | | as little as possible?) |
| but which are valuable to them, for example: | | | | Once you start thinking outside the usual boundaries of |
| 1. Offer a discount for repeat purchases, or for | | | | pure advertising, you'll be surprised what great |
| introducing another customer. | | | | marketing ideas you can come up with! |