Marketing Ideas for a Small Business ~ Biz.com Small Business

By Lanee’ Blunt

Marketing is an integral part of any business.

Small businesses depend on other forms of marketing to market their product or service and don’t use direct-mail exclusively to advertise their business. Marketing campaigns allow you to contact your customer by email promotions, interactive consumer websites, cellular messaging, fliers, catalog submission, salesletters, direct mail packages, and online banner ads.

Samples

Free samples will always be an effective benefit within marketing. Using samples is a marketing tool that will assist to build consumer awareness about your product. Giving out samples will help you get repeat business as well as create brand loyalty. Free trial offers allows your small business to gather the names and addresses of individuals that are interested in your product. Your company will obtain high quality leads that may be converted by using additional marketing campaigns.

Email Marketing

Email advertising involves sending a sales letter to several people on a subscriber list. Capture your prospects current email address on your website after which send your online e-newsletter by email. Sending an online newsletter is a good form of promotion since it keeps your name and message before your prospect and when they decide to purchase they may think of your company. Do not send spam.

Post cards

Postcard advertising is fantastic for the small business owner on the budget. Postcard advertising allows the small business to keep prospects informed on services, or to announce unique sales to customers. Postcards pave the way to invite the prospect to go to your website, come in to your store, come in and service their vehicle, or to call a person. You can use a time sensitive statement such as, call within the following two days and get a special bonus offer.

Promote

Write an ad for your service or product to produce some leads. Try launching the ad promotion for a few days and then cut the ad if you have enough leads. Although, advertising has a high cost you still have a high level of control.

Direct Mail

Direct mail marketing reaches prospective buyers on an individual basis. Direct mail has certain benefits. It can be controlled and sent to a target market. The material could be addressed to lawyers, accountants, physicians, or farmers. When direct mail is used properly, being addressed to the right target market it has the ability to do the selling for you. The results of the mailing can be studied and controlled so that you'll be able to improve your results with each mailing.

See also

[Image of a marketing graph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.broward.edu/academics/programs/marketing/Pages/default.aspx