Creative Biz Builders

These creative ideas for marketing your business are free or low cost.   Written with direct sales consultants in mind, but with a little imagination, they can be used to promote any business!

1. Take a small zip close baggie (snack sizes work well) and include the following in it:  Your Business Card, Business Opportunity Mini Flyer (if applicable, a Piece of Candy such as hard candy or a lollipop, mini flyer of current specials, discount coupon (optional) etc.  Hand these out to the bank tellers, retail cashiers, at your kids sport events,  everywhere you go!
2. At hotels & motels, leave a mini catalog, business card & discount coupon for the maid!   Be creative when you leave tips for Hotel Maids, Waitresses, Waiters, Hair Dressers, etc.   Don’t just hand them your business card, make it memorable!  You can get cute little beaded change purses at your local dollar discount store!
3.  Print out flyers with your contact info (not your personal address), your website address & email address along with any current specials you are offering.  Then contact local area mobile home park offices, apartment complex rental offices, housing developments etc and ask them if you can leave fliers in their office or hang on their tenants doors. Give the office employees a free gift or discount on their personal orders to thank them.
4.  If you sell items for weddings, bridal showers, etc.  contact local area bridal supply stores, bridal gown stores, caterers, tuxedo rental centers, wedding dj’s etc. Ask them if you can leave your business cards & fliers about your business for them to give to their customers.   Offer store owners a free gift or a personal discount for helping you spread the word about your business.
5.   Don’t forget day care centers!  They are excellent places to contact and leave business cards and/or fliers at!   Print out a flyer and attach your business card & a discount coupon.
6.   A lot of churches hold a Spring and Fall Festivals.   Contact them about getting a table or a booth.  Often, this will cost you under $15.00 for a space!
Make sure you take products with you along with business opportunity fliers, plenty of catalogs, business cards etc.  Do a contest drawing at these types of events. Make up entry blanks that gather the customer’s info so that you can initiate contact with them again!
7.   Join your local area chamber of commerce.   They are always holding local business events that you can participate in.
8.   College Campuses! Dorms & Housing Students are always looking to spend money! A lot of college students are also looking for an extra income so target them with your business opportunity too, if you are a direct sales representative.  Drop off fliers and business cards at the College Student Center!  They usually have bulletin boards, tables and other things where you can leave your information at for FREE!
9.   Contact your local area Welcome Wagon or Welcome to the Neighborhood Group.   Ask them about you leaving mini catalogs, fliers, business cards, discount coupons, freebie mini gifts, etc with them.  They are always looking for additional items to place in their Welcome Bags!
10.   Contact your local area hospitals.   The majority of hospitals hand out New Mommy Diaper Bags filled with products, samples and other stuff for New Moms who just had a baby!  It’s FREE for you to add in your information!
11.   Contact your local medical offices, particularly Gynecology and OB Offices and Pediatric Offices and inquire about you leaving information with them.   This is a way for you to target Parents of Children with both the home party opportunity, the business opportunity and new customer sales.
12.   Donate a product to your local area radio station, they have numerous contests and they are always looking for sponsors.  Your donation can be written off as a tax deduction plus you will get FREE advertising & business exposure for your donation!
13.   Donate a product to your local area bingo halls! They are always looking for sponsors of their Bingo Prizes! Bingo is BIG in a lot of areas!
14.   Call your Chamber of Commerce and find out about Local Area Job Fairs. Get a booth and set up info about your fabulous business opportunity!
15. Call your Local Area Colleges and find out when their next job or employment fair is. A lot of times you can get a booth or table at a good price and you will get a lot of GREAT new recruit leads by participating in events like these.
16.    Contact local area car dealerships.   Ask if they will  hand out a small packet that you make up for FREE to their customers who come in to take a free test drive.
17.   Target your local area gyms.   Ask if they will  hand out a small packet that you make up for FREE to their customers.
18.    Network with others in your community who are in home business. Find out what events and activities that they participate in. They are usually “in the know” and can help you get started in networking in your community.
19.    Contact companies in your area to see if you can come in and set up a table in the employee lounge or cafeteria for an employee shopping break. These days a lot of companies will allow you to do this if you ask them!
20.   Does your local area TV cable company have a local information channel?   Inquire about advertising!   These ads will reach thousands of potential local buyers for you! I recommend you only use your website address for these types of advertising and not your personal at home address.
21.   Contact local small companies and shops to see if you can offer an exclusive discounts or freebie gift to their employees. Companies are always looking for a way to “treat” their employees to specials from the local surrounding community.
22.    Small Home Town Newspapers!   If you are going to do any type of newspaper advertising, inquire about getting your ads on specific pages in the newspaper that targets the group of people most likely to buy from you.
23.     Get a low cost outdoor banner printed up with your business information on it.    You can have these outdoor banners displayed at outdoor music/concert events, outdoor children’s sporting events, outdoor adult sport events, outdoor neighborhood block parties, outdoor community events, carnivals, fairs, etc.
24.   Take your business on the road during nice weather. Contact local area parks & community centers to see what their schedule of events are and inquire about setting up a booth or table.  This is a great way to network & market your business to those in your community.
25.   Community Clipper Coupon Packs & Sales Flyer Mailings. These days a lot of communities have mailings such as these, contact them and see how you can participate and advertise your business.
26.   Contact small local area businesses such as hair salons, massage parlors, boutiques, banks etc.  See if you can set up a table for 1 week with 3 of your best selling products on it along with some catalogs, fliers, coupons and your business card.  Keep a box or basket on the table for any customer orders which you can follow up on after you return back to pick up your display. Offer the store owner or manager a free gift for allowing you to do this.  You can also offer to donate a prize for a contest if they let you display the prize donated & get a copy of the contestants entry blanks after the promotion closes.
27. Contact local area pizza shops, diners, deli’s and coffee bagel shops to ask them about advertising on their paper placemats!   Customers do read those ads!
28.   Contact local area restaurants, bars and clubs and see about advertising on their paper beverage coasters!
29.   Local Television Stations are always holding on-air contests & website contests for their viewers, contact them about you donating a prize or gift certificate to sponsor one of their contests.   Great business exposure for you!
30.   Attend Local Area holiday shopping events & shows. Customers who are ready to spend holiday shopping money turn out for these events by the thousands!
31.    Hold a local area community Block Party at your home or local community center!   Families are always looking for something to do during the nice weather seasons!  Optional:   Attend your neighborhood block party and set up a table with your product offerings or samples. Get out there in your community and get your business seen!
32.   Get your business listed in your city’s telephone book yellow pages.  A lot of them also have a coupon section too.
33.  You can take this phone book advertising one step further by finding out what company makes the plastic vinyl phone book covers which have local business ads on them and get your business added to it!
34.    Get your business information printed up on pencils and hand them out to local colleges and technical schools for them to hand out to their adult students!   This keeps your business information in front of them!
35. Get a vehicle banner made for your automobile. I recommend the vinyl window clings or vinyl cling ones that stick to your automobile but don’t scratch or remove the paint. You can easily remove them when washing your vehicle!
What do you think?  Many of these ideas are inexpensive, but will go a long way to get your business noticed.

Do you have any tips that work for you?  If so, share them with us in the comments!

Promote Your Business With Style,

Sylvia