Here's a braindump! Feel free to add to this post and make it a hot resource for everyone looking for ideas!
#. Take a small zip close baggie (snack sizes work well) and include the following in it:
Your Business Card, Business Oppty Mini Flyer, a Piece of Candy such as hard candy or a lollipop, mini flyer of current host specials, discount coupon (optional) etc.
Hand these out to the bank tellers, retail cashiers, at your kids sport events, every where you go!
#. Daycare Centers! They are excellent to contact and leave business cards and/or fliers at!
Whatever company you represent, find some items that cater to children or to moms and make up a flier!
#. This one is obvious (but so many people miss the obvious dont they?)... Does your business have a easy to remember, catchy website name? Most businesses dont. They have their business name that nobody remembers or it does not describe clearly what the business does.
Remember your website is going to be on EVERYTHING, so make it deliver a message. If you dont have a website or have one that says nothing, get a new one today. You dont have to re-build a new site, all you have to do is register a domain for less than $10 and redirect that new one to your regular website.
#. Join your local area chamber of commerce! They are always holding local business events that you can participate in.
#. College Campuses! Dorms & Housing Students are always looking to spend money! Alot of college students are also looking for an extra income so target them with the Business Oppty too!
Drop off fliers and business cards to the College Student Center! They usually have bulletin boards, tables and other things where you can leave your information at for FREE!
#. Donate a Product to your local area Bingo Halls! They are always looking for sponsors of their Bingo Prizes! Bingo is BIG in alot of areas!
#. Call your Chamber of Commerce and find out about Local Area Job Fairs. Get a booth and set up info about the fabulous business oppty!
#. Call your Local Area Colleges and find out when their next job/employment fair is. Alot of times you can get a booth or table for less than $35 and you will get alot of GREAT new recruit leads by participating in events like these.
#. Small Home Town Newspapers! I dont get too good of a response when I do big newspaper city ads, however... when I target small town newspapers I usally get a great response.
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.
#. 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!
#. Contact local area restaurants, bars and clubs and see about advertising on their paper beverage coasters!
#. Get your business listed in your cities telephone book yellow pages! Alot of them also have a coupon section too!
#. If your city has a travel guide that tourists request, contact that business and find out how you can advertise in it too!
#. Get your business info printed up on balloons! This is very economical to do! You then distribute them to local community centers, sporting events and other types of places where parents book their childrens birthday parties!
These balloons can be displayed at the birthday party giving you business exposure. You can usually get them done for .3-.8 cents each. Your business name & website address is all you need on them!
#. Get some T-shirts printed up with your business information on it (both front & back sides) and hand them out to some friends, family and co-workers and ask them to wear them out and about in the community. This is their FREE gift for helping you to spread the word about your business!
Optional: Get ball caps printed up with your business info!
#. Wear a business name tag every time you go out into your community! Get a Catchy Slogan printed on it such as:
A. Ask me about (your company name) Products!
B. I work from home, you can too!
C. Earn some FREE when you party with me!
#. Local Area Magazines! Does your city publish a City Magazine? If so, contact them about advertising or if they hold contests for their readers offer to donate a product or service for their contest!
#. Invite your spouses co-workers over to your home for a little mingling party! Serve some refreshments or do a cookout BBQ and make sure you have a table set up with some product displays!
#. Put an AD in the back of local high school yearbooks! You can usually get these ads for around $20.00 which makes it affordable advertising for you!
#. Contact Local Churches & Religous Groups and see if you can place an AD in their weekly church bulletins & program guides!
#. Get a Yard Sign! If you have a home business consider getting a Yard Sign printed up and proudly display it in your front yard! Something like "I work from home! Do you?"
#. Local Bus Stops & Bus Sheds! Have you noticed that alot of them have local business advertising on them? Call up the company and see how much it would cost you to advertise there too!
#. BUY little boxes of Smartie (tm) Candies! Put your Business info on one side & on the front side slap on a label that says "Be a Smartie, Earn FREE (Your Company Name) w/a Party!" Hand them out every where you go!
#. The PUBLIC Library! I go in there often and see all kinds of local advertisements for businesses there! See if you can leave a catalog & a few business cards!
#. Ask about getting your info printed onto golf tee's and golf balls & then donate them to a local golf course or mini golf course!
#. Temporary Employment Agencies...again drop off packets of info about Your Business Oppty to them.
#. Print up some flyers and get permission from local shopping centers to see if you can leave them on car windshields! Always ASK permission first!
#. Local small town radio stations that are usually found on the AM frequency usually offer very low-cost local area advertising on their small radio station. A great way to get your business info out to those in your local community.
#. Get your business information printed out onto paper text book covers! You can make them yourself! Donate them to local area adult technical schools and colleges!
#. Put your Business Knowledge to Work! Offer to teach classes to adults!
You can find adult programs by contacting: Local Community Centers, Local Civic Groups and alot of High Schools & Community Colleges offer evening classes to adults. (continuing education).
This generates leads & sales and only takes a short amount of time!
#. Establish a Referral program for your business and print out referral coupons! Offer established customers a free little gift or personal discount if they refer a new customer to you! I like to give out 3 Referral Coupons to every new customer I get so that they know they will be rewarded for referring new customers to me.
Established customers are more apt to refer new customers to you if they know they will be rewarded for that referral. Verbal referral programs don't work well, so print up referral coupons or referral promotion cards to hand out to your established customers.
# Take your outdated catalogs and randomly mail or distribute them thru-out your neighborhood! Make sure you stamp it OUTDATED and provide contact info for yourself so they can contact you if interested to get a current catalog!
#. Get your business info printed up on pencils, pens, mini note pads, tab stickers and so forth. Contact local office style businesses and donate a few "business" supplies to them!
#. Draft up a business press release. Submit it to your local newspapers, local magazines, tv stations and radio stations. Offer to be a guest on one of their live or recorded shows. They may not work the first few times but dont give up. Persistence is the key. Keep submitting your press release in different ways, and suddenly one day you are on the news. Its so valuable that even if it takes a hundred failed tries its still more than worth it.
#. Do you get alot of magazines to your home? If so, after reading them, print up some labels on your computer that say "Compliments of __________________" and donate them to local doctors offices, dentist offices, local hospitals, libraries, community centers, senior centers, etc. Make sure your label includes your business name & information.
#. Does your city/town have a local taxi cab company? If so, call them up! I recently donated 35 of my mini catalogs to a taxi company who placed one in the back seat magazine holder of 35 of their cars. Since that time, I have gotten 1 new consultant and 2 new customers!
ie. back of train seats, back of airplane seats, hotel lobbies, restaurants, sporting events, etc...where-ever. This is a great way to target non-local customers and interest in your business.
HOW DID YOU LIKE THAT? DONT FORGET TO ADD YOUR OWN IDEA. JUST POST A COMMENT AND I'LL UPDATE THE POST WITH YOUR NAME!
