101 + Out of the Box Ways to promote your business

This section is courtesy of an article by Al Pooser:

This  system  flat  out  works! I once made a commission of over $300.00 for simply leaving a business card size ad in an elevator.

Picture this. You are at a place of business, sitting on the throne (toilet) taking care of business, (captive audience) as your eyes gaze at the door in front of you (yeah, like what else is there to do.)

You fasten your eyes on a brightly colored piece of paper attached to the back of the door with the following words: (Picture of dollar signs or money graphic generated on your computer)

Dirty Little Secrets Earn Your Church Group $75.00 each hour as you clean up in your own Windshield Washing Business. Free instant info by sending a blank email to: myname@mysite.com

Your information will be on its way immediately.

You have just experienced Litter Your Way To Wealth. You simply leave low and no cost promotional material on whatever you promote, wherever you go. (More later on places to litter.)

Business Cards

Typeset on your computer an ad similar to the above ad. Copy and paste it several times on your favorite word processor (I use Microsoft Word). You can get 16 business card size ads on an 8 ½ X 11 sheet of paper. I recommend using goldenrod or some other brightly colored paper, as this is easier for people to see.

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Padded Material:

This is sheets of paper with a cardboard backing. You can use business card size, postcard size and even full page on the cardboard or as commercial printers call it, chipboard. Your printer can do this for you. Have him/her place 25 or 50 of your ads on the chipboard and pad it using padding glue. It isn't expensive. If you have an Office Depot or Max near you, they can do this also.

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Post It Notes:

Rubber stamp your ad to it and stick them everywhere. Cereal boxes at the store, or in magazines that pertain to your specialty.  Can get cheap rubber stamps from vitaprint.com

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Money Note:

Take a Million Dollar Bill and place your ad on the back and fold it in half, then place it under items where only a corner is showing. People will scurry to get your ad. Bring the Million Dollar Bill to a printer and have them duplicate it in green ink on front with your ad on the back. If you have trouble locating a million-dollar bill, go to google pictures.

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Full Page Flyers with tear away tab:

With your phone number, web or email address or email autoresponder attached. The main page has your ad and any graphics you wish and the lower portion has tear away tabs attached so someone can tear off your contact info and call or respond later for your information. Always tear one tab away before placing on bulletin board, because no one wants to be first to tear away that first tab. Remove all hesitation for your new customer. (this gives your approximately 12 ads for the price of 1)

Flyers with Attention Grabbing Headlines:

WARNING! ALERT! IMPORTANT NOTICE! Important Information Concerning Your Future! Make it BIG & BOLD. After the headline enter your ad info and tear away tabs or just use the whole page.

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PLACES TO LITTER

Notice: It is illegal, so I am told, to place your litter at VA Hospitals or Other Federal Buildings. (I found out the hard way. I got a nasty gram on my voicemail). So if you place litter here, please do so at your own risk.

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One of the best places I have found is the back of bathroom doors. (they aren't going anywhere fast, so you might as well capitalize on this unfortunate situation.) Tape one of your 25 padded ads with double stick tape and tape it to the back of the door (be careful of painted surfaces as paint will peel,) where it will be seen. The neat thing about placing it here is when the cleaning man/lady cleans the can, he/she won't see the ad, thus making it less likely that he/she will throw it away. Your ad will be seen by many people this way.

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If you go to a bus terminal or rest area along the Interstate you will be able to place many ads and is also a good way to have your program spread to people not from your area. Other good areas are auto repair places and doctors offices. Or any place where people have to wait, like Dept of Motor Vehicles, because they have a better chance of reading their ad as they wait for whatever it is they are waiting for. Place the ads on the table. Ask permission, if you wish or just place them if you don't want to ask. If not asking there is a better chance it will be thrown away.

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For a better response, place your ad in a targeted place. For instance, say you are marketing a business opportunity, place a post-it-note or business card on the inside of a business opportunity magazine or inside the Wall Street Journal; or open a paper machine when you purchase a paper and place one of your ads in each newspaper. If you market a weight loss product you may want to leave your ad in the candy section or in the ice cream freezer at your favorite supermarket. This makes sense. People often think of dieting when they are gorging on sweet stuff. Place your ads in elevators, in the dollar bill slot in coke machines, attached to the handle of the gas pump. The possibilities are endless. Just use your imagination.

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Monthly Bill Inserts:

Every month when you get a bill they have placed advertising inserts. They do it to you so you may as well play their game. When you send in your check to pay your bill, simply send along your ad. You are paying the postage anyway, so you may as well take advantage of it.

In your ad you will want to leave contact information. Use an autoresponder. An autoresponder is just like a fax on demand. You enter an email address and instantly your prospect will have your sales information in his/her email box ready to be read and send you tons of cash.

If you were going to use a phone number, I would recommend a voice mail through your Phone Company or local company that you can find in the yellow pages, or google. Record the following message on your voicemail. "Thank you for calling. This exciting information will be rushed to you by first class mail. Just leave your name, address, phone number and the extension on the ad, if any, and we will rush your information to you. Thank you.

I hope you really enjoyed "6 Free & Low Cost Ways To Energize Your Internet Marketing Efforts" and found it useful. It is a very low cost way to get the word out about your program. Good luck as you litter your way to wealth.

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Al Pooser is the Author of the Ebook, "HOW TO ABSOLUTELY
GUARANTEE  THE  #  1 TOP POSITION IN YOUR SEARCH  ENGINE, EVERY TIME WITH NO COMPETITION AND LITTLE OR NO COST 100%  GUARANTEED!"  

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Find places related to your business, and offer them an incentive to put your business cards or flyers in a prominent place.  For instance, I once had a business that offered ½ price gasoline.  I knew a few auto mechanics, so I told them that I would pay their way into my business

if they would allow me to put my business cards and flyers in their shop on a regular basis, along with a larger poster. 

They thought that was great, and so I built their business along with mine, because once I had quite a few people, I changed to putting their cards in place, and flyers with their information on it.  This also helped my business since they are my partners, as they make money I make money.  I had also identified some gas stations, jiffy lube locations etc.  You beginning to get the picture?  

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This idea is not cheap but it is relevant to the above idea, and can be made cheaper by offering it as a coop opportunity.  While sitting in our local Motor Vehicle Administration building for literally hours!, I noticed the large constantly running billboards across the top of the counter area, with red letters, advertising businesses and services in a rotation.  I called about the advertising, and was told that each spot was 15 seconds long, and ran every 15 minutes or 4 x hour, times the 8 + hours they are open. Literally several hundred people come through here daily or more ! 

The rep offered me a deal of 2 MVA sites for the price of 1 at $400 a month with a one year contract, and 2 months in advance ($800)  This is steep I grant you, but as a coop with other members of your business, 8 people could pitch in $100 a month initially, and then $50 a month thereafter.  This idea could work well with other higher priced advertising methods as well.

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Every month when you get a bill they have placed advertising inserts. They do it to you so you may as well play their game. When you send in your check to pay your bill, simply send along your ad/card. You are paying the postage anyway, so you may as well take advantage of it.

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If you have children in school, this one is good especially when having to keep in touch with teachers.

Inserting one of your cards is a great way to circulate your information. Parent teacher's conferences; stop writing down your number hand them a business card. PTA meetings ?  Get the picture?

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Post ads, flyers and cards on bulletin boards at the supermarket, community centers, and local business. Many businesses have a jar that you can put your cards in when you visit. Check with the local library to see what their policy is about business information distribution.   Here in Baltimore, there is a business center that allows folks to put flyers on a display in their lobby.  Check office supply stores, staples, book stores; so hurry on down with your card today.

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Become An Expert. Put yourself out there in the public as an expert in your field, and watch as people flock to you. Whether it is by writing articles and submitting them to article sites, giving presentations/seminars, or appearing as a guest on a local radio show, you will have the chance to showcase your services at very little to no cost. People will also think of you as an authority on the subject, which will greatly improve the odds that someone will choose your business over a similar competitor.

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Put your business on Google maps or any other maps from other search engines like Yahoo, MSN and more. This way people will know where you are located. Naturally if people know where you are and what you offer they will be able to get to your business and you will make more sales. You can also find free email templates at Lyris.com/Email_Advertising.

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 Don't spam people's email. I know friends that have gotten in a lot of trouble for that. Look for people who may be interested such as friends, family, etc. You can also ask customers to give you referrals or pass on the good word about your business. I live in a big city so word of mouth is a great way to advertise. It works even in the big cities and is a great free way to build up your business credibility. You also need to optimize your online business so it will attract more targeted traffic and rank higher in the search engines. Do some research on how to do your own SEO. This will help your business greatly.

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Get involved in your community. Attend meetings and be a member of different groups. There is a site online called Meetup.  They list various groups you can join in every city for social activities, business etc.  Remember, folks you meet in a social setting, having fun and talking, will be much more likely to do business with you later.

 One of my groups had an outdoor barbeque at a local park this summer with everyone bringing a dish, over 100 folks showed up.  Of course the topic of what folks do inevitably came up.  A great chance to shine your business, and spread the word.  One young  lady was starting a business making home made cheesecakes from scratch.  Several folks placed orders for cakes.  In addition, a few folks referred her to other people.  I personally referred her to two folks I met starting their own restaurants.  One was a vegan restaurant.

 This will help more people to know you and help your business to be known. This will make people feel like you care about the community and are connected to it. This will help increase your credibility.  Be sure and take a load of business cards and flyers to these events, everyone WILL ask you for one!

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Run a contest or have a drawing. People like to win things or to get something for free. I used to have an online shopping  mall, so I went to several area Curves fitness centers, and got permission to give away a gift basket.  I then decorated a really pretty shoe box, with gift wrap and ribbons from the dollar store,  I also got another large basket from the dollar store, decorated it beautifully as well; put in filler, a pretty gift certificate to be used in my mall of course, and some other inexpensive gifts that could be purchased in my mall, with a list, of course of some of the mall stores, and where the gifts were purchased.

  

Over 100 people from each site registered for that gift basket !!  It sat on the counter until it was time for the raffle, and of course, they did not have to be present to win.  Run the raffle for about 2 weeks to give everyone time to register.  Be sure and request their email with permission to email them.  Then you will have it IN WRITING if anyone tries to holler spam, as some people do when they FORGET they requested information. The lady who won really liked what she got and happened to be a fellow business woman. This helps to increase your product credibility.

Always remember to give the owner a special gift for allowing you to give away the basket at their facility, they will be thrilled to allow you to do it over and over again.  I would suggest maybe every 4-6 months, as new customers come and go.

This will also build your relationship with 100’s of customers, who will likely be your customers later on.  I had 4 curves allowing me to do this, so I had one drawing going every month.  This also gives you an unlimited amount of FREE leads, who already know who you are, and have a relationship with you.  You can also do a holiday give away at Thanksgiving or Christmas/Hanukkah, Easter etc.  You are beginning to get the idea.

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You can also do workshops or speeches on your expertise and offer your services for free. This sounds like a sacrifice but it is worth it. People are willing to try free things and this can get them hooked. They may like what you offer so much that they will say it's worth the money they spend on it.

Visit Bravenet.com to add a free "tell-a-friend" tool to your Web site, e-newsletter, or emails, or try the low-cost Tell-a-Friend Wizard. For more ideas on how to generate buzz, visit WOMMA, the Word of Mouth Marketing Association.

Start Networking

Yes, I said it, networking. There are many local groups where you can go eat breakfast or lunch and hand out your business card. I know it's painful for some but I can tell you from experience that it works. Every time I join a group I make new friends and then clients. You can start with your local Chamber of Commerce, and go from there, or google networking groups in your area.

A good tip would be to make friends first. Then see if you want to do business with this person. Then politely ask them for referrals, and you do the same for them. It's simple and will benefit you greatly. Just make sure that you can serve the members and that they can serve you as well. Remember 90 percent listening and 10 percent speaking.

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Check out Meetup.com in your city/area.  They have different groups you can join, mostly free; that meet for breakfast, lunch, after hours, and socially to network etc.  They literally have a group for ANY interest you may have.  If you don't see what you like, you can even start your own Meetup group.

www.meetup.com

Join Professional Organizations

Join the local chamber of commerce and other related groups. They also have networking events to better help you spread the word about your business. You can also ask them to host a seminar for you. (You'll probably have to pay for this but it will be more than worth it.)

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Speak at Events

Offer to speak about your industry for FREE at local events. You could also have free seminars at most libraries. Make sure your speech is not a sales pitch. If they like what you have to say then they will introduce themselves. Have a fish bowl there to collect business cards. Maybe you can have a drawing.

Create Publicity

Create and send out newsletters every time your company does something special. It has to be special, as most editors don't want to publish boring details of who was promoted to Vice President. But they might think it's a good story if you had a special event and gave a portion of the profits to a local charity.

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Create a Fan page on Facebook, join Twitter and LinkedIn, etc. Create a GREAT profile. If it is a fan page then use your logo. If it is a LinkedIn profile use your picture. Please make sure it is a professional picture. We don't want to see you looking into a web cam. I am sure your dog is beautiful but that would not be appropriate either. And use your real photo. Not some person from Google images.

Then invite all your friends and colleagues to join. Just remember that you will want to use these sites to promote yourself as an expert not to tell everyone what you had for breakfast. Although it is advised to be a bit personal and you could inject some humor (be careful with the humor). You can put a personal touch in easily by suggesting books you've read or seminars you've been to or information about your favorite restaurant.

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Try not to be a salesperson on Social Networking sites, it's best to speak about your industry and give people education based marketing instead of just rambling on about the sale you have on widgets. Now, I am not saying that is not acceptable. It is, but don't do it all the time. Give more information about your industry, then sales promotions. The sales will come.

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You could also create your own group on some of the sites.  Be helpful, and enlightening, answering questions. Share news, tips, and other useful information, such as new developments in your field or business.  Be careful not to hog up all the talk time though, let others share as well, as this should be a give and take.

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Tell your friends and family what you do for a living, AGAIN!

You would be amazed if I told you how many times I have to explain to my friends and family what I do for a living. Either they are not listening, or they can't understand.  So just keep on telling them, eventually they may get it!

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Support a Charity: If you are aligned with a local charity you can usually ask them to promote you to their mailing list (which most will do anyways!). Of course any charity is a great choice, but when you are deciding, consider whom they serve or who serves them. Will that particular group of people be interested in what your business offers? Aligning with a charity is a wonderful low cost marketing or advertising technique, or rather a no cost technique.

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Do Trade Shows: Trade shows will not be free, but they will give you a lot of exposure. You can also share the cost with other local folks in your same business.  Go with your information and be sure to offer something that entices people to stop at your table. Combining your trade show with an opt-in form will double on your marketing efforts! Have a prize draw or give away something for free as a way to capture peoples emails. Be sure to take lots of flyers and/or business cards.

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Give away FREE Vouchers for your business or service, I have a friend with a dog walking business.  She made vouchers on her computer, and gave them to her neighbors offering a FREE half hour of dog walking time, normally valued at $15.  She got 5 new customers from her gesture, and a lot of goodwill.

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Throw a $2 or $5,  50/50 yard sale for a charitable organization sponsored by your business, and have a table with information about your business set up.  Fire up the grill and sell hotdogs, hamburgers, sodas and chips.  Have family and friends help; so that you can man the business table, and answer questions.  Clean out your closets for the items, and also hit thrift stores for great inexpensive items to sell.  You can also ask friends, neighbors and relatives for items they are not longer using, they will probably be glad to get rid of them.   Have a few huge totes loaded with items that customers can fill a bag, that you give them,  for $5. 

This is a great four fold winner.  It gets some money for you, your charity, and gets rid of the clutter in your house, and spreads the word about your business.  Make sure a flyer or business card gets in every bag.

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Buy inexpensive but cute items from the dollar store, and put a sticker on them about your business, and use them for giveaways, examples could be cheap cd’s  and dvd’s, miniature bubbles ( let’s be honest, there’s a little kid in all of us !) and so many great things ! Plus it gives you a reason to hit the dollar store.  Make sure the sticker is really cute, and or unusual.  You even tie a little ribbon around the bag.    Vistaprint has 140 stickers you can put a 3 line message on for about $8.00, you can design them yourself, or if you are not that handy, or just don’t feel like it, contact me and I will do them for you for a reasonable price.

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Throw a friend brunch, make up goodie bags from the dollar store for your friend’s when they leave, and be sure to include your flyer or business card in the goodie bag.  This is an unobtrusive way to introduce them to your business without hitting them over the head with it or driving them away.