Creative and Low-Cost Ways to Promote Your Business

While advertising campaigns often focus on highlighting specific products, services, and special offers, promotional campaigns are more about building brand equity. Promotions expose your business to

the public eye and help draw in new customers and boost sales. Promotions tell the public that your business exists, and they typically do so in a creative, cost-effective way. For this reason, promotions can be attractive to small business owners with limited budgets.

Some ideas for promotional campaigns include:

• Become a sponsor. Sponsoring the cleanup of your local highway will both benefit your community and get your name on a plaque; you might also sponsor a local little league team to put your business name in front of all those cheering parents.
• Offer raffles and free samples. Donating your product or service to a raffle can benefit a worthy cause and promote your business name; handing out free samples in areas that your target group populates is also a good idea.
• Spread the word. Print fliers and exchange them with other businesses, post them in your local library and on public bulletin boards, or hand them out on the sidewalk downtown (perhaps in costume to attract attention).
• Make your vehicle a rolling billboard. Paint the name of your business on your vehicle or put a sign in the window. There are also companies that specialize in removable magnetic signs for vehicles.
• Send out press releases. If you're sponsoring a local event or will be making a public appearance, issue a press release about it ahead of time and encourage journalists to attend.
• Use blogs and newsletters. Maintaining a business blog and sending out electronic newsletters are two inexpensive ways of promoting your business online.
• Support a charity or cause. Make a donation in your business's name to a worthy cause. Many people like to support businesses they feel are charitable and concerned about the well-being of the community.
• Cover all the bases. Promote your business through a variety of printed materials, including business cards, pens, and stationery; also, make sure you list your business with all the appropriate free directories.