by Jason Howerton

There are many offline marketing ideas that are inexpensive and work. Whether your business is an online only business or a traditional brick and mortar business, these ideas can work for you.
I hate marketing campaigns where unsuspecting people find their cars or driveways littered with promotional materials from a business.

It is the oldest form of spam out there. Many say this approach works. Having used it (against my wishes) at the direction of an employer, I can say it didn’t work.

We did get responses to the informative packets we put out. Fifteen homeowners made calls to the local police department demanding that we stop blanketing their neighborhoods with “trash”. We didn’t gain one paying customer from the effort, and made at least fifteen enemies.

I’m going to share some better marketing strategies I’ve used successfully with that business and others. Of course, your degree of success with these will depend on many things. The quality of the advertising materials, the market segment you target and the quality of your products and services are just a few.

Business Card Advertising

Put your advertisement on a business card. I’m not talking about standard business cards with your company logo and your name listed. Think of it as a hard copy banner ad. Get the main idea across quickly and concisely and feature your address, URL or phone number prominently.

It is easy to produce your own cards inexpensively with a computer and color printer. You can also print on both sides of the card. I put my advertisement on one side and just by web address on the other for At Home Biz Center. Business cards are small enough to fit in a wallet or pocket. Potential customers will have your advertisement readily available to them when they are ready. Larger brochures and flyers will likely end up in a trash can. Worse, your company name may be found on those flyers littering the highway.

Many businesses will allow you to put your cards out on their counter with cards from other businesses. Be sure to purchase an inexpensive cardholder so your cards don’t end up on the floor. Put out 15 – 20 cards and check back every week or two. Restock the cards and build a relationship with the business owner and employees. This will lead you into the next idea.

Business Partnerships

Business partnerships are a great way to promote your business. I have used several forms of this from targeted, direct mail campaigns shared with other businesses to the idea I’m going to talk about now.

Restaurants are a good source for partnerships because their customer base typically covers several market segments. I can’t take credit for this idea, but I can tell you it worked well. I partnered with a pizza restaurant. Advertisements for my business went out on every box of pizza. In return (this is where the partnership comes in), I gave all of my customers coupons for pizza. Both businesses saw an increase in new customers. In addition, I built customer loyalty by giving something useful to my customers besides the services they were paying for.

Another aspect of partnerships is the business card advertising above. Trade cards with other businesses. They put your cards out on the counter and, you put out theirs.

Both of these examples get tricky for an online only business. You don’t want to send coupons for a local pizza restaurant or a business card from a local tanning salon to a customer halfway across the country. Seek out partnerships that will benefit both businesses.

Be creative. The possibilities are nearly limitless when it comes to partnerships. Show the business owner how partnering with you will help him or her gain new customers. Don’t be discouraged if your offer is rejected. Many business owners are scared of partnerships or don’t believe they will see any real benefit from them. Move to the next business and keep trying. As your professional reputation grows, so will the number of businesses willing to form a partnership.

Community Bulletin Boards

You’ve seen them. They are at grocery stores, public buildings and even some churches. Design a flyer that tells people the benefits of your products and services. Make sure your address, URL or phone number is prominently displayed. Check on the board regularly to make sure your flyer is still there and not tattered. You want your ad to project a professional image for your business.

I don’t really care for the flyers where people can pull off a small tag with a phone number. After the first number is pulled off, they begin to look unprofessional. I’ve even seen a few that were so badly torn, I couldn’t tell what was being advertised. Be careful if you take this approach, and replace the flyers regularly.

Think outside the box on this one. Don’t just make a standard 8 ½ x 11 flyer. Use a different size on colored card stock. Stand out from the crowd. Anyone can use a word processor to type out a flyer on standard paper. Be different and you will be noticed.

Experiment with these methods and find what works best for your business. Marketing doesn’t have to be expensive. Spend a little time and you will see results.

Jason Howerton may be contacted at jason@athomebizcenter.com
Jason Howerton is a telecommuter branching out into business for himself. His experiences in various fields from law enforcement to software development give his articles a unique flavor. Jason's website, www.athomebizcenter.com, features his articles and other resources for the work at home professional.