Low Budget - No Budget

Before I get into talking about automation, I want to take a moment to tell you about some low budget / no budget advertising that I used when I couldn't afford to pay for advertising on a monthly basis.

If you have read my "why"; you are aware that my biggest form of advertising my printing business was to use "bandit signs".  These are the signs that you see on telephone poles and trees around the neighborhood or maybe on busy streets.   While these were effective for me, they were also costly from the stand point that I had to keep buying new signs and taking lots of time to hang them at night.  The other thing is that in some places they are considered and eyesore and illegal.  So just be aware that some cities may fine you for using such a method for advertising.

Another cheap way of advertising that I used was hanging flyers on bulletin boards in stores or restraints that allowed that sort of thing.  It was cheap, but it took a bit of work to find places that would allow me to post my flyers and as with bandit signs, I had to visit these places often to replace flyers that had been taken down for whatever reason.

One of my favorite methods of getting return customers was to print on my business cards that if they show my business card on their next order, I would give them $10 off for keeping my card.

Those cards started to become popular with my customers so I pushed a little further and started using loyalty cards.  Loyalty cards are basically business card sized cards that you give to customers for free and when they come back to use your business or service again, they get a mark or a punch on the card and after they get X number of punches or marks, they get something for free.

I said all of this to make a point.  Even if you have a very small budget to advertise your business, there are options for you.  Here are a few examples:

T-shirts or caps with your company logo - Have a few shirts made with your company logo and wear them everywhere!  (Golf Shirts with your logo embroidered on them, give a nice professional look). A dozen T-shirts printed on two sides in a single color currently cost about $110.00 (text me!)

Promotional Items with your logo that you give away - I like my customers to see my logo every day.  I want them thinking about me.  So car air-fresheners that have your logo printed on them will hang for months on your customer's rear view mirror, reminding them every day that your business is there waiting to serve them.  Air fresheners printed with your logo cost about $2 each depending on the number ordered. (Text me!)

Putting Magnetic signs on your car with your company info is a good way to advertise your business while just riding around town.  Set of 24x12 magnets cost between $30 and $70 depending on if you do single color vinyl letters or full color signs. (Text me!)

Window lettering with your business name - If you have a storefront, having the name of your business in big letters on your windows and doors is one of the most basic and effective advertising methods you can use to generate local traffic.  Vinyl letters can be professionally cut and installed for as little as $7 /sq foot plus a small installation cost.  (text me!)

Co-op marketing - This is an old school method but can still be quite effective when you need to generate local traffic.  Using this method a broker will get 10 to 20 businesses to join forces with a mass coupon mailing to about 10 thousand homes covering several zip codes that are close to where the businesses are located.  Think this might be a method that you would like to try? (Text me).