Business Promotion Ideas

• FRANK – That stands for Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances, and Kids (who your kids know). Most of us have at least 200 hundred people in our network thru our family, job, and connections in the community. Make a list of everyone you know using FRANK and you’ll be surprised at what you come up with!



• Business card on bulletin boards (grocery stores, dry cleaners, convenience stores, car washes, laundry mats, salons.)



• Leave catalogs in waiting rooms (salons, doctors offices, dentists offices, repair shops) - only with permission of the business owner. You can create little precut tabs at the bottom with your phone number that they can rip off to call you.



• Shop, Smile, and Share – you can pick up new customers everywhere you go. While you are shopping, getting gas, and running errands, just be friendly, smile, and start conversations. If you have a free promo item or sample you can give out, that’s a great ice breaker. Then get their contact information and offer to send them a free catalog.



• Give business card to cashiers, waitresses, and anyone else you meet



• Post in Message Boards with link to website in signature- Do not just post ads in forums unless it specifically gives you permission.



• Attend Shows:
  Attend craft shows - Craft Show Basics
  Hotel lobby show – offer to do a free sampling or show for all hotel guests for a certain day and split the sales with the hotel. It makes the hotel manager look like a super star because he is pampering his guests with a fun and special event. Plus, it’s a money maker for them. And you can pick up quite a few new customers that way.
  Job Fairs



• Vinyl sign for car
  Yard Sign (removable) - put in your yard & the yards of hostess too



• Join local networking organizations



• Join local clubs



• Volunteer



• Mommy & Me Play groups



• Attend free Chamber of Commerce Business cards exchanges



• Be a walking bill board, wear clothes, hats etc with logo - Shop



• Host an online party, How to Have an Online Party



• Send some samples and a letter to a female on a local radio or news show. They may just spend a few minutes talking about or even invite you to the show.



• Ask the local elementary school if you can set up a booth during kindergarten registration. Offer to do it as a fundraiser for the school.



• Put a business card and a coupon in your bills when you pay them. You never who who might need what you have to offer.



• Distribute flyers and business cards to Apartment Complexes. Put an incentive like a gift certificate, discount, or free offer to get them to call you!



• Donate raffle prizes – keep your ears open with BNI groups, Chambers, and other networking groups are having a raffle or fundraiser. Donate a beautiful basket full of prizes. Place stickers on all items with your contact info so if the winner likes a product, they will know how to order more from you. Add a business card with the bow so they know how donated the prize.



• Always ask for referrals when you deliver an order to a customer. Ask, “Who else do you know that might be interested in getting a free sample or trial of our product?” Then listen. You might want to incent the customer that if they give you 3 names, you’ll give them a special gift or gift certificate as your way of saying thanks.



• Anytime you are at a cash register paying, hand a sample product or a $10 gift certificate and say, “Here’s a little gift for you because you were so nice.” Make sure your contact information is on the gift.



• Employee Appreciation day – offer to do a free educational workshop for a company, bank, or other organization. If it’s okay with the company, you can hand out catalogs and/or sell product at the end. Just make sure to deliver value and make the selling be really low key.



• Bumper Stickers



• Free Classifieds



• Ezines



• Paid ads



• Postcards



• Bookmarks for libraries



• Signature line in emails and message boards



• Buttons



• Promo items to hand out - buttons, pens, stickers, notepads, magnets, etc.



• Welcome Basket of samples for newcomers to your neighborhood, church or group



• Car Magnets



• Window Clings



• Ad in school publications



• Buy a pre-inked, personalized stamp and put your ad on it. Stamp the back of all your envelopes that you mail out. Do you know how many people look at an envelope before it gets opened by the mail department? A LOT!



• Junk mail with the postage paid envelopes, send a flyer back to the company and it's free postage!



• Gift basket raffles at Church bazaars, fish fries at your local community hall, any small town function (biz card in the basket) and biz cards on the table next to it.



• Make gift baskets (if you sell a product that would work for this) for family, friends, neighbors, etc. for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, baby showers, bridal showers - you have to buy a gift anyway - make it a VERY SPECIAL one!



• Replying to spam email with own business ad.



• Give your business cards to friends and family and ask them to give them out to people they know that might be interested. But turn your business card over and put their name on it and offer an incentive for prospects they send you.



• If you go to garage sales, ask if you can leave a few of your flyers there.



• Purchase cheap seed packets (WAL-MART for $.10/each) and put a cute tag on them with pertinent info on it as well as a saying such as "I'm in the business of helping people grow".
  Pass out sample sizes at school, sporting, or other events, packaged cleverly with your business card.



• Hang flyers on door knobs. Consultant Corner sells 100 for $5.00