I cannot afford national ad fees but I want to market nationally. How can I do this on a shoestring?
It is $ 900 per quarter just for my own professional journal. There are several good magazines to be in. How can I shoestring this marketing?
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Mar 7, 2014
Look at an industry trade shows. But first your website is global. Consider all of the parts and elements that fall under "Promotion, " in the Nine P's of Marketing. Check out http://.nineps.com, and specifically all of the components under Promotion. Use a budget. Start small, if you have a limited budget. Work on networking and Partnerships, also in the 9P's of Marketing.
Mar 7, 2014
Always remember that publicity is no cost advertising. You can also leverage very small media buys by telling a possibly interested correspondent about what you are doing. Media is naturally prone to support their customers.
Mar 6, 2014
Hi Deborah,
Try SlideShare I have a growing following and also a top rated LinkedIn profile, both are free and worth the effort.
Regards
Eric
Mar 6, 2014
I would guess that there are a few good Groups on Linked in that people in your industry participate in. Get involved in your industry group discussions. Find as many Blogs pertaining to your industry and comment or contribute to the blog discussions. These things I mention are all free. Don't forget when you post to a blog site to include the link to your website and over time, people begin to recognize you and your company. Do Press Releases on Media sites. Many of them allow press releases to be free. If you belong to any Association in your industry, that is one of the best ways to get known. Get involved in your own association and it will reap rewards. I have belong to an Association for years that is in my industry and have served on some of their committees and their board. Your name gets out there. People from around the country started contacting me as a result of just participating more in my industry. If you are a member of the Better Business Bureau, that is another great way for name
recognition. My own local BBB charges a reasonable annual fee and in exchange I have spent years maintaining an A+ rating with no complaints. It's like getting free advertising to have a listing in the BBB no matter where you are
in the country. I take out ads in certain publications that are inexpensive, but effective. Good luck to you Deborah. You can do it and not break the bank.
Rosanne
Mar 6, 2014
It depends on what kind of product you are selling and which segmet in market you target at. Trade shows, Social media, and PR are other options for you.
Mar 6, 2014
There are two very good ways.
The first is using social media: LinkedIn, blogging, YouTube videos and possible Pinterest and Facebook, depending on what your product is.
The second is to offer to write those articles for those magazines. They may not pay, but the also won't charge you. It is a good way to demonstrate your expertise.
Mar 6, 2014
Lots of ways.
One of the best follows this structure (and yes I can be hired for more info):
Create G+ account, Business Page & Topical (niche) Community Page
Create a YouTube account and topical channel
Create a series of 2-4 minute "infomercial" videos (with your talking head!) and put them on your channel (in sets of playlists for sub-topics)
Optimize the YouTube channel, video, and playlist entries (for SEO etc.)
Start having regular Hangouts On Air (HOA, Google/YouTube free broadcast facility) this can be done "privately" within your G+ Community or publicly
Be sure to use G+ Events to help publicize your HOAs
Post topic rich articles on your G+ page and then include them in your blog via iframes (real good SEO from Google this way)
Sorry, did I mention create a website with a blog...
Follow this scheme and you will match or beat almost anyone (even those with money) in your field!
Good luck!
Mar 6, 2014
Aside from the free media, I'd start with the correct research on your ideal clients, then I might suggest the right mix of SEO and Social. Let me know if I can help you with anything.
Mar 5, 2014
Please register for free on all Yellow pages, Blue Pages, Pink Pages, Search Engines, item oriented sites etc.
Mar 5, 2014
Hi Deborah, you mention that you're spending nearly $4k/year ($900 per quarter) to advertise in your own professional journal. Question is: what does that gain you? Recognition by peers in your field? Is it effective? Achieving your goals? Leading to more business referrals? What are your goals? Who are you trying to reach? The answers to those questions will drive & create your best "toolkit" marketing solution. Perhaps you've got all these answers, yet, it's not clear from the question. If that's the case, then the PR route -- name recognition is your best bet: on & off-line, to start & grow from there. As well, the comment, re: have you exhausted your local market yet, before deciding to expand nationally. Wish you the best!
I agree with name recognition and taking that another step name association. What would like people to associate with (ideas, products, services, talents, skills, feelings) when the know your name?