Starting Small Business Promotional Campaigns

So you're starting a small business. You figured out what you wanted to sell or do plus went out plus got it all set up, had your DBA framed plus on the wall plus now all you require is for anyone to buy your product or use your service. Right?
how're you going to go about getting your public to know you even exist?

Promote! Promote! Promote!

Let's start with the "Basic Principles" of promotion:

Well that all sounds simple, but say you're a financial specialist, a boat builder or llama farmer. they probably didn't teach the basic principles of starting small business promotional campaigns in boat-builders' school. So what do you require to know, plus how do you go about it?

Promotion n. Anything, as advertising, public appearances, etc., done to publicize (get the attention or interest of the public) a person, product, event, etc. The New Webster's Concise Dictionary2003 Encyclopedic Edition

what's Promotion?

The purpose of promotion is to make sure people know you are in business. You promote because if you don't, you won't make it in business. You promote because it is communication that you require to engage in in order to survive. You promote in order to expand plus get the attention or interest of the public for your products or services. You promote because if you don't, no seven will know you exist plus no seven will buy from you plus...well, you get the point.

Why do you promote?

How do you promote?

there's more ways than you would ever think. Have you ever heard anyone say, "I seldom promote plus i am always busy" OR "I don't have to promote, all my business comes from word-of-mouth"? they may not be aware of how they're doing it, but I promise you they are promoting somewhere. Maybe they go around telling everyone they talk to, that they don't promote. (Sound funny? It's still promoting.) Maybe their larger-than-life running water faucet in front of their store attracts so much attention that they don't require to do anything else. Well here are some ideas you can do "knowingly" to drive in the business.

· Calling your customers after they have had a chance to use your product is a nice way to promote that you care about their experience with your organization. It can also create an opportunity to make more sales.

· Greeting your customers with a smile is a great place to start.

· Always keep up-to-date brochures or catalogs about your business in your reception area for people to see plus take with them.

· A neatly packaged product, the shipping label on straight, promotes that you take pride in what you do.

Anything that gets the attention or interest of the public for the company, its employees, its products or services (in a positive way) is promotion.

· If you have customers coming into your business, make sure they are greeted pleasantly, professionally, plus immediately.

But how do you go about promoting to the masses?

Here is a story that could save you thousands of marketing plus promotional dollars, as well as months or years of experience.

"There, they had machines that automated all the stuffing, sorting, addressing plus stamping. All in all everything was going well. they were sending out about 40,000 pieces per week at a cost of about $10,800.00, plus getting around 120 to 140 nice leads per week. This generated an average of 2 new sales per week for a product that cost around $12,000, plus re-sign income of around $45,000 more. they weren't growing speedy, but they were making money. "

"I was working as the Communications & Promotional Director in a medium size business. they were fortunate to have our own commercial printing press, that put out many fancy letters, catalogs, brochures plus other promotional items, plus oh yes, envelopes to put them in. My full time pressman plus his helpers, spent several days each week getting everything printed, cut, folded plus sent over to the mailing house."

"THEN...911 hit."

"Suddenly, nobody wanted to open envelopes. Our leads were dropping to nothing. they were heading toward our own disaster like so many other companies did. I knew I needed to promote, but what nice did it do if nobody read it! "

"I was talking to the owner of the mailing house plus they suggested the use of POSTCARDS instead of letters. So they decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, I had much less funds to allocate towards promotion, so I started by sending about 20,000 postcards weekly. The total cost-per-piece, needing only seven day on the presses, half the labor at the mail house plus a substantial decrease in postage, was reduced by about 60%."

What was the result? Try 120 to 140 leads per week!

Why?

· You don't have to open a post card!

· The message leaps right out plus you can't ignore it or throw it in the trash unopened (the fate of many bulk mail pieces).

· You see it right away, the bright picture is not hidden from view by an envelope.

Postcards are the best medium to reach new customers when starting a small business promotional campaign.