Is your advertising budget non-existent?
Scanned your checkbook, and decided store bought
promotional items were a no-go?
Do it yourself.
Small business owners and organizations sometimes request
items for goodie bags; this is an ingenious way to promote
not only themselves but to share the "wealth" so to speak,
without it costing them a dime. You could do the same;
offer to trade with other small businesses. But you
generally need a minimum of fifty, and possibly hundreds or
thousands of giveaways.
I scanned the internet for ideas, but found only ads.
I know from experience that Oriental Trading offers bulk
lots of everything from pencils to stickers to magnets
cheap. Book Depot sells book remainders (new books that are
overstocks or out of prints) in bulk (currently $250 minimum
order) for as little as 20 cents to a dollar each; its
sister company, Book Closeouts requires no minimum, but the
prices are about double. I've even made ornaments from lace
in the past, but that takes a great deal of time and effort;
besides, who wants "snowflakes" in July?
The Microsoft Office/Word site offers a selection of free
downloadable templates for business cards, certificates,
coupons, etc., as does the HP website
(www.hp.com/go/14homefun). A search of the net produced
templates for door hangers and bookplates, and even
instructions to make miniature books from sticky note pads,
with cardboard covers glued on (URL).
I have created bookplates with clipart and the words, "This
book belongs to ______," printed on plain white shipping
labels. Combine these with one of the aforementioned
inexpensive books for a double punch.
But all that costs money, and did I mention I even ran out
of color printer cartridge, and my budget currently does not
allow for even that?
When the money runs out, the creative get going.
Office supply stores stock preprinted papers for a few
dollars a package, but a less expensive alternative is to
create a black "frame" from clipart in a word processing or
greeting card program, and center a few favorite quotes, or
a poem, inside the "frame;" print on plain white paper. To
save even more money, have them photocopied. I type my URL
on the bottom in slightly smaller print. Rolled into
scrolls and tied with a ribbon they literally stand up--and
out--in goodie bags.
Craft mini books with paper, card stock, and a paper
trimmer. Leave blank, include quotes, or add any poem or
prose in the public domain. Or create a "My Family" journal
for jotting family history. Staple the edges or the center
fold, or punch holes and bind with leftover yarn or ribbon.
Or just print a list of starter questions to get a budding
genealogist started; this is great for
grandparents/parents/children, but who isn't interested in
their family history?
Create larger "books" with greeting card papers for the
cover, by stapling sheets of paper, trimmed to fit, to the
card in the center fold; leave them blank or create a "book
of wisdom" using quotes, or prompts for family history, or
tips pertaining to your particular field. Or glue a
fold-out image inside to make a pop-up business card. Cut
the greeting cards in half (or thirds, or even quarters) to
double (triple, quadruple) your supply, and make a
wallet-size booklet.
Make your own flower seed packets, using either glassine
envelopes, or tiny Kraft envelopes, and add a sticker to the
front you design and print yourself on plain white address
labels; you can also use small plastic "jewelry" bags (check
out Uline or Browncor), or the candy bags Wilton sells. Or
glue a bag inside greeting cards. Gurneys sells seeds in
bulk.
I found plain greeting cards at 75% off clearance; the
design was discontinued. Look for bargains, and plan
ahead.
Create your own word find puzzles, or crosswords.
Print coloring pages you make using Dover's copyright-free
black and white images; for large quantities, have them
photocopied at a copy shop.
Print, for free, tons of stories from Project Gutenberg.
Design, with clipart, award certificates, such as World's
Greatest Mom, or World's Greatest Kid; or print a calendar,
highlighting holidays, particularly ones pertinent to your
business.
Or print coupons, and add a code so you can track
where they originated from. Most people won't redeem them,
so you can't lose.
Make your business cards stand out by typing a single quote
on one side, and your business contact information on the
other. Choose an inspirational or humorous quote people
will carry in their wallet.
We all know you can adhere peel and stick magnet backs to
business cards, but instead of your sales pitch, print an
original recipe on it, for something simple like a smoothie,
or again, a quote or joke that will be posted on the
refrigerator; your contact info or URL can be typed
unobtrusively at the bottom.
For mothers, try a business card that reads, "Mom's Time
Out," or "Time Out," for when Mom needs a break. Adapt the
message to fit your target audience, but everyone has
"those" moments when they want the world to go away.
The HP site included things like photo frames printed on
card stock, and ideas like "My Family" sheets or booklets
with prompts for writing one's family history, and "My Trip"
sheets to record vacation memories. Apply the same idea to
creating your own child identification sheets, leaving space
for a photo and fingerprints, and include prompts for basic
information such as name, height, weight, hair, and eye
color.
Design a family tree for recipients to add their
information. You can either draw a tree, use a clipart
tree, or use lines to represent the branches of a tree.
I'm sure you can come up with lots more ways to utilize
your printer and word processor! Always remember--there is
an advertising solution for every budget. Or lack thereof!
Happy promoting!
About the Author:
Donna Turello is the author of "Everything You Need to Know
to Start a Santa Letter Writing Business." Visit her site
at http://www.enchantedenterprises.com for more information.