Marketing With Little Or No Budget

By AJ Wright

We've all been there. Just starting out our business and we've just about spent all we have in getting our inflatables, insurance and other things to get going. Now we need the business to keep the business. But how and where do we advertise when the traditional advertising costs so much?

Simple. Hit the streets and tell your story. And there are lots of ways to tell your story. Here's just a few ideas to get you started.

Flyers: Add a couple of pictures of your units, make sure you have one with someone smiling and having fun with your units. Include all relevant information. Like phone number and website address. And make plenty of copies. Ask your boss at your day job if you can 'borrow' the copier or ask a local printer to make copies. In the long run that will be much cheaper than making all the copies on your home computer.

Put your Flyers up anywhere that Mom's, Dad's and Children will see it. Try grocery stores, the local post office, Wal Mart and bank entrances. Where I used to operate there was a bank that allowed posting of events and flyers inside the entrance way to their bank. I got a half dozen calls off of that location in one year. And post offices worked well too.

Also put flyer's under windshield wipers in parking lots. You can target mini vans, and SUV's with car seats or other things that give you the impression that it is a mom's car. You'll occasionally get run out of a parking lot by a security guard in a golf cart and some lonely soul who needs a life will call to complain that you're ruining the environment, but the results are usually worth the time and energy and hassle.

Door hangers on Doorknobs. When your target is geographically defined, print doorknob-hangers and hang them on doors in your area. This is great way to get your business name and contact information into the hands that matter most. Results will be decent. And the cost is low. Print flyers or door hangers and hit the streets. You can even get neighborhood kids to do this for you in exchange for setting up a block party.

T-Shirts: Have a t-shirt made with a picture of your units on the front and your website on the back. You can do this very cheaply at CafePress.com. I've had t-shirts made there and I wore them every chance I got. It is cheap advertising. Make sure you wear it when grocery shopping or going to Wal Mart. The places families will see you in your shirt.

Tell Your Story: Everywhere you go you run into different people. Tell them who you are and that you've just started a business. Hand out cards. And be generally excited. Create your own word of mouth. It will work wonders.

Night Time Silhouettes: This takes bit of planning but it will do you wonders. Get a good picture of your units and use a program on your computer to ad your website and phone number. Have the picture made into a slide and pull out that old slide projector from the basement or closet. Find a blank wall on a well traveled area in your town or neighborhood. Then talk to the owner of that business, building or home and the person that owns the property across the street. And set up the projector right before the sun goes down and leave it for a couple of hours.

No one does night time silhouettes anymore. This will create buzz about your business. You should only do it a couple of days once a month or so. And change out pictures each time. I know it sounds strange, but you're trying to find ways to advertise that don't cost much money. This is one way.

AJ Wright is VP and General Manager of three radio stations in the Carolinas.  He was the former owner and operator of PartyWright, llc, a party rental business in Northeast Georgia for several years before selling his business in November, 2005.  Other than running radio stations, AJ operates several parked domains focusing on the Party Rental Business including PartyWright.com.  If you have specific questions for AJ you can email him at ajw@findnewsfast.com