How to Market Your Business With (Virtually) No Marketing Budget

Gregg and Evan Spiridellis decided they needed to get the word out about their tiny animation studio. With the 2004 election coming up they decided to showcase their work with an emailed, Flash animation poke at Bush and Kerry. A week before the election a friend forwarded me that poke, “This Land Is Your Land…”. When I stopped laughing, I forwarded it to half a dozen friends and then clicked on the JibJab hot link to the studio website. Apparently, I wasn’t alone. According to Joe Trippi, a speaker at the recent Advertising Week conference in New York, the viral promotion reached 65 million viewers in two weeks. It also got the brothers national press and new business, such as their recent deal with MSN. Their total marketing investment? Five hundred dollars.

A few years ago a young shoe designer decided it was time to make it on his own. He knew that his new business would need a strong brand identity and aggressive marketing. But first, he needed to get his designs in front of the top buyers. The problem was, he couldn’t afford a booth at the big trade show where all the buyers would be. So, rather than get discouraged, he got creative. He decided he’d rent a trailer, stock it with shoes, and park it as close to the midtown trade show as possible. A prominent sign would get the buyers’ attention. It seemed like a great plan until he discovered that you can’t park a 40-ft. truck in midtown Manhattan unless you’re a utility company or a movie production company.

Undaunted, the young entrepreneur quickly rented a movie camera and changed his letterhead from Kenneth Cole to Kenneth Cole Productions. He got the permit, got the trailer, and ended up selling 40,000 pairs of shoes in four days. Suddenly, Kenneth Cole was the hot new shoe designer on the map. Cole has said, “The best business solutions are usually more creative than expensive.” Certainly he and the Spiridellis brothers are great examples of that. These stories illustrate how innovative thinking and a good creative idea can compensate for lack of a marketing budget.

I talk to many groups about the power of marketing, and whenever I speak I always get asked, “What’s the biggest key to successful marketing?” My simple answer is, “A client with a creative marketing mind-set.”  Many small business folks claim they can’t afford advertising. If you can afford business cards, then you can afford advertising. Because, despite what many may think, a business card is a small space ad for your business. And if you don’t treat it as such, you’re wasting a cost-effective marketing opportunity.

Here are a few ideas for you.

Make your business card the reflection of your brand. Every company needs to create an engaging brand personality — a personality that’s consistently reflected in every marketing element. Whenever you hand out your card, you’re not just sharing your contact info, you’re introducing your company to a potential buyer. Say you’re a talented makeup artist and your business is makeovers for female executives. Why not have a card with one side that’s reflective Mylar (that mirror-like material), and on the other side have a tagline that says, “Because Everyone Could Use a Makeover.” I think you get the picture.

How you do that with your business depends on the personality you decide it should have. Obviously, a law firm will be different from a makeup artist. But that doesn’t mean a law firm’s card has to be boring. If you have a law firm, what kind of law is it? What’s special about your firm? Anything? Well then say it on your card. Give someone a reason to think of you (vs. others) when they need legal help. Having a smart, memorable quote can definitely help. And maybe, on the back of the card, you bullet the various types of legal services your firm performs.

Put something exciting on your website. Like a business card, a website is an important first contact with your business and personal brand. So, when someone types in your Web address, make sure the first thing they see is something that communicates an exciting, memorable, positive message about your company. Most sites are informative but boring. Create a simple “splash page” message that touches your prospect on an emotional level. As with business cards, how you do that depends on who you are and what you sell. The difference is, a website can incorporate motion and sound. So take advantage of that. Whatever you do, though, keep it short. There’s nothing worse than a self-indulgent 45-second Flash intro that you can’t click out of.

Build up Your G-Cred. What’s “G-Cred”? It’s Google credibility. And that’s important. Because the amount of good info that comes up when your business is Googled is directly related to the amount of credibility and business opportunities you’ll have. Posting lots of Google-worthy content (articles, press clips, blogs, website content, etc.) will definitely help increase your G-Cred.

Create a Booklet. No matter what your business is, there’s a relevant “How to” or “tips” booklet — or, hey, even a book! — begging to be written that can be used as a great marketing tool (Editor’s Note: For more on how to write your own book, click here). If you’re an accountant, maybe it’s 37 Great Money- Saving Business Tips. If you sell power tools, maybe it’s 101 Home Improvement Tips. The goal is to create something different from the standard marketing materials that simply describe what your company does; here is where you reinforce your expertise, build your credibility and brand, and separate yourself or your product from the competition.