Market Your Business for $5 a Day 
by Gina Robison-Billups

Q: I am a mother of two children and a startup business. How do I market my business to prospective customers on a daily basis on a shoestring budget?   
A: Research shows consumers need to hear a message at least three times for them to have name recognition and recall, and nine times before they become a customer. One-time or sporadic tactics are ineffective in increasing awareness, acceptance, preference and demand for your product. Your best way to create marketing momentum is with daily action; however, if nothing else commit to weekly action. One way to do this is to use a $5-a-day marketing program. 

The basic strategy is to contact 10 clients, prospects or contacts each day, five days a week. You can contact them by phone, fax, e-mail, letter or postcard. You can send out press releases, sales or follow-up letters, brochures, special offers, information sheets or thank-you notes. Your cost is about 45 cents to print and mail 5-10 letters for a total of $2.25 to $4.50. Additional telephone calls or faxes cost about a quarter each for a total of $.50 to $1.25. Tip: Use your cell phone minutes for all long distance calls if they are included in your plan. If your paying for those minutes anyway, why not use them for your most expensive calls? If you're communicating by e-mail, your costs will be even less. Your goal is to create a combination of daily activities that help you communicate with existing as well as potential customers. 

Here are some effective contacts and programs you can set up with just $5 a day: 

Send your existing customers' referral and buying incentives. Devote some energy to reselling to current customers again and again. I tell people that your current clients are your best sales staff, so give them tools to promote your business. 10 loyal clients is like having 10 sales people. Let them work for you. 
Send all customers a post-purchase thank-you note that includes coupons for referring new people to you. You can also stay in contact via monthly postcard mailings that include a tip sheet about your business, a special sales invitation, a service call reminder or a mini newsletter. 

Introduce yourself to the media. Free publicity has the potential to boost your business. Contact your local newspaper's editor and offer to lend expert quotes for any articles or columns regarding your expertise, or put together an informational press release concerning new trends in your industry. 
Many editors still prefer receiving pres releases through fax. When contacting the editors in your local area, be sure to ask if they prefer to receive your news via email for fax. One way to make sure your press release NEVER sees the light of day is to consistently irritate editors by sending it in a cumbersome or undesirable format. 
Tip: Purchase Winfax for faxing through your computer. You can fax 100 editors with one click of a button.

Invite people to your store. Use other events that can steer customers into your business. There are several celebrations each month you can promote with special offers. Look for other opportunities in your newspaper or at www.womenscalendar.org

It's inexpensive, and with a detailed plan it can be simple to implement. If you're not consistent on a daily basis, you're wasting your time and money so make a plan, commit to it,, and get going! 

by Gina Robison
Founder and President of MIBN - Moms In Business Network. http://www.mibn.org.
Gina is a recognized marketing expert for small and homebased businesses. Gina conducts a 2 part class sponsored by the City of Henderson throughout the year on business building and marketing for busy moms. For more information and reservations call WRRC at 458-0550 Class 1- This step-by-step guide to work-at-home success explores business planning, organization, management, child care issues and the obstacles of being an at-home mother with an at-home business. Workbook included. 
Class 2- Learn the various methods of advertising at-home businesses for free or at virtually no cost, including Web marketing, direct marketing, media marketing and networking. A workbook is included.