Promotion/Advertising

[pebilz]

How do you promote/advertise your business? I'm starting my own business and am looking for some interesting and cost effective ways to generate brand awareness and sales. It's not a party plan type of business so I don't have that brand recognition to help me.

Anybody got some helpful suggestions?

Thanks guys
:)

[mumski]

It depends on what sort of business it is...You could do the posters around town, advertising in the local paper bit.

[pebilz]

My product will be for babies/todddlers/kids and therefore will need to be marketed towards mum's. Being an online store that's probably my best arena to advertise in but I'm still looking for something different too. A bit more creative.

[RaryGirl]

I have a remedial massage business and I advertise in:

* local newspaper
* yellow pages online & book
* internet sites (about 3)
* 2 times a year I do a leaflet drop which is extremely popular.
* Client referral (I send vouchers to clients when they first visit to give to friends/family, giving a discount for those people and the client handing them out gets a discount next visit)

As I have such a wide market it works for me - the referral vouchers are very popular.

Good luck with your new business.

[mumski]

How about a catchy media release about you and your products - you could even include the working form home becoming the next big thing bit for modern mums - and see if the local radio and papers will do a free story on you.

[kelsar88]

Not sure what it is that you are trying to sell but how about putting a poster or display stand at your local playgroup, daycare centres, schools, child health clinic, doctors, cafe, mother's rooms (shopping centres), neighbourhood centre etc. Most of these places also have a monthly newsletter that I'm sure they will let you put a advert in aswell.
Always carry infomation or business cards with you so you can hand them out at any time, you never know who you'll run into shopping.
However the best form of advertising is word of mouth, so offer 3 of the biggest gossips you know a free product and watch the business roll in :laughing:

[SMBT]

You could advertise in the brisbane/sydney/melbourne childs magazine or aussie kids magazine whatever state u are in? I have just done this for my business and it cost $70 for 5 lines. Not bad I thought!

[she_rambles]

Try sending samples to magazines with the same target audience you're hoping for - sometimes they'll run a small spot on your product if they like it.

Bubhub (not the forums but where they actually advertise).

Ebay/itsy.

Newspapers, take your goods to local markets, ask friends to promote you? Use whatever connections you have.

Find other small businesses online that are selling similar but still different things and offer promotional swaps (ie. you promote them, they promote you). So if you're selling children's toys, they're selling children's clothes ... promote each other (I think they call it link swapping or something like that).