Buzz Effect

Join Your Local Chamber

A new national study reveals that membership in a local chamber of commerce can significantly boost a business's image among consumers, as well as other businesses.

In a scientific survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, The Schapiro Group, an Atlanta-based strategic consulting firm, found positive perceptions of chamber members in a number of areas, including overall favorability, consumer awareness and reputation, and likelihood of future patronage.

The study -- commissioned by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, IBM, Administaff, Small Business Network Inc. and Market Street Services -- showed that when respondents were told that a particular business was a member of its local chamber, they were 44 percent more likely to rate it favorably than study respondents who were not told of the chamber affiliation. Respondents were also 63 percent more likely to want to purchase goods or services from a small business that is a chamber member.

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To locate a Chamber of Commerce, visit the World Wide Chamber of Commerce Guide

Joint Promotions with Other Small Businesses

Contact some non-competing small businesses serving customers in your market. Offer to publicize their products or services to your customers in exchange for their publicizing your services to their customers. This usually produces a large number of sales for a very low cost.

Trim Your Ads

Reduce the size of your ads so you can run more ads for the same cost. You may even be surprised to find that some of your short ads generate a better response than their longer versions.

No Free Lunch?

Give customers a chance to win a free lunch or dinner, compliments of your business.

Everyone likes a chance to win things. An incentive like a $10 or $20 gift card for lunch or dinner at a local restaurant might be enough to influence a customer to order from you.

Consider other offers, like a Starbucks or other local company.

It All Costs the Same

Rather than putting a 39-cent stamp on your marketing envelope, put 39 1-cent stamps on the front of an envelope.

One of the principles of direct mail is to stand out to get the attention of the receiver so your mail isn’t thrown away or ignored.

Attention, interest, desire and action lead to a successful direct-mail program. And anything you can do to get attention increases the probability of action being taken. Best of all, in this case, you won’t even rack up any additional costs.

Answer Your Phone Differently

Try announcing a special offer when you answer the phone. For example you could say, "Good morning, this is Ann Marie with Check It Out; ask me about my special marketing offer." The caller is compelled to ask about the offer.

Sure, many companies have recorded messages that play when you're tied up in a queue, but who do you know that has a live message?

Make sure your offer is aggressive and increase your caller's urgency by including a not-so-distant expiration date.

Business card Tips

Incorporate foil accents. These elegant accents can add an artistic flair and make your words "pop" off the cardstock.

Add some color. Crowe says full-color backings are popular right now. Also, depending on your industry, unique, colorful illustrations or images can leave a lasting impression.

Use both sides. The back of the card, which was previously uncharted territory, can be used for more than just contact details. "Include a special offer, highlight your website, insert a calendar or insert an appointment slot," suggests Crowe.

Try hi-tech. Worried you forgot to mention important details in your last meeting with a potential client? Then leave them with a CD. Another up-and-coming way to market your business is the USB business card. Print your contact information on a USB thumb drive and share as many files and images as you want.

Go vertical. If you're looking for a way to stand out, try giving your layout a 90-degree turn. Crowe says she's seen more clients choosing to print vertically instead of the traditional horizontal layout.

Stick with a traditional size. Though our experts recommend experimenting with the layout, they say you should stick with the traditional 3.5-by-2-inch business card dimensions. That way, they fit easily into your client's Rolodex or wallets.

Give your card texture. Hawthorne Leather Goods LLC, which manufactures leather goods under the brand Rawlings Sports Accessories, makes business cards out of authentic Rawlings baseball glove leather. The company says recipients of the cards have an emotional response thanks to the scent and feel of the baseball leather.

Get social. Schlacter says high-school age teens venture into Staples to create social networking cards that include information like Facebook and MySpace links. If your business uses social networking as a marketing tool, consider displaying that information on your cards.

Update to post: Rooftop Ads

World’s Largest Outdoor Ads
Airline passengers will soon be targetted with advertising space measuring over 20,000 sq meters. The enormous ads are set to feature on flight paths at 30 of the world’s busiest airports, and will be seen by an estimated 10 million unique viewers per year. The huge ads are the latest craze in a series of outrageous advertising ideas, with marketers increasingly thinking “big” and innovating around unusual methods of branding.

For additional information on marketing, sales and success visit www.SuccessCo.com

Stick It Notes

Use stickers, stamps or handwritten notes on all of your direct mail efforts and day-to-day business mail. When you put a sticker or handwritten message on the outside of an envelope, it has the impact of a miniature billboard. People read it first.

Note: The message should be short and concise so it can be read in less than 10 seconds.