Thought it might be insightful to show you all I am doing to market the launch of our Birthday Club at Toy House.
- Facebook – This is where I did a lot of research and also where we first announced it.
- Email – I use Constant Contact to manage my email list. This particular email was the most-opened email I have sent.
- Press Releases – I have 80 email addresses just for press releases; newspaper contacts, radio, TV, business leaders, people who publish newsletters, local organizations, etc.
- TV – I am the daily sponsor of the JTV Birthday Club on the Bart Hawley Show. They put up a slide on the air at the end of their Birthday Club segment telling people to sign up for our Birthday Club. Plus, I will be making a live appearance next week on the show to talk about it.
- Local Message Boards – my wife posted the announcement on two local message boards and they both immediately had positive reactions.
- Radio – I will be doing a couple interviews on local radio soon to talk about the Birthday Club. Part of that is because I do a lot of radio advertising. Part of that is because I have cultivated relationships with our local deejays. I might run a radio ad later, but only if I think I need the extra publicity.
- Website – Our web guy put it up on our website in conjunction with the launch. Thanks Steve!
- In-Store Signs – We have signs all throughout the store advertising the Birthday Club.
- This Blog – Sure, it’s more of a backdoor way of marketing, but I have customers and local people who read this blog and have learned about the Birthday Club from it.
- Word-of-Mouth – The buzz both online and in person has been huge.
Sure, that might seem like a lot of work. But much of it is simple enough to do. And all it really cost was time.
Results? Over 150 sign-ups in the first three days.
You don’t need a big advertising budget to market your business. You need some time, some ingenuity, and a great message.
PS To learn other affordable ways to market your business, check out my three free eBooks
Main Street Marketing on a Shoestring Budget
Baby Store Marketing on a Shoestring Budget
Non-Profit Marketing on a Shoestring Budget.