Writing an article relating to your particular product or skill and submitting it to publications and media that distribute information is one very powerful tool you can use. This is simply a matter of becoming your own sales and publicity writer. Getting the word out and establishing yourself as an expert in your field is "news worthy". Of course listing contact information with everything you write and offering more information is the key to getting free advertising.
Another great method is becoming a guest on radio and television interview programs. Some think this is difficult but it is really much easier to bring about than you may realize. Writing a letter to the producer of these programs and then following up with an in-person visit or phone call will open the door. Simply emphasize that your product or service is of interest to the community, perhaps even saving them time and money.
Posting advertising circulars on all free bulletin boards in your area, especially the coin-operated laundries, grocery stores, and beauty and barber shops will garner great results. Handing out circulars to all the shoppers in a busy shopping mall, especially on a busy weekend will also bring in the customers. Hire some school students to hand out circulars for you or even send them door-to-door.
Here's an idea that will cost you very little but work very well too. Have a promotional ad relative to your product or service printed on the front or back of your envelopes at the time you have them printed with your return address. Everyone who handles those envelopes will be impacted by your add.
Check all the publications that carry the kind of advertising you need. Some mail order publications just getting started may offer low rates to first-time advertisers or a free insertion of your ad when you pay for an order to run in three issues or more. Special seasonal ad space at greatly reduced rates will get your message out to. There are a number of publications that will give you a Per Inquiry (PI) deal where, as orders come in to the publication, they take a commission from each order, and then forward the orders on to you.
Many publications will give you a contract for space. This arrangement allows you to send them your ad, and they hold it until they have unsold space, then at a price that's always lower than the regular price for the space, insert your ad. Don't forget to check in with the neighborhood newspapers.
If you publish a catalog or ad sheet, get in touch with other publishers and inquire about the possibilities of exchange advertising. On the Internet this is called "exchanging links". They run your ad in their publication in exchange for you running an ad for them.
Finally, get great exposure when you advertise a free offer. Run an ad offering a free report of interest to most people, invite the readers to send you a handling fee for more information. Asking for a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) is normal, and depending on the appeal for your report and circulation of the publication in which your ad appears, you could easily be inundated with responses, each with money in it and an SASE! Can it get any easier? The trick here, of course, is to convert all these responses into sales. This is done via the "more information" you send back to them.
Unleashing your imagination gives you a powerful advantage, that can help you reach your advertising goals.
-----------
Fred specializes in thinking "outside the box". A number of years ago he was deeply affected by a sales manager who challenged him to think "past the pages" of the "how to" sales manual. The result was astonishing and his sales soared to top levels. He has created a Work at Home resource web site that offers simple but great opportunities for people who are willing to change the way they think about work. Check it out at http://workathomeop.com/.
