Bright ideas that won't break the budget

If you are planning a promotion give it a Kickstart with one of these ideas:

• If your clients are adventurous offer "experiential" prizes which give winners a chance to experience something they wouldn't normally have access to such as a helicopter trip to work, a bungee jump or a behind the scenes visit to a zoo or theme park.
• Review your client database and look for promotional ideas for specific clients. For example free parking vouchers for your time poor weekend shoppers or a VIP card for your high spending regulars
• Have fun with a special event where you can package your services. For example a hair salon could hold a "girls night out" where they provide manicures, facials and hair dressing for teenagers attending end of year formals.
• If you are going to have a prize giveaway try and relate it to your business such as a trip to Italy or Italian cooking course for an Italian Restaurant, tickets to a high powered seminar for corporate clients of a recruitment agency

There may be ways you can increase the visibility and awareness of
your business in 2008

• Submit an article or send a press release to a trade publication which is read by your target market. The trick here is to make it interesting reading and not just an "ad" for your business. This strategy is often more successful than advertising as an article has that illusive "credibility factor".
• If you don't mind public speaking, offer to do a presentation at a networking group or run a free workshop for an organisation that reaches your potential clients.
• Make the effort to enter business or industry awards.
• Park brightly signed vehicles in the street near your target market so the vehicles become mini billboards. The cost of parking meters is offset by the large number of leads.
• To be effective, visibility has be consistent with the rest of your image. For instance if your stationery is very corporate looking in cream and blue and your website is high tech with vibrant colours you would be putting out mixed messages that dramatically reduce the impact of your visibility.

So don't be one of those hidden businesses. Get out there and be seen in 2008!