Zero Budget Marketing

Shout out to Seth - my marketing guru

2011-12-18T08:28:00.002+10:30

Seth Godin is THE MAN.

There is something DAILY in his blog that has me nodding so vigorously in agreement that I'm in danger of neck strain. I keep telling people to read it. He's very smart. He's insightful in just a few words. I'm glad some people do - I just had an email from a friends thanking me for putting her onto him, he's inspiring her daily.

From today's:
"Want a bigger brand? Make bigger promises. And keep them."

The day before:
"Unfair or not, one Catch-22 truism remains: popular is often a prerequisite for being popular."

The day before that"
"Copy edit less, invent more
Give more speeches
Ignore unsolicited advice"

Thanks Seth for your daily dose of inspiration.

What you should understand before building a website

2011-12-17T07:21:00.003+10:30

I had one of those frustrating conversations last night, that reminded me that people still don't understand this web truism:

WHAT A WEBSITE LOOKS LIKE IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS HOW IT WORKS.

Now by "how it works" I mean both critical aspects:

The build - the mechanics that drive it and affect how easy (or impossible) it is to update, how well it can be indexed by Google, etc.

The sales - does it get your prospects / customers / members to do what you want them to do. Do they buy, or comment, or sign up.

If your site won't - or can't - deliver you a result, who CARES how pretty it is.

This is not to say there's no role for design. But if the world's most successful ecommerce sites are Amazon and eBay, you should have got the hint that looks aren't worth much!

I've been in online marketing since 2000. 12 years. I've worked with ALL sorts of sites, in all sorts of business. What I've seen is that websites built on CUSTOM systems are never a good idea in the long run, unless you're prepared to spend a lot of money.

By custom systems, I mean that every web company (and their dog) have built a CMS (content management system) over time. Or they've had a graphic designer "design" a pretty site and then coded it to suit.

If you are on a limited budget do NOT go this route (and even if you have a good budget, you may find that using a back end system almost no-one else uses will limit you within 2-3 years).

What should you do?

Use a cloud based computing solution like Wordpress or an open source system like Joomla or Drupal. If you want an ecommerce store, use MagentoGo or Shopify or Big Commerce.

Don't start from scratch unless you've got millions of dollars (or hours) to waste OR your website actually DOES something unique that needs unique systems and programing. Most don't. Most are online brochures or online stores.

It is not cutting corners to use these systems.

It's SMART. It's a good use of your funds. It's still a "proper" website. You wont be locked into one developer. Millions of people are using these, so you're not paying for the upgrades. It's not a short cut. It's not doing it poorly. Build your success on the learning of millions of businesses before you. That's what a smart zero budget marketer does when they can.

The art of letter writing in business and fundraising

2011-12-01T07:49:00.002+10:30

Copywriting is growing in importance daily, thanks to the proliferation of "online". One area that's been relying on copywriting for much longer than the age of the Internet is fundraising. A good appeal letter can make or break a charity fundraising drive. So there's lots to learn from the space.

I just received one of the best THANK YOU letters (well, an email) I've ever received for a donation. Online made it simple to send, thanks to automation, but the content is what's great.

The first line is brilliant. It subtly recognises that much of "giving" is really about making the GIVER feel good.

It then goes to to give you a little bit of knowledge, followed by a big deal of inspiration.

So it made me smile. And feel like I'm a good person. And that's I'm part of something.

When was the last time you got all that for $20?

Great letter.

Dear Kimberly,

You are amazing, thank you so much for donating to the Wikimedia Foundation!

This is how we pay our bills -- it's people like you, giving five dollars, twenty dollars, a hundred dollars. My favourite donation last year was five pounds from a little girl in England, who had persuaded her parents to let her donate her allowance. It's people like you, joining with that girl, who make it possible for Wikipedia to continue providing free, easy access to unbiased information, for everyone around the world. For everyone who helps pay for it, and for those who can't afford to help. Thank you so much.

I know it's easy to ignore our appeals, and I'm glad that you didn't. From me, and from the tens of thousands of volunteers who write Wikipedia: thank you for helping us make the world a better place. We will use your money carefully, and I thank you for your trust in us.

Thanks,

Sue Gardner
Wikimedia Foundation Executive Director

Handy free tool to get you started with a marketing plan

2011-10-31T14:24:00.003+10:30

Cruising the web sometimes uncovers some handy tools. I've just come across The Small Business Mentoring Service's Marketing Plan guide. It isn't just a "fill the blanks" but gives you some guidance as to what should be included in a marketing plan.

Whilst preparing a full marketing plan isn't everyone's cup of tea, it can be a worthwhile exercise for anyone with a great idea, but little idea of how to move forward with it. If you come from a marketing background you may not need the help, but if you don't, you've probably identified marketing as a critical success area - since it's the area that will ensure you get some $$ coming in the door.

Preparing a marketing plan could even be more important than a business plan, which tend to be written without enough practical detail.

Download the Marketing Plan guide here>

How could certain charities have profited from Steve Job's death?

2011-10-15T07:46:00.003+10:30

I was one of millions who was saddened when I learned of Steve Job's. Not only do I dearly love my Macbook & ipad & iphone; but as an entrepreneur I LOVE that he was kicked out of the company he started, only to come back and save it years later: taking it to SERIOUS success and a case of 'told you so'. Love it.

In the coverage of his demise, commentators did say that they expected awareness of pancreatic cancer to rise. In fact, the day of his death, Triple J featured an interview with a cancer researcher in their coverage of Steve's death.

So I was fascinated to read this post from Hitwise about search traffic on pancreatic cancer - and what they identified as a failed marketing effort from cancer charities.

"Cancer Information received 77% of its traffic from paid links in the week preceding Steve Jobs death, whereas in the week ending 8 October 55% of clicks came from a paid link. This might well be as a result of the increased natural traffic coming through because of the rise in overall searches, but if search volumes were increasing, Macmillan could have increased its PPC spend proportionally in order to maintain its market share of visits. However, the drop in market share indicates that this was a missed opportunity for the cancer charities, who could have increased their PPC spend on key pancreatic cancer search terms to ensure they were grabbing searchers at this peak time of interest."

Whilst rather macabre, their point is valid. Essentially is that in a "connected" online world, it's time to colour outside the lines, hell, we are all living totally outside the lines.

There are real opportunities in being in touch with what your market / community is discussing and capitalising on this in your online marketing. Any big event, anything people are talking about, is a momentary chance to capture their attention.

So the zero budget marketing tip for today is to think creatively about HOW you can use big events to generate traffic and sales for your business's website.

For example:

Massive storms predicted in the new - opportunity for roofers & plumbers (prepare or repair), video rental (stay safe inside), insurance (are you covered), etc.

PS. It could be that there's opportunities in "small events" too. This post from lujure talks about a "weird trick" to generate traffic and sales from what people are talking about on Facebook. The author uses the example of dropping a phone into water being a good search term for a phone sales company. Follow the steps, it does actually work!

Do you have a call to action ON EVERY WEB PAGE?

2011-09-21T07:40:00.004+09:30

What do you want a website visitor to do at the end of each page they read?

You will want them to read another page, sign up to an email newsletter, contact you, like you on facebook or even buy from you!

But do you ask them to DO this?

If your website isn't brand new, you probably haven't looked at it critically in a long time. Not only will there be out of date information, there will likely be a better way to say much of what you've written and you'll find a call to action is probably missing from most pages.

You might argue that you've got buttons or links people can use to "buy now". But why make it hard for your visitors? Why not take them on a journey; tell them where to go next from each page and what they should do. You might keep them engaged just that little bit longer, which gives you just enough time to 'convert' them.

You need a call to action in ALL of your marketing communications (just like the fabulous zero budget marketing sign in the picture) and your website is no different. Each and every page of your website is a piece of marketing communication. Make sure you ASK people to do something on all pages, not just the promotional articles.

So put your marketing web audit in your diary now. Not exciting, not glamorous - but it will be effective.

Lessons & insight from copywriting legends

2011-09-05T09:13:00.005+09:30

I came across a treasure recently at a fave spot - the Avenue Bookstore in Albert Park. It's called "The Copy Book. How some of the best advertising writers in the world write their advertising."

Whilst there's little room for "traditional" advertising in a blog about zero budget marketing the insights of good copy writing translate to other mediums.

Around 50 legends share some of their insight on writing, and some of their best ads. (Even if you're not interested in the craft of copywriting, it's a great book.) I thought I'd share some of the gems from these admen, who've all had 30+ years in the game. These are edited extracts, their actual inclusions are much longer.

Oh, and if you only take away one thing, David Abbott's point 5 is the one to adhere to.

David Abbott

I've never been much of a theoriser about copywriting, but here are five things that I think are more of less true:

1. Put yourself in your work. Use your life to animate your copy. If something moves you, chances are, it will touch someone else, too.

2. Think visually. Ask someone to describe a spiral staircase and they'll use their hands as well as words. Sometimes the best copy is no copy.

3. If you believe that facts persuade (as I do), you'd better learn how to write a list so that it doesn't read like a list.

4. Confession is good for the soul and for copy, too. Bill Bernbach used to say "a small admission gains a large acceptance". I still think he was right.

5. Don't be boring.

Tony Brignull

My own copy improved when it occurred to me that we relate to a company as we do a person. Unless we're investors, we don't ask how many employees a company has, what its financial fearing is, where it exports. We as; is it honest, reliable, modest, amusing, trustworthuy. If ti is, that company may eventually become our friend. I have come to think that helping companies turn into friends is the greatest thing we advertising people can do for our clients.

Sean Doyle

- Don't think, just do, and thoughts will definitely happen along the way.
- Always be collecting
- Wake up early
- Beware of the committee
- Less isn't always more
- Pick a side
- Avoid brainstorms (if you want to)

Paul Fishlock
- We are not in the entertainment business, we're in the influence business
- Copywriting is more science than you may think
- Creative prizes are false God
- We influence some of the least important decisions in people's lives
- Beware (becoming) management

Steve Harrison
It was probably my grounding in direct mail that taught me my obligations to the reader, I was usually entering their homes uninvited and because of that I always felt that my first responsibility was to them - and not the client. I wasn't there to foist a product or service on the prospect. I twas my job to show how the think I was writing about could solve the reader's problems.

How to use product photography to sell online

2011-09-01T20:11:00.001+09:30

If you're a small business selling products online, you can't underestimate the importance of product photography.

But businesses do underestimate this - all the time. Seriously, with some sites you're lucky to get a single, badly lit shot! (Sometimes this is a cost consideration - marketplaces like eBay usually limit you to 1 photo unless you pay more. But most of the time, it's just poor execution.)

Even if you have a low or zero marketing budget, there really is no excuse! You can get a cheap camera for a hundred or so dollars and do a better job than most online stores do. You could even use an iphone and use one of the hundred or so photography apps out there that can improve even the worst photos.

Depending on your product, photography can also often be sourced from the suppliers, so there's little excuse to not provide...well, MORE.

You see, the secret isn't really GREAT photography (although that helps). It's having A LOT OF PHOTOGRAPHY. When people can't touch and feel, try to give them the next best thing. Pictures, pictures and more pictures.

I've included this listing from fab Melbourne online stationery store Notemaker. This is a fantastic example of how to use product photography well. Why?

-It gives you lots of angles & perspectives.

-It shows you inside and out.

-It shows it to you in someone's hand (valuable for PERSPECTIVE, which can be hard to judge online, even if measurements are provided).

- The COLOUR in the shots is consistent between shots. Consistent, and natural lighting if possible, is the way to get this.

Now what can be really worthwhile is including video (Asos does this with many of their clothing items). But that's a bigger ask than photography, so I won't get off topic.

So, consider what you're selling online. We talk a lot about words, and design, but consider if there are enough pictures to really SELL it. If not, head off an get cracking!

Post by Kimberly Palmer at Brazen Productions - smart marketing, words & events

What makes an effective Facebook advertisement?

2011-08-30T10:08:00.005+09:30

Have you ever been engaged - and then visited Facebook? After changing my FB status last year to engaged, the advertising I was served was ALL related to weddings. Or losing weight. Or wedding dresses. Or wedding accessories. Had I been seriously in need of suppliers, it would have been pretty helpful actually...which I did notice when wearing my "marketing" hat.

(That said, I really enjoyed being able to change the status to married as I looked at a lot of those ads way too many times. Hint: don't run the same ad for months at a time!).

I've yet to have the occasion to run a Facebook advertising campaign for a client, but I'm watching and waiting for the right chance. Why? They currently seem to be an inexpensive - and less cluttered - way to conduct CPC (cost per click) advertising than Google IF you have a product or service that matches the environment.

Why do I make this distinction?

People are searching on Google for information. A huge variety of information. That's not the case with Facebook. People are on Facebook to catch up with friends and family (or at least find our what they're doing without even having to speak to them!).

So the Facebook audience are less likely to look at advertising and less likely to respond to certain types of advertising. Yet there's also less ads on facebook that you'd expect to find. Even if you voluntarily click on "see all" next to "sponsored", there were only about 20 ads where I "fit" the profile set up by advertisers. These are things like age, gender, education level and where you live.

So if it's a less cluttered space, and if you have something that you feel will appeal, it's a cheap marketing test. So if you do have the right product or service, the next thing to consider is what makes an effective Facebook advert. (For the sake of this article, effective just means what I think works, as I'm not privvy to the success of these ads).

These three adverts I've grabbed at random because I think two work well, one is uninspired, but there's something to learn from all of them.

Advert 1 - The "hook" in this advert is the competition side of it. LOTS of people like to win tickets, so it's a great way to get traffic. The cute little image stands out too. What is less apparent is what's being advertised - North Coast Holiday Parks. I'm assuming this is a flash way of saying "caravan parks". When you click on this, you go to their page. The lost opportunity with this great little advert is that you can "enter" without "liking" the page. The opportunity to win should have been traded for a like. And they should have brought you to a special landing page in Facebook, rather than the generic wall. This isn't as exxy as you might imagine - you can build one for free at places like Lujure. Why do you want a Like? Then you're actually likely to be able to market - and potentially SELL - in the future.

Advert 2 - The issue with this advert - there's NO real hook. It's just shouting at me about vague deals. This could have been great for a "sponsored stories" type of advertisement (in Facebook you can run "facebook ads" or "sponsored stories"). You could run a POLL on your page as a "post" and have this show as the advertisement. The poll could be something like "What place would you most like to travel to.." as the website that's being advertised seems to be a generic online travel site, not one about Malaysia specifically. So much more can be done with a fun product like travel to sell...

Advert 3 - This ad has such great copy because it draws you in, telling you a story. LOVE that about it. It's going to hit a pretty small market though - those considering University and possibly already pondering studying to be a pharmacist. As such, I'd question the marketer's decision to include someone like me in the demographic - that is, almost 40 and already having a University degree. So big ticks for the copy, less so for the targeting, as it means you may be paying more in the CPC auction that necessary (as the wider the market, potentially the greater the CPC bidding competition).

In summary - Facebook advertising can be a pretty good zero budget small business marketing tool, but just because it's "cheap", doesn't mean you shouldn't think carefully about how to use it. By that, I'm talking ROI (return on investment) - and how to ultimately get a LIKE ... and then a SALE!

Why a little gift is a smart low budget business marketing tactic

2011-08-26T10:34:00.004+09:30

We all love a surprise gift - no matter who it's from.

And just because you're a business person, or a business customer, doesn't mean you've suddenly become a robot. PEOPLE make purchasing decisions, even in B2B.

I wanted to share this fantastic initiative by MailChimp, who I've just signed up to use for a client because of their snazzy RSS-to-Email service (more about that in another post...I think it's going to be GOLD for those who never seem to find time to send newsletters).

My first campaign was just automatically broadcast and this little email arrived in my inbox. Not only did it say my campaign had been sent - but there's mention of a gift.

So, not one to look any gift horse in the mouth, I clicked on "Gimme My Gift".

Turns out I got to pick my size of a Mail Chimp T-Shirt, and there's one coming over the pond to me! Yes, a free t-shirt. In the mail. Something physical and tangible from this most intangible of services.

I doubt my reaction of delighted surprise is unique. Yes, I know it's just a promo t-shirt, that I will maybe only wear to bed. But that's not the point.

Not only have I had a great business experience - the email went where it was supposed to, etc - but my purchasing decision has been re-enforced again. Instead of my next interaction being a bill, it's a gift. GREAT experience.

And whilst this is hardly zero budget - the tshirt and postage may run $10-$15 - as my MONTHLY spend with them will be at least $50, this is a tiny cost. A $15 gift for $600 of business annually. That's only 2.5% of my annual spend. Starting to see the marketing magic?

This program is automated, but feels personal. It's re-inforcing the brand. It's making me feel smart for buying. And it's remembering that KEEPING customers is as important - if not more important - than acquiring them.

What can your small business marketing program take from this? What little surprise can you give to a customer to improve their day - and help solidify your business relationship?

Why you want to spend time on SEO - search engine optimisation

2011-08-17T13:14:00.004+09:30

Been wondering whether it's worth spending more time on SEO? [ SEO is Search Engine Optimisation, which could otherwise be known as "the important (and zero budget marketing) way of making sure you're ranking where you should be in Google"?]

According to a new 2011 Australia Institute survey, 46% of respondents said the order in which search results appear "always" or "sometimes" influences their purchasing decisions, and only 15% said they look past the first page of results.

The survey questioned 1,084 people in July 2011. It also found:
- 37% did not know search engines displayed paid advertising,
- 34% did not know search rankings would change based on what engine they use and
42% believed that relevance was more important than paid advertising.

So, that should really answer your question. It's still very important - perhaps more than ever - to be on the first page of Google. You need to consider SEO.

Before you panic, you can probably make this happen (if you're not in the world's most competitive space) by doing just a few things consistently:

- Write useful and meaningful web copy, which is great for your audience but great for Google too. Make sure you includes the key words and phrases you think (or know -if you're tracking it) people will use to find you. So if you're a Melbourne graphic designer, make sure you use this phrase all over your website - and not just in copy, but in links, headlines, page titles, et. Google rewards relevance.

- Get other sites to link to you and link to other sites. The first is more important.

- Keep updating content on your site over time - don't set and forget. Google likes freshness.

This is enough to get you started. There are people out there that know a lot - and share a lot - of information about SEO. So once you've got your head around the basics, go out and educate yourself. This is a zero budget marketing tool you can't afford not to be using.

Report Source: "How Market Concentration Threatens Internet Diversity", Australia Institute, 2011

This blog is written by Kimberly Palmer, Brazen Productions

Don't waste an opportunity - Why to always have a call to action?

2011-08-16T07:34:00.007+09:30

One of best ways to ensure you're wringing every cent (or minute) out of your hard won marketing efforts is to always make sure there's a call to action.

Not just in an advertisement - on every page of copy of your website, on every email or letter you send, on anything you produce that aims to communicate something about your business. A marketing call to action doesn't need to be a call to BUY - but it should lead your prospect/customer somewhere next. If it doesn't, you're essentially abandoning them - and missing a big opportunity for action.

This email I've just received from The Point in Albert Park is a glaring example of a missed opportunity and a missing call to action.

They've got something exciting to tell me - the fact they've again won the best steakhouse. Call me crazy, but I'm guessing the reason they're telling me this is that they'd like me to think "wow, I should book dinner there". (Which I did immediately consider doing, as my husband is a steak lover).

But there's nothing in this email to encourage me to do this. Not a single line of copy. Nor are any of those awards images linked to a special landing page with more information on this story. (In fact, they're linked to the home page of the website that ALSO doesn't have a prominent phone number or call to action to book dinner or an event. For a bar or a restaurant, you must have that phone number on every page of your site - don't make people have to hunt for it.)

They've spent the time (and dollars) to make a pretty nice looking email, with a great news message. It would have cost NOTHING extra to add this sentence, in prominent type:

"Kimberly, if you love your steak, we'd recommend you book for dinner now as we expect we'll be jammed for weeks. Call us on XXXXXXXXX to make your reservation."

It's also the sort of news people would probably share with a friend or family member who's really into their steak. So another sentence with a "send this steak news to a friend" would also be smart. And free. (Your email marketing provider will have this as a built in feature.)

Zero Budget Marketing - for small business marketing or large business marketing - is making sure every opportunity is maximised and paying attention to the little details.

TO DO NOW: Go check your communications and make sure everything has a call to action.

Here's mine:
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Why you should learn something new today

2011-08-09T14:42:00.001+09:30

We know the Internet is a massive pool of information - but it's also a giant educational tool. You do need to sift through the massive amount of (crap, rubbish, sale pitches) "information" but you can find some absolute gems. The business and marketing world are constantly changing and it's up to you to keep pace, particularly if you want to bring some zero budget marketing gold to your venture.

So what can you learn today?

One skill I recently invested some time learning about was video production. Why? The web allows us to communicate with much more than words and static images - so I wanted to know more about how to make videos. Did I have to use an expensive production company every time? What was really involved? Or could I make short little videos for myself (or even my clients) to feature on their websites, or on facebook or youtube?

I got fantastic info and took some great little courses at New York Video School online. I actually liked their content so much I even ended up paying to subscribe after the free trial ended, because they go beyond the technical aspects and cover areas like storytelling. I bought myself a Kodak Zi8 camera for about $100 online, (although I now have an iphone that will take pretty reasonable video too). I trekked around to find an external microphone for the camera for about $50 (and found that almost no-one in Melbourne sells these btw, ended up at trusty Michaels, where I probably should have started). And I took the tutorials that came with iMovie on my Mac. So having spent all of $250, I had the tools, and some great pointers, to start making video.

As with most skills, a little bit of knowledge makes you realise how much more you have to learn. (And that if you try to film yourself without make up it isn't pretty!) BUT I did start to make a few basic videos in interview format for some client sites - and with continued practice, I'll keep improving.

It also means next time there IS the budget to hire a production company, I'll be starting the process as a much more educated client, able to give a more comprehensive brief, with the outcome a better result for all.

So....what can YOU learn today?

Cause related marketing done the low budget way

2011-08-02T07:49:00.003+09:30

I wanted to share the cause related campaign the Grill'd burger chain are running...spotted when out to enjoy a Zen Hen Chicken Burger!

It shows that even a small investment can have a big impact - and demonstrates some very likeable thinking, which I suspect will completely resonate with customers (and their staff).

Basically, each "local" chain picks three local causes to support in a month. When you buy a burger, you're given a bottle cap to put in YOUR favourite cause container. The cause with the most bottle caps gets $300, and the other two get $100 donated.

So it's not a lot of dollars at all for the individual restaurant, but it's making them LOOK like they care a lot. It gives the cause some $$ but also some important exposure. And it's totally transparent for the customer. And having working for several charities, every little bit really does count!

Plus, the execution and management looks quite simple. So it's a case of each small business marketing themselves using cause related marketing - and doing some good at the same time. The bonus is that the causes themselves may also encourage people to visit - I know of one case where a friend's great cause JustBU was supported by the Malvern chain and she did email a bunch of people and say - if you want a burger, got to grill'd and pick her cause.

Ticks for this zero budget marketing campaign - creative and trying to make a difference without needing an investment of thousands and thousands of dollars.

PS. I really agonised over where to put my cap at the QV store - I went with the Queen Vic Women's centre!

Using Google Analytics for more than the obvious

2011-07-29T15:00:00.000+09:30

A tool that is so powerful and free is always going to be an essential in the zero budget marketing tool kit. I'm talking about Google Analytics.

Yet Google Analytics provides you with so much information about your business that you often only take in the basics - how many visitors, how long are they spending, what page are they leaving from, what is the bounce rate (where they only visit one page and leave) and maybe how many goal conversions or what key words are bringing people to your site.

It is worth digging deeper occasionally, as it may reveal some business issues that need your attention. This can be less about analysis and more about recognising a trend.

Here's one example...

Browsers - with many of the clients I help manage, I've been watching an interesting trend emerge over the past couple of years. By far the most popular browser was Internet Explorer...but no longer. Gradually Firefox gained traction and interestingly, Safari is also now extremely popular.

Why the Safari dominance? The proliferation of iphones and ipads.

Why does browser matter? If your website was built more than 3 years ago, it may not have been tested well (or at all) on a browser like Safari. So does it work as it should on Firefox, Safari or Chrome? And if not, how much of your hard won traffic is getting a sub-standard experience?

Email marketing - an "oldie but goodie"

2011-07-28T15:20:00.001+09:30

I was recently asked to speak on email marketing. It's a marketing tool close to my heart, because it has allowed so many of my zero budget marketing campaigns come to life. Who can argue with reaching 5,000 people for around $60?!

Lately, however, email marketing has been a little left in the cold by social media. In fact, you'd be forgiven for thinking the ONLY way to go is to the land of twitter, facebook, youtube, tumblr & the rest.

But I'm here to remind you that you should not neglect your old friend, the email marketing list. Why? The number one reason is that unlike with social media tools, it's YOU that own the list with email marketing. You don't really own those hard won facebook likes. If facebook disappeared tomorrow (god forbid!), so would your "list".

It's so hard to get visitors to your website. Thus, it's often unrealistic that they'll buy from you immediately. But it's less unrealistic that they'll engage in another way. Getting their email address is what I recommend you aim for, rather than ONLY ask them to like you on facebook or follow you on twitter.

If you're interested, you can download a PDF of the presentation here>

How to get more people to your business events

2011-07-27T16:04:00.005+09:30

Marketing via events is a great relationship building and prospecting tool. As I'm heading off to one such event tonight - and have run literally hundreds over my career - I thought I'd share some tips for more successful event marketing...

You need to sell it! Promoting an event is NOT about brevity. You'll often need to provide a LOT of information, and likely some enticement, to help them make a decision to attend. In other words, you need to SELL them ... even if the event is free.

Events are a hard way to make money. Yes, some people make a lot of money running events. But a lot more don't. If you're trying to make a buck, ticket sales almost always won't be enough. You'll need a sponsor - or lots of them.

Copywriting is king. Yes, with most marketing, you need great copy to convince people to attend your event. You should include:

- A descriptive and enticing subject line to your email invitation (as almost all event invites these days are sent via email). Including the date there doesn't hurt either.

- Throw out generic/bland titles - go a little crazy if you must. A clever and catchy title AND then a more "straight" subtitle that summarises the content of the event, is a good way to go.

- Just because it's a business event, doesn't mean it needs to be dull. Make the event sound INTERESTING, engaging and like they might learn something they wont find elsewhere.

- Establish “the issue” – that is, why should people CARE about the content of the event. Asking questions in copy or providing trusted research result is a useful technique.

- Provide an overview of what will be covered, preferably in bullet points, to make scanning easy. You can then expand and provide long copy.

- Provide a bio of the speaker and a summary of their credentials. A couple of audience testimonials from previous speaking events never hurts either.

- Add a sense of urgency in the call to action if possible (ie. Only 17 places remaining)

And keep asking. More than one invitation is a must. 3-4 invitations is ideal. No, it's not really badgering because most people take a long time to take action!

Make & follow a checklist. After you've done all the clever stuff, make sure you've also done the "boring but necessary" stuff, such as CHECKING that you've included the right date and time and the venue .... sounds simple, but so easy to miss! A proof reader for this is your best asset.

Final golden rule: Even if an event is free, people’s time is NOT. They won't forgive you for wasting it, so make sure the event is worthwhile.

How to generate media coverage

2011-07-11T10:54:00.002+09:30

Getting OTHER people to talk about you is often more successful because it is seen as more trustworthy. Of COURSE you will say you are great - but if someone ELSE says it, it's instantly more believable; particularly if they trust the source. (This is why referral is the main source of business for almost any business I've ever worked with).

The next best thing to referrals is media coverage - it's not as long lasting and consistent, but the right media mention can get you an instant spike in traffic or sales. Getting media coverage isn't easy - but it isn't impossible either, as journalists' and bloggers' jobs are creating news constantly (In fact, as the "news of the world" debacle has shown, some of the media will do pretty much anything to get a story!)

I just read a great post from Ben Angel covering 33 ways to appeal to the media which is not only worth a read, but it worth printing out and sticking up on the wall in front of you the next time you're thinking of doing your own PR.

To add to Ben's list, a few additional zero budget marketing tips are:

Don't forget local media - it can be easier to get featured IF you have a local angle (and often more than once)
Good blogs are increasingly viewed as media - so don't forget bloggers, or partner/friend companies who might write about you / your offering. (A recent article in the Australian on food bloggers might have been derisive about them BUT noted that PRs targeting them had more consistently POSITIVE coverage from them than their print counterparts).
Do have someone else proof read! It's so easy to make a spelling/grammar error - but that's no excuse. Don't rely on spell check, as a person to proof read before you send out.

Facebook pages - are Likes worth anything?

2011-06-29T08:09:00.002+09:30

If you are in marketing, or running a business, you can't escape the buzz around social media.

Facebook is one of the behemoths of the space, with 700 million users. As someone that runs several Facebook "pages" for clients, I can attest getting Likes takes time and effort, and can be slow going.

There are some good cheap tools appearing to help go beyond the basic interaction (such as Wildfire), but I guess the question on many people's lips is...is it worth it?

I thought this quote was telling, in an article published yesterday on Smart Company, about the sale of KidSpot.com.au for a reported $45 million.

News Limited chief John Hartigan said in a statement Kidspot was attractive partly due to its 31,000 fans on Facebook, representing one of the largest, "most active" fan bases of any Australian media group.

So I think that's a rather resounding yes, it probably is worth it, for even more reasons that you thought! And as a Facebook page is a great zero budget marketing tool, it is well worth your consideration for inclusion in your box of marketing tactics.

How to make a sales call more successful

2011-06-08T09:11:00.000+09:30

Sales meetings, with targeted prospects, are hard to achieve. It can take months of research and work to get in front of someone. So when you get there...try not to waste the opportunity!

Having recently been on the receiving end of a bad sales call (as in, someone trying to sell something TO me) it reminded me that the most fatal mistake you can make is this: Forgetting that there needs to be a benefit for BOTH parties.

You often need to "sell" more than your product or service. You may need to sell:
- your point of view,
- you might need to sell a partnership opportunity,
- you might need to convince someone to speak at an event,
- you might need to get someone to cross-promote with you.
All of these are "sales" opportunities.

So consider this perspective of your "prospect".....Just because you want to sell to me, doesn't mean that I should buy from you. It has to be a smart choice for BOTH of us. That means, you might need to LISTEN TO ME about what I need - and work out if you can deliver that. You absolutely will no be able to magically convince me to buy something (or buy into an idea) if you're the only one that will "win" from the deal. Know that even if you're dressing it up well, if you're a slick sales person, I'll still be able to spot a bad deal. So don't waste my time.

Sales is such a critical part of marketing - give it the respect and effort it deserves.

Take the time to BE your customer

2011-06-04T14:54:00.004+09:30

Every now and then you're reminded of something so critical to your customers' experience that you can't believe you ever forgot about it.

In my case, I was doing some work for my carsharing client, Flexicar. I was checking out some new potential parks in a parking garage and reviewing the signage of a competitor. So, never having been to this car park, I had to use the tools our customers have available to them - in this case, our website & the map of parks...and I discovered that the publicly available information was NOT ENOUGH to find the park. The floor and bay number were NOT available. We did send more detailed information in a booking confirmation email, but what if they didn't have that with them...customers rarely doing exactly what you ask!

So by putting myself in the customer's shoes I inadvertently identified a pretty big issue - by updating the information on the site, it will ensure a smoother experience for new customers visiting that site, will cut customer service phone calls and will generally create a more positive experience for the customer. And it's the ultimate zero budget marketing fix - it will cost NOTHING to do and take only a few minutes of my time.

I have been preaching "put yourself in your customers shoes" forever - but this proves it something you need to do in ALL facets of your business, over and over again. I find that with many online businesses I visit, it's IMMEDIATELY apparent there are obvious - and quick - improvements that could be made to improve a customer experience, and improve sales.

So if it's been a while since you took a step back and tried to BE your customer, then I can only recommend giving it a go today. OR even better, sit behind someone who hasn't used your site and watch their experience with your online business (or physical space). I guarantee you'll identify several things you didn't even think were issues.

Turn a window into a billboard

2011-06-03T09:19:00.003+09:30

I'm a little obsessed with window displays lately - they are just such an underutilised marketing asset. I spotted this yesterday and had to snap it. It's the ultimate "zero budget marketing" case as the window is advertising a business THAT ISN'T THERE ANY MORE!

These clever people have used a standard "we've moved" message to create an eye-catching display that is there long after they've stopped paying rent. (The landlord will likely keep it there as empty shops usually ensure you can't see in...just too tempting to trouble makers).

And in true zero budget marketing tradition, they didn't pay for expensive signage, this is painted onto rolls of butcher's paper. Of course, someone is obviously a talented artist, which helps, but if zero budget is all about using creativity instead of bucks, this is a perfect example.

What underutilizsd physical or virtual space you could be using to make people aware of your business....

PS. The window is for Kappaya, now at Abbotsford Convent.

A picture that summarises the value of marketing

2011-05-27T10:34:00.000+09:30

To call on an old cliche: A picture tells a 1000 words.

I snapped this recently as I felt it perfectly summarised what it is that a marketing approach will bring to a business. Someone's witty little message - "Junk collected, antiques sold" - gets to the heart of the matter.

A marketing approach should do the following:

- Realise you're selling an emotional response rather than just a product or service (your product or service SAYS SOMETHING about the person buying it, if only to them)
- Recognising that clever copy, and the right words, can make all the difference
- Sell the benefits, not just features.
- Price matters - and that budget or discount isn't the only pricing choice.
- Have a clear message and know the value of being a specialist in something, so that people know when to buy from you
- Know what it is your target market is looking for so that you can sell it to them (which involves the marketing golden rule of first putting yourself in their shoes)

So, don't think like a business owner; think like a marketer. Buy junk, sell antiques.

PS. And for a zero budget, yet highly effective, marketing tool, you can't go past the chalk board. They stand out so well these days because everything else is so "slick" and they have an unbeatable nostalgia value, plus the benefit of allowing you to change your message daily!

Small or no store front? Creative solution!

2011-05-25T07:04:00.002+09:30

If you've got a physical, but limited, store frontage, there's no excuse not make the most of it.

I spotted this fabulous little example in Byron Bay. It's a sky dive business and the ONLY store frontage it had was a staircase - the whole business was upstairs.

So not only had some bright spark decided that some eye catching colour was needed. They took it a step further and got zero budget marketing creative. They've painted various ascending heights on each of the steps.

Simple - check
Effective - check
Cheap - check
Clever - check

What asset - physical or otherwise - are you currently not making the most of?

Free list of tools to help select Google keywords

2011-05-09T17:48:00.003+09:30

Search engine optimisation is zero budget marketing gold for many businesses. It's also something pretty basic that MOST businesses don't get.

Understanding WHAT keywords people are searching for - and thus what you should potentially NAME your business or ensure you write about in your copy - is the first step. I am by no means an SEO expert, but I've regularly been able to get very quick traffic & buyer growth for clients just by updating copy and headers to include the right keywords. Many website use way too little copy, so just a little can go a long way!

Whilst there are paid tools and services around to work out what services you should use, Google has several of it's OWN tools that you can use.

Google Insights and Google Adwords Keyword tool are two that I've used regularly, but thought I'd share this helpful and comprehensive post from Link Assist which has TWELVE free Google tools you can use.

How to stop your flyer being thrown away

2011-05-04T06:04:00.006+09:30

This little piece of zero budget marketing gold comes our way via a somewhat battered, self delivered, produced on a home printer with no graphic design, flyer from a local electrician. It hit my mailbox, amongst the bills, rare letter and catalogues that are usually there.

So what makes this little flyer worth talking about? After giving it a quick glance, I DIDN'T throw it out.
It survived the "chuck test" and made it onto my fridge, then my metre box.

Why?

It told me not to throw it out, and gave me a reason.

At the bottom of the flyer it said:

"Dont throw this away. Put it in your metre box in case you ever need an electrician in an emergency."

So simple, but effective. If , like many people, you don't have your own electrician of speed dial, this makes so much sense that I felt compelled to follow the flyers instructions.

This is what good marketing should be. A potential solution to a problem-and often a problem you didn't realize you had!

This electrician got this. That it isn't about spending a tones on design and delivery if you don't have the message right.

It also shows that "unaddressed delivery", the cheapest of "direct mail" ( you can letterbox drop yourself or pay Australia post around 13-14 cents an item) can get a result. Not every time, and perhaps only when I have an electrical fault, but with a clever enough message, it's a zero budget marketing winner.

How to build a cheap iphone or ipad app without programming experience

2011-04-21T06:53:00.003+09:30

As a recent iPad purchaser, though long time iphone user, I thought I should do a little more investigation into apps. Whilst there are over two hundred thousand around, there doesn't seem to be THAT much that is useful for a business user.

So I wondered....as an app is pretty much a little piece of software, how much would it cost? Is it out of the realm of zero budget marketing to build your own app without being a programmer, or having to pay a programmer?

Turns out the answer is....yes, you can build a DIY app on a very small budget.

There are actually quite a few online app builders, where you can make your own app, and pay a relatively small monthly subscription for the service. Around $40 seems the norm.

Now, the catch is, these aren't super cool apps that do super cool things. They're somewhat like a mini-mobile website. So unless you have some engaged customers or members already, it's unlikely anyone is going to download and use your painstakingly created app.

But, if you are in the content creation business already, a regularly blog, tweet, write, etc, these make your own apps could be worth it. And at a few hundred bucks a year, it could very well be worth the investment.

So, here's the ones I've come across - not tested by me as yet, merely so you can use it as a place to start your own research:

Swebbapps.com
appmakr.com (marketing guru Seth Godin built his app on this, which made me interested in it! It is the one pictured)
Biznessapps.com
myapbuilder.com

Poor tourism marketing - how NOT to market your small tourism business

2011-03-16T10:22:00.009+10:30

On my recent honeymoon to the lovely state of Tasmania, I saw many examples in the tourism industry of how NOT to market your business. I was obviously in holiday mode but I still really wanted to bail up various proprietors and let them know how many zero budget marketing opportunities they were really missing!

Website essentials for tourism businesses (and most other businesses too!)

1. Put a LOT more information on your website people! A tonne. There's no cost-per-word to add more content. At the bare minimum, ensure everything about your own facilities and services are there. One new-ish and quite flash golf resort we visited neglected to have on their website that there was a day spa. Ah, do you think that's not something guests might like to know, especially golf widows such as this one?! Talk about an obvious missed opportunity. I only knew in advance because I called and asked in December when I booked - and by March they STILL hadn't updated their site.

On top of the sites that omit information, there's the sites that just give you the bare minimum information - when what they could be giving you is a whole bunch of enticing tourist information that makes their AREA/TOWN worth visiting. Don't just tell me about your B&B - tell me why I should stop in your town and not the next one. Where can I eat? Is there anything to see, like a walk or a great beach? It's your job to convince me of the value of your town, not just your accommodation.

2. Reviews. Tell me what OTHERS thought about your accommodation/tour/service/food. I want to know that you aren't the only one who thinks it's great. Otherwise, I (and others like me) will just head to a site like Trip Advisor, where you will have a whole lot less control over what is posted about your or your business. You could even include an "online guest book" (using a free form tool like Wufoo) to capture comments as visitors leave, then publish them every week or two to your own site.

3. Make sure the information is accurate. Mona, a FABULOUS new gallery out the outskirts of Hobart I can highly recommend, had apparently changed the ferry times to reach the site WEEKS before the date we visited...but had not changed it on their website! So we show up to catch a ferry that's going half an hour later and coming back half an hour earlier than we'd planned. This threw out our plans a bit and meant we had to drive so that we wouldn't miss it in the time we had available. If you've built a useful, functioning website, changing something like ferry times should take 15 minutes tops...and ensure there's every chance people will get to your attraction.

Other ideas:

Most bookings are handled online - so automate an email (or do it manually) to THANK people for visiting. Tourism is a very worth of mouth business. Do something a little extra and watch the good word spread like wildfire.
Work together with traders in your community to make something unique about your town. I loved that the tiny town of Sheffield was "the town on murals". Someone had to think of that, co-ordinate it - and now they have created a reason for people to stop in this teeny spot.

How to use time limits to generate sales

2011-03-16T10:09:00.003+10:30

It's human nature NOT to want to miss out. I have a friend that uses a perfect phrase to sum this up: FOMO (fear of missing out).

You can tap into this "fear" when marketing, by creating scarcity. Whether it's a limited number of items, or a strictly limited time, you create a sense of urgency with those you're marketing too. It's perfect for marketing events (only 17 seats left!) but it can be used much more broadly also.

I subscribe to updates from a fashion site, Igigi. They've taken this to heart and they run semi-regular 6 hour sales. How do I know this works for them? Because they keep doing it! As a test case of 1, I would click to see what's on sale at least 50% of the time, despite the fact I've yet to ever buy from them.

Virgin Blue have a similar tool, although it's even shorter and more regular. They have "happy hour" bookings from 12-1pm on a weekday.

So the zero budget marketing tip for today is to consider - what can you create scarcity around to drive short term sales results?

ps. Just come across another great time limited promotion on a craft education blog, Blacksburg Belle. I had an email prompting it at 1.30am (as it's a US site) and when I clicked on to learn more at 7am, the "10 places only" offer was filled. So more evidence of time limited/space limited offers being effective.

So do sites like Groupon or Living Social work?

2011-02-23T20:50:00.004+10:30

If you're a consumer business, how can you get a bunch of customers, really, really fast?

Whilst Groupon isn't operating in Australia, if you follow marketing news, you'll have got the gist of who they are - essentially a "deal a day" from all sorts of business. In Melbourne I subscribe to the Living Social offers - and whilst I've yet to buy, I have forwarded on items to others and they've bought. Now whilst the shopper in me loves a bargain, the marketer in the me wonders ... is it successful for businesses? And could it pay for itself, at least enough to pass my "zero budget marketing" litmus test (you need to make a lot more than you spend from any marketing!).

My gut feel would be that a great offer will get a great response. And a great offer to someone like me is a deep discount. There's nothing more irresistible than a serious bargain...

So even if they sale isn't "profitable", the value would likely be in the database building. That said, experience also shows that "vouchers" (coupons in American lingo) see people spending MORE than the value of the voucher.

So I was interested to see this post on Digital Buzz's blog, discussing some research on those who'd advertised in the US with Groupon. The upshot seems to be that it IS more profitable than unprofitable...and that around 50% of buyers spent more than the coupon value in the case of the profitable ones. The post highlights a specific example for American Apparel, where a $25 coupon worth $50 generated an average spend on $70.

Now, the missing piece of the puzzle is what it COSTS to get your offer onto a service like Groupon or Living Social. If anyone knows, do share!

It costs a mint to make a tv ad - doesn't it?

2011-02-23T06:06:00.003+10:30

The internet really is the zero budget marketing tool that keeps on giving. I envisage a not too distant future where TV ads will no longer be TV ads. They'll be little pieces of content people voluntarily pass on to each other - and then sit there and watch - online. Oh wait...that's already happening!

But how does this relate to those of us with tight marketing budgets, you ask?

A week ago an (obviously PR savvy) junior ad-guy Ben McCambridge uploaded to YouTube a Sony Playstation 3 advert he'd made for $6k "on spec". Yes, he's done it to try and get hired/sell the concept to Sony, but the lessons to be learned from his story are:

- He made a VERY cool looking & engaging ad for very little $$ & a few favours

- Over 120,000 people have watched this ad in a week!

Now we're not all blessed with a killer brand name or something as popular as video gaming to market BUT the potential here is obvious. Getting creative and capturing imagination is not about the size of your wallet. A killer idea has real potential to get real traction...you just need to come up with that killer idea.

Facebook Brand Pages For Dummies + why social media isn't something you do occassionally

2011-02-21T20:07:00.003+10:30

So we keep getting told that social media is the "new, new thing" that must be engaged in.

But if you've ever tried to set up a Facebook page for a business, you can quickly find yourself wondering what on earth to put on there. I found this presentation from Soap had some great tips. Whilst they agency that put it together obviously has some BIG brands to work with (Coke, Magnum), I still got some ideas for a couple of my clients. Love a bit of zero budget marketing inspiration!

Facebook Brand Pages For Dummies

View more presentations from Soap Creative.

Quick lead generation tip - how to find the right contact to call

2011-02-18T11:23:00.007+10:30

A key element of marketing for many businesses will be sales and business development. How do you find the right person to contact? Often people buy or rent lists. The problem with this for the zero budget marketer is that lists (a) cost a lot of money and (b) have large minimums, which leave you with hundreds of names when you just wanted 15-20 to start with.

One tip: Sniff out the "right" person to contact using searches on social networking sites like LinkedIn. You can search by a job title and you will usually find a few people pop up! Then you can contact the company and at least know the right person to ask to speak to.

Other ideas (that I've tested and used) include:
Asking your friends if they know anyone in a particular space.
Asking others you know at a company who the right person is.
Or call the reception of the organisation you're targeting and ask "who's in charge of XXX?" and more than half of the time, they'll tell you! Then call back a day or two later and ask for the person by name.

Of course, this is just the start. You'll often end up on voice-mail but, if you have a relevant offering, and leave regular, friendly messages, you'll often find you'll eventually get a call back. If nothing else, if you're pleasant about it, people start to feel guilty around the 4th or 5th message (I'm speaking from experience - both from the selling and the "pitched to" side of the equation). Persistence pays off if you're contacting the right person.

A call back is not a sale - but it's closer than you were before.

The key point here, too, is that you have to call. Sales training expert Sue Barrett speaks of "call reluctance" being the biggest factor if people not getting a sale. Not that a prospect isn't interested. Not that you have a bad product or service. People don't get the sale because they don't want to pick up the phone in the first place. A sobering thought & a call to action, all at the same time!

Getting more creative with the basics

2011-02-18T08:00:00.002+10:30

The very essence of zero budget marketing is making what marketing assets you do have work harder for you. Often, all this involves is flexing your creative muscles.

I loved this "locations" page that I came across on Channel Advisor's website. Instead of a dry list of offices they've put up some groovy retro postcards for each of the cities they're in.

Why bother with this? Well, put yourself in a customer's shoes? Would you rather do business with someone pedestrian...or someone clever?

What can you add some pizzaz too and get it working harder?

List of free online inspiration sources for the zero budget marketeer

2011-02-14T17:01:00.004+10:30

Every time I need inspiration, I find it in these online places. So I thought I should share...and being a zero budget marketing blog, these are all free :)

TED (Ideas worth spreading) - Billed as riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world". Speakers are challenged to give the talk of their lives, usually in only 18 minutes. There's always something new and exciting here.

Geekpreneur - Passionate geeks, web designers, programmers, and bloggers bringing to you the LATEST tips, news, and geek culture. They aren't even that geeky, despite the name!

Springwise - Clever new business ideas, trends and innovations from around the globe, complete with suggestions on what you might take away.

Seth Godin's blog - A prolific writer and blogger, the daily arrival in my inbox always makes me think...and often the thought is "A-HA!". Pretty impressive stuff when you can create a daily a-ha moment.

NYVS blog - I've been getting more interested in video creation (on my super cheap Kodak Zi8 video camera that cost me all of $145) and this blog/newsletter is packed with great ideas and information.

SmartCompany - Lots of business news and advice tailored for SMEs. They often have great eBooks too. Australian site.

Australian Anthill - The online magazine billed as "by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs" there is lots of great information, dialogue and tips to be found here for the business reader. Australian site.

Wheeler Centre - A relatively new Australian (Melbourne) cultural institution dedicate to books, writing and ideas. MANY of the events they put on are free - or VERY cheap. They also often put up compelling video content of events on their website that are worth watching.

No more excuses for no business cards + how to make your cards work harder for you

2011-02-09T12:34:00.000+10:30

Networking is one of the best and most effective zero budget marketing tools at your disposal - because you are (or should be) the greatest believer in your business.

So even if you're an entrepreneur just starting out, you need a business card. A card can be a small but powerful marketing tool. And thanks to the web, there are some crazy cheap deals our there.

I just received an email via eBay that offered 500 business cards from Vistaprint starting at $5! Now I'm sure by the time you add some customisation, better card stock (you don't want too cheap and nasty or what does that say about you) and a logo it's going to be more than that. But even if it ends up at 10 times as much, that's $50. A very, very small investment that will pay dividends.

Remember, though, to put meaningful information on your card, especially if your business name isn't self explanatory. XYZ consulting doesn't tell you anything. I'd also recommend using the BACK of your business card to expand on what you/your business does. Getting a little creative or clever helps with being memorable too.

I also recommend you DONT get a gloss stock. This is because I recommend people WRITE ON cards that they receive regarding the follow up from the meeting/conversation. Otherwise you can end up with a big pile of cards and be scratching your head thinking...what am I doing with this card?!

How to turn free subscribers into buyers

2011-02-01T14:12:00.006+10:30

When people get to your website, there should be multiple ways to engage with you. They can obviously BUY from you, but what else can they do?

At the very least, they should be able to sign up for alerts or further information. (This is a pretty basic step that MANY sites miss, but that's not what this post is about).

Once they've left their email, your business is then in a position to communicate to those who've opted in to receive email from you; with the hope of converting them down the line.

But can you fast track this newsletter subscription to an immediate sale? The good news is yes!

Someone who's just subscribed for a news update is already expressed real interest in your brand. They're really a hot lead. After they sign up, subscribers should be taken to the "thank you" page. To convert some of these people to buyers, PUT AN OFFER on this thank you page. After all, these people have demonstrated they're interested in you already - so why not try dangle a carrot to get them to make that last step.

But will this work?

I've recently put this into practice with a client to test its effectiveness. It's generating an average of a 7% conversion rate every month! And this client is selling is a service that isn't geographically available to many people, so I know this would be higher for a product or service that could be bought by anyone.

This is not only a great zero budget marketing tip - there's no additional cost, you're just improving on an existing process - it just makes good general marketing sense. Anyone can offer this and get a return. So why don't you?

(Thanks for the inspiration for this tip needs to go to James Tuckerman at Australian Anthill, who wrote an article explaining how he'd done this for his own site a while ago - I now can't find the article though!)

How to drastically grow your site traffic overnight using PR

2011-01-28T10:23:00.001+10:30

PR is one of the greatest weapons of the zero budget marketer.

But not the sort of PR that most people THINK is PR - putting out a media release to any and all comers.

Well targeted PR is what's key. Being in/on the right medium for your product or service. This means that with your limited time you can focus on researching the right medium and ensuring the pitch is interesting to someone else (there's a whole other blog post on what NEWS actually is!).

I just saw a great example of selecting the right medium - and thanks to The Start Up Daily for sharing the details of their success with Springwise.

I love Springwise; a fantastic site & newsletter that shares news of very creative, entrepreneurial startups. I always finish reading it and feel inspired...and with a few ideas in my back pocket. Yesterday they featured a business idea that I thought was very clever - a daily blog featuring a vignette of wisdom from a business book each day. The revenue model will be kick backs on book sales. Obviously a volume game, but I think it has potential.

So I signed up. Here's the kicker. Apparently, so did 41% of the visitors from Springwise! 41% is a DREAM conversion rate. It's MASSIVE.

The Start Up Daily had obviously found the RIGHT place to attempt to get coverage. The author, Karl's, post said he was shooting for 1000 subscribers by 1 Feb. When I visited yesterday he was at 2,500. And today he's at 3,300!

What a success. Now, as long as Karl keeps on putting out great updates, and he keeps reminding people to do so, they'll share. And he'll keep growing.

So the zero budget marketing tip today is that PR is your best friend if you (a) have a great story to tell and (b) find the right place to target the story. And the right place isn't necessarily a daily newspaper...in fact, in today's online world, the right blog post can apparently blow your aspirations out of the water.

How to turn a negative into a positive

2011-01-27T16:49:00.000+10:30

The measure of a good marketing business is how well they deal with problems; when things go WRONG rather than when they go right. Too often businesses ignore problems, ignore unhapy customers - but in the world of social media, that's a dangerous strategy to maintain.

As a regular (some would say TOO regular!) online shopper, I am on many mailing lists. I noticed an offer from Mimco a few days ago, but was more interested in this follow up email that just came out.

I don't know what happened BUT it looks like a promotion they've set up has hit some sort of snag; perhaps their fault, perhaps not. But what is interesting is how they've dealt with it. Not only haven't they ignored it, they've provided a fix AND made a bit of a marketing opportunity out of it. I particularly like how their promo code is "Whoops".

Ultimately, they've managed to turn a negative into a positive - and given themselves and extra customer contact opportunity at the same time. They're also obviously committed to their social media, as the have immediately dealt with the comments/posts people have made regarding the issue.

Local marketing tip for opening a new cafe - generating $1000 in sales from a $10 investment

2011-01-25T06:16:00.005+10:30

Local marketing can be both easy AND hard. Easy because you have a nice, geographically designed area to target. Hard because if you can't find a way to influence or entice that market, you're in some serious trouble.

I'm a big proponent of the free trial- giving your product away with the confidence that if it's good, people will come back for more.

Nashi is a cafe franchise in Melbourne - great sandwiches by the way. They're moving into a new location near a client of mine, and they've done two very smart things.

1. They identified larger businesses in the "zone" they'll be opening in and delivered a box of free food - per floor - to each. (They didn't have anything IN the box about the store opening, my recommendation would have been to do this too).

2. They've managed to get the company to put a $5 gift voucher offer out by the company to all staff members, which also communicates when they're opening. I've included this in the image.

This isn't a totally zero budget example, but the whole exercise would have likely been $1-$2000 in product to reach hundreds of prospective customers. And they've ensured that all their potential target market knows the type of food, when they'll be opening, and what is in it for the customer to come in early ($5 voucher).

So let's say it costs $10 to reach each potential customer. But this campaign will immediately pay for itself. And the beauty of a cafe is that it isn't a single sale. A loyal customer will return several times a week, if not every day. The annual value of a sandwich and coffee purchase twice a week is around $1000 PER PERSON. The lifetime value is going to be somewhere between $2000-$10,000 per person.

Suddenly a few free muffins and a $5 voucher looks like a pretty cheap idea, doesn't it?!

This promotion look a bit of legwork no doubt, but is a great example of a zero budget marketing promotional idea.

Amazing what $6 will get you

2011-01-22T14:33:00.000+10:30

Came across this great little example of a creative zero budget marketing.

An advertising creative looking for a job paid for a Google Adwords campaign on five NY Creative Directors - and when they googled themselves, the top listing they saw was an advertisement relating to hiring him.

Love it. Watch his brief slideshow. Not to give the game away, but he got 4 interviews & 2 job offers. And the campaign cost him...$6.

The importance of a brief...even if you're doing your own creative

2011-01-20T08:51:00.006+10:30

Most creative agencies seem to agree on one thing; the better the client brief, the better the outcome for the client.

When you're in "zero budget marketing" land, often putting together your own creative (copy, emails, website, promotions, etc), there is still value preparing a brief, even if it's only for yourself.

Yes, it is more work, but it's a good exercise; it makes you consider all of the important elements - IN ADVANCE. After all, it's very easy to miss things when you're trying to do everything; so consider it both a pre-planning tool and a great checklist.

Here are some items you might want to have on your own campaign brief...

Project summary:

What problem are you trying to solve?:

What are your 3 key objectives for this activity?:
1
2
3

THE AUDIENCE

Who are you talking to and what do you know about them?

What do you want them to think and do?

What single/clear message should the communication convey?: (eg. headline/subject line)

What additional information needs to be shared?: (body copy)

At what point in the decision making journey will the prospect see this communication?: (location, website, research vs ready to purchase, etc)

How is what you are saying that is DIFFERENT/distinct from your competitors? Why should customers care about your business/your offer?

SUCCESS/ACTION

What does success look like for this project/campaign? (eg. what results do you want?)

How you will measure success?:

What is the call to action?:

CONTEXT

Is this part of a bigger campaign?

What relevant activity has already run? (from you or competitor)

REAL WORLD INSIGHT

Is there anything going on in the world that is relevant to this campaign?

ESSENTIALS

Your logo
partner info/logos?
promotional code?
website address? And have you double checked the accuracy of any links!
telephone no?
corporate font?
terms and conditions?

Timings Material deadlines: Live Date: End Date: Review point: (etc)

No - go forth and run a more successful zero budget marketing campaign!

Window displays don't need to cost a mint to be effective

2011-01-13T14:04:00.000+10:30

Snapped this pic when out shopping pre-xmas...it's taken me this long to get over the crush of last minute xmas shopping to share it with you!

Not only did this window make me laugh out loud, it was also ample proof that a good window display doesn't need to cost a fortune. It's amazing what some yellow paint, some rubber chickens and a clever marketing idea will get you....

Make your marketing more effective by following all the way through

2011-01-12T13:54:00.003+10:30

A clever little marketing campaign came across my path today that demonstrates the value of following through.

I subscribe to SourceBottle, which is a fab little service that features shout outs from journo's to the marketing/pr community. They pay for this service (I'm guessing) through the ads at the top, which are often quite clever. Today's was no different....

The copy read:
Does your website measure up?

Seems nothing will stem the tide of consumers jumping online to make a purchase. And this is true across the globe! Which is why it's so vital your business is making the most of its presence on the net. Are you using it effectively? Or are you missing out on valuable sales?

The online specialists at FrontBox are giving you a chance to change all that. For TODAY ONLY, they're offering their popular Online Conversion Analysis for only $97 (normally $197)! They'll identify areas where the Internet could be working much harder for you, with detailed suggestions on how to make this happen. (No wonder it's so popular.) In fact, FrontBox guarantee to improve the effectiveness of your web presence or they'll give you your money back.

I clicked, as I wanted to learn more. And landed on the page pictured to your right.

Notice the first line? "You read the ad, and you clicked on the link."

This is a simple way to tell me that they KNOW what offer I've clicked on. And to re-assure me that I'm in the right place.

So many online ads you click on just dump you on a home page (or a facebook page, etc) with no link between the offer and the landing area.

Online is still EXCELLENT value as a marketing tool - as close to zero budget as most tactics will ever get - but if you do it BADLY it's a waste of money.

This campaign show the value of good copywriting, a good offer...and thinking it through the whole way. Congrats to the marketer/business owner that came up with it.

Happy 2011!

Never start any marketing without asking this ONE question

2010-11-30T17:25:00.001+10:30

Bad marketing happens for one reason, and one reason only.

Someone forgot to start with what the target market actually wanted or needed.

What did they start with?

They started with what THEY wanted to sell. Yes, as marketers we're in the business of demand generation. But it's much easier to stimulate demand when we consider the wants or needs of those who want to buy...and not your OWN desires.

It happens for an obvious reason.

Being brutally honest: We're MUCH more interested in ourselves than others.

Don't believe me? When you get sent a photo (of Facebook photo album) who do you look for in the photos?

So....improve any marketing activity. Stop and remember it's NOT about you. It's about your customer.

So ALWAYS ask yourself what the customer wants, what's important from the customer's perspective, what's in it for THEM.

This is a "zero budget" means of improving ANY campaign activity or copy you'll ever write.

Not quite zero budget - but VERY cheap way to launch a business

2010-11-28T13:11:00.004+10:30

"Advertising is failure...If you have a great product or service, customers sell it for you. If you have a great relationship with those customers, you don't need to advertise." Jeff Jarvis.

Don't you just love an interesting - and provocative - quote? I think Jeff is spot on - but the challenge is to create - and maintain - a product or service customers can't help talking about.

I noticed a great example of a company attempting to harness this today - a not quite "zero budget marketing" example... but a very bloody cheap one! The example comes from Freelancer.com, who are apparently planning to launch and Australian site. Their way to launch it? Run a competition, encouraging their existing 1.8 million members to promote the site FOR them.

The entire prize pool is tiny for a business of that size - $25,000. If they were to spend that on an online advertising campaign that would get them VERY little. But get 1.8 million eager freelancers around the world on the job, and I'd argue their $25k investment could net them 5, 10 or even 50 times the value.

It's hard to get engagement - they're actually asking for quite a bit of creativity and effort. But if only ONE HUNDRED people (which gives me such a small % of 1.8million that it's not worth mentioning!) put in a decent effort, it will be money very well spent and provide a massive RETURN ON INVESTMENT.

So, not quite zero budget, but a good idea here to mirror if you have an existing community of engaged customers or members.

How to build a business website using wordpress (part 2)

2010-11-22T14:28:00.005+10:30

Step 4. Once you've found your design & installed into onto your host, you now need to think CONTENT. This SHOULD be the easiest part of the process - but is often the hardest. (I'm a marketer and I am much better at writing engaging copy for my client's businesses than I am for my own!) You need to break it down into areas of interest that are relevant to your prospects - whilst still showcasing what you can do. Different themes may also have different places to include copy so that it appears in the right way in your layout. You'll need to take the time to learn this first. Most themes do come with instructions - plus a little bit of trial and error goes a long way.

TIP:You also need to remember to make your copy Google friendly. This is a whole other post (actually, hundreds of posts!) but some of the basics include considering what keywords you think people might search for your kind of business on - and then includes these through out your site, as often as possible and in everything from body copy to headers to links.

Step 5. Think about what else you can include on your site. So not just pictures and words, but perhaps one of the thousands of wordpress plug-ins that can be installed to increase the functionality of your site. This could be anything from a twitter feed to an email subscription box to polls to....anything that will add value (or traffic) to your site!

TIP: Some plug-ins don't "agree with" certain themes, so not all plug-ins will work with all wordpress sites.

NOW...I still have to work out how to MOVE my new website from the temporary URL to my brazen.com.au URL. Once I have this nailed, I can post about how to do it (assuming it works of course!)

How to build a business website using wordpress

2010-10-22T14:04:00.000+10:30

I always prefer advice from someone who's DONE what they're suggesting others do. Someone who has been their OWN guinea pig.

So when it came time to pay my annual renewal for my Brazen.com.au website, I looked at the bill and thought "I can probably do something better and cheaper". For one thing, I couldn't change much on the site as it was a very early version CMS (Content Management System). For another, it had such issues as having meaningless URLs, not great for google loving.

So I decided to give it a shot.

I took my love of the simple wordpress tool and did some investigation on wordpress.org. That is, a version you can install with a web host to give you a lot more control over functionality and look and feel.

In summary, it wasn't super fast or super easy. But it wasn't super hard either, considering I'm not a techie at all. In fact, the tricky bits for me where learning how to FTP a file, something a techie person would probably laugh at.

How to build a business website using wordpress

Well, Wordpress.org have a little "it's as easy as 1,2,3" on their homepage.

And whilst it is pretty easy, I feel someone needs to spell out the steps in a little more detail.

So here goes.

Step 1. You will need a web host. This is not expensive. I decided to go with JustHost and it's a whopping $6 a month. Or $72 a year. And this included multiple websites, unlimited data and lots and lots of email addresses. To put this in perspective, my last "cheap" host was around $450 a year! Now, if you expect a tonne of traffic and need 100% uptime, this sort of cheap host won't be the right solution, but it's fine for your average SME website.
TIP: Most webhosts have a 1 click install option for Wordpress. So you DONT need to download and install the wordpress software. For example, with Just Host, there was an instructional page with a few steps to follow and in a few minutes, I was ready to start adding content to the site.
Step 2. You also need to buy a URL of course. I had one already but I wanted to build my new site without taking down the existing one. So I bought another URL for $12 from JustHost and built it on that. When I canceled my other hosting I didn't want to just re-direct the URL to my new URL. Now this might sound a bit tricky, but I just pointed my URL to a holding page that I also set up in JustHost for no extra cost and pointed to the "new" site. My plan is to MOVE the pages over, just working out how to do that now!
TIP: If you're building a site, it's much easier to START fresh rather than move pages.
Step 3: You need a design! There are about a thousand that are included with Wordpress BUT they are pretty much all set up to be blogs. Now, you can think a little creatively and make this work. For example, your "home page" that has the blog posts could just be headed up "latest news". But it isn't the ideal solution.
TIP: I purchased a design from Elegant Themes (the Minimal Theme). It was $39 to subscribe, MUCH cheaper than having someone build me a custom theme. I then had to install it via FTP. I had to install an FTP program - Filezilla - and this was what I was least comfortable with. It didn't work the first time so I posted a query on Elegant Theme's support blog, which was answered within 24 hours. And then all worked well!

I'll continue this " How to build a business website using wordpress" in my next post.

Did you know...?

2010-10-20T16:59:00.004+10:30

I was visiting Signwave in South Yarra a few days ago and this sign on the wall caught my eye.

I feel that (a) the fact I noticed it and (b) the fact I photographed it to share shows that it has some merit!

So, according to this sign:
- A second colour on a sign vastly improves information retention
- You can read signs with a border much faster

So next time you're making a sign, apply some "zero budget marketing" knowledge in making it work just that bit harder for you!

And whilst I'm on PR...

2010-08-30T11:23:00.004+09:30

...have come across another Australian zero budget marketing gem.

Handle your own PR allow you to purchase your own targeted media list, so that you can contact journo's in your space with exciting/relevant information about your product and service. You can build these lists yourself, but it's incredibly time consuming (I've tried) and it's cheaper than subscribing to a service like Margaret Gees Media Guide (worthwhile if you're an agency, too expensive if you've got one product or service to promote.

Handle Your Own PR don't have lists for every sector yet, but if you're in the lifestyle, business or kids/parenting area, this could be an ideal and effective zero budget marketing tool!

Little bit of Aussie ingenuity helping match marketers & media

2010-08-30T11:05:00.003+09:30

Getting media exposure for your business is immensely valuable. You get a trusted authority, such as a newspaper or television program, talking about your brand. Yes, you can buy advertising space, but (a) it's not very zero budget and (b) it's YOU saying how good you are, not someone else.

But it's a hit and miss operation, with PRs flogging their client's products to the media on their own schedule rather than on the media's. And if you want to do your own PR, you're likely to have a lot less of the relationships these PRs have, so it can be even harder.

That's why a SourceBottle (free) email subscription should be on every business owner or marketer's should be in your inbox. It's a great little online service that connects journalists, writers and bloggers with 'sources'. They do this by emailing 'call outs' for sources from journalists, writers and bloggers to subscribers to the service. They help journalists, writers and bloggers connect with an extensive network of quality sources; and they help subscribers to the service get publicity (or famous, whichever comes first).

So you get to respond to requests when journo's WANT to hear from you. I can't imagine I'm the only person who's excited by this prospect. So far I've come across several great leads for clients AND friends, for everything from promoting a shopping site on another online service to getting a product reviewed for a magazine article.

SourceBottle's revenue model seems to be in some advertising and premium subscriptions, which still seem extremely cheap. So I hope they'll stay around for a long time, it's zero budget marketing gold.

Budget expo idea

2010-08-04T19:13:00.004+09:30

So you've managed to negotiate yourself some cheap expo space at about a 10th of the price of other exhibitors...now what do you do with your stand??

This was the question a friend was facing, who is also a marketing consultant. The other exhibitors were big companies with big budgets. So their stands would look rather flash.

So I suggested going back to marketing basics ...make the stand about your visitors, not about you. I suggested we brainstorm 100 or so quick "marketing ideas" that we could "paper" the walls of her stand with. That way, people would hopefully stop and read - then engage with her - rather than just wander past.

So, how did it look and how did it work? I've included a picture in this post. It actually looked pretty good, and cost around $10 in production. And how did it work? She got 23 leads in 2 days - and she only needs 3-4 to turn into business to make it a worthwhile exercise.

Yet again proving - a little bit of tenacity and creative thinking beats a big budget every time.

So next time you're doing an expo, rather than fill your stand with posters and logos about you - why not make the space about EDUCATING your market. Cheaper AND more effective.

Ever wondered what to put in a staff profile so you don't send people to sleep?

2010-08-04T19:08:00.003+09:30

Getting lost on the web, looking for tomato relish of all things, I stumbled upon this little bit of copywriting gold on this gourmet food distributor's site.

I have absolutely no need to read this, but I read every one of these profiles.

Says something, doesn't it?

Now I feel like I know them. If only I had a store to stock their product in, I'd be calling them tomorrow. It would be a little like making the effort to make friends with some this great new person you've come across. Now are you seeing yet why there's marketing gold in this?

Get rid of anonymous, no personality copy on your website! This one page should prove to you the difference - and it won't cost you anything more to write like you're not a robot!

Do you understand human nature enough to make it work for you?

2010-07-23T10:40:00.002+09:30

I love it when I get "tricked" in a good way.

A friend is due to start a new job with a design agency , so I thought I'd google them.

I got to Sage Creative's site and was a annoyed to have to "skip" a flash intro page (why do people keep doing these?!). Anyway, they were redeemed with their brilliant understanding of human nature in their simple menu. The last item on the menu was...

..."Don't go here".

So guess what I immediately clicked on?

Love it.

What a spectacularly cheap (zero budget) way to funnel your web traffic where you want it to go.

PR stunt on a zero budget

2010-07-14T17:15:00.002+09:30

Bit of a lazy post but I wanted to direct you to read a recent story on Australian Anthill.

It is a clever promotional idea that used the "beg, borrow & steal" approach to putting together a neat little PR stunt for Channel 31. Big ticks to Keep Left PR for the idea - and in managing to source "free snow".

Check it out at: http://anthillonline.com/could-this-be-the-cheapest-promotional-stunt-ever/

Puppy love get big licks & ticks

2010-06-10T21:17:00.005+09:30

We all know that social media is a great zero budget tool. Twitter & Facebook are the centre of the universe for (possibly way too) many people. And they're free to use for marketers and punters alike.

But that said, it's HARD to get the use of these tools right. It's all very well to post some bland info about your brand, what's hard is coming up with something clever, engaging and basically worth all your time and effort. There's little worse than not being friended or followed!

I came across one of the smartest little social media campaigns I'd seen today - and I've watched it go crazy in literally HALF a day.

I am a PJs addict and a love Peter Alexander pajamas. I am hard pressed to open one of their catalogues and OT buy. So I do scan their online newsletter. And they had a great little story. They are wanting some "posh dogs" for their next mag shoot. All you had to do to get your dog in the running was post a pic of it on Peter's facebook page. Now, as I love dogs more than PJs, I immediately checked it out. Over 300 people had ALREADY posted a picture within an hour of the email going out. I've just checked again this evening and it's now over 600. That's not people visiting the page - I'd suspect this would be 10 times this. That 600 women who've chosen to interact with the brand today alone.

How smart is this campaign? Even if they didn't have the photo shoot angle, they took something people love - their pet - and made it about showing off their loved one. And the cost of this fabulous little brand interaction.

Ah, did I mention, ZERO.

Big ticks (and licks!) for the PA marketing team. They've done us all proud today!

And take a leaf from their book.

How can you tap into what people are ALREADY passionate about and tie it to your brand using social media? The key is in what's important to your market, not what's important to you.

Simple (+ cheap) ideas can be incredibly powerful

2010-05-26T13:14:00.003+09:30

Had to share this with you - part of a seatbelt advocacy campaign from the UK.

Apart from the fabulous viral component of this advertising - apparently having been seen by over 1 million people now - what I love is that this adv would have been VERY cheap to make, compared to the standard TAC type ads we're all so used to.

Yet arguably, its impact is much, much greater. It's not only quite beautiful to watch, it gets across it's (multiple) messages without so much as a work spoken, a spot of gore or a score of smashed up cars.

So a very big pat on the back to the creative team that put this little beauty together - you've proven to us all that IMPACT has a lot less to do with the size of a marketing budget than you might imagine.

More about the campaign at: http://www.sussexsaferroads.gov.uk/

Just in case you can't see the embedded video, use this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjWufx3fenc

I finally get it - why people are so passionate about Apple

2010-05-20T08:56:00.000+09:30

I've long resisted the world of Apple. I succumbed to an iPhone but have had issues with it. I considered an iPad but research showed a Kindle was the better option as a reader (and I love it!). But when my second PC laptop died in 3 years, I decided I was really to give Apple some serious consideration. I did my research and found the Macbook Pro seemed like a good option. I even got it for a very good price, cheaper than my last two laptops. I've had it a week now and, to be honest, I'm wondering how I lived without it. Forget how great it looks and feels, it just works so much better than a PC.

But this post isn't an ode to my new laptop - it's an ode to the fact that I'm finally getting a hint as to why people are so loyal to Apple. It's because they actually work very hard to make you feel part of a (brand) family.

You see, I have some queries about working my Macbook. And I discovered I can make an appointment at the Apple store - at a "genius bar" no less - to get some help. I can attend some free workshops on how to use various bits of software and hardware. I've even got telephone support for the first 90 days if I need it.

Now having bought many PCs, not only don't the retailers offer anything like this, the hardware manufacturers certainly don't.

All this isn't "zero budget" for Apple to deliver - but they wouldn't do it unless it generated A BIG RETURN. So it's money very well invested.

Things like the genius bar and workshops are also a much smarter use of retail space and customer management than I've ever seen. They've taken the same tools as everyone else - a shop, some shop assistants, a set amount of retail hours, , some hardware to sell - and they've then done something VERY clever with it. They've even dealing with some potential negatives - only ONE location and only helping people at set times they need to book well in advance - and managed to make them a positive.

How can YOU rethink your set of marketing tools and essentially CHANGE the game you're playing?

It's just a sign, isn't it?

2010-05-18T07:39:00.004+09:30

You know, sometimes in marketing, it's the little things that matter. Small cost items that can have a BIG impact if only you put a little bit of creative thought into them.

I've spotted two signs recently that I think are worth their weight in gold. One perhaps a bit more obviously than the other.

So first, the subtle sign. I saw this in clothing store "Forever New". The sign simply says "Last of the Best Sellers". What's so good about this?

This little sign is working VERY hard.

It's allowing the store to put a bunch of mis-matched product together legitimately, in a retail world that's often focussed on making everything look just right.

It's also telling shoppers that OTHER people loved these items, so this is a great place to hunt for a treasure.

Finally, it's allowing items to be sold full price that would normally be relegated to the sale rack.

Then the more obvious choice - how great is this? Every time I walk past this office, I smile and think that these people are living their brand. They've taken a very average location (a smelly alley off china town) and a door with bars and done something to make you forget all that.

They've already demonstrated how creative they are before their prospective client have literally walked through the door!

So next time you're thinking, it's just a sign, ask yourself...how can I make my little sign work as hard as it possibly can?

Oldie but a goodie - refer a friend campaign

2009-11-21T09:33:00.002+10:30

The most exciting thing about a customer is that they know OTHER potential customers - people just like them, thus also very likely to buy the same sorts of things from the same sort of places. This is something many, many companies seem to forget - to their own detriment.

I recently booked some flights through webjet and this week I was sent a "refer a friend" promotion. There were several things I thought were clever and "zero budget" about this marketing idea.

1. Most of webjet's advertising seems to be posters at airports & billboards. For anyone who has ever booked a campaign like that, you know they are VERY expensive. This would have been peanuts in comparison, even if they had to pay for the flights they're giving away.

BUT

2. If you notice the Qantas branding on the plane in the creative, I suspect this means that even if they had to pay SOMETHING for the flights, they didn't have to pay the full price. Although I suspect, as webjet likely puts a lot of business Qantas's way, they may even have had the prize flights donated for nix.

Thus, this promotion will only have cost them a bit of a brain power and a bit of design/web work.

Let's say this was $10,000. And let's say they send it to 50,000 people on their dbase. Even if only 10% respond (and they'd likely get more as this is a great incentive sent to a market who've proved they are in the market for flights!) that means 5,000 people respond. If these 5,000 only send to TWO contacts, that means Webjet have reached 10,000 people for a cost of $10,000.

A paltry $1 a "well-targeted" propspect.

I don't know abotu you, but I think a buck is a pretty low introduction fee to someone who's likley to spend hundreds of dollars with you in a single sale.

Don't you?

So webjet, congrats on pulling out this "oldie but goodie". You got me to email my friends. And I'm a cynical marketing type!

Don't be shy - ask for a discount!

2009-11-18T13:45:00.002+10:30

I was reminded again the other day of a great "zero budget marketing" mantra:

"If you don't ask, you don't get!"

What inspired this reminder, I hear you ask?

A publisher called to sell me some advertising space in a local area directory for one of the brands I work with. Whilst I don't usually go for advertising, this directory was a good match for the company and it had a direct response element, in the form of a voucher, my personal marketing favorite.

But - the advert was too expensive. The brand has a teeny, tiny budget - like many businesses.

So I cried poor and said that if they had "distressed space" (advertising industry speak for space they can't flog and will slash the price of at the last minute) - and if they could make this distressed space half of the quoted price - we'd take the advert.

And a week later, they called back, saying they really wanted us in the directory. And we got the advertising space for ... half price. Exactly what we'd asked for. So we could advertise and everyone walks away getting something they want.

So, let's say it all together..."If you don't ask, you don't get!"

How spending $320 can earn you $43,200

2009-11-17T11:32:00.002+10:30

I saw a great "zero budget marketing" tactic in action on the street this morning that has some inspiration there for us all.

I walk past a cafe strip, where there are 6-7 places you can grab lunch or - more importantly for many people - a coffee.

One of these locations is actually a restaurant. And they are also a cafe that does coffee. But to the passerby, it looks MORE like a restaurant, thus people bypass it to go to a "coffee shop".

Obviously the manager cottoned on, and realised they were missing out on the very lucrative morning coffee trade. How lucrative can coffee be, I hear you ask? It has a HUGE profit margin - the average latte costs around 20cents in "materials" to make. A good barista can pump out about 100 in an hour. And an average coffee price in the city is $3.

So that's $300 in revenue in an hour for about $20 in material and $20 staff cost. Around a 750% return. Highly profitable if you can sell a lot of coffee!

So, back to the idea. The restaurant had one of their staff members, with a blackboard and some vouchers, directing people to go and get a FREE coffee.

So clever, so cheap. Being conservative, a regular coffee drinker would buy a cup once a day, 3 days a week (actually, most serious caffeine addicts do 2-3 every day!). And if you like the coffee and one place, and it's a convenient location, you're likely to buy these three coffees every week for the 48 weeks you're working.

This translates to around $432 in revenue in a year - for a promotion that would cost around FORTY CENTS! 20 cents for the coffee and 20 cents worth of staff time.

So again, that's spending 40 cents to get $432 in revenue over 12 months.

Image if they got only 20 new people a day on this promotion and they ran it for 5 days.

The restaurant will have generated $43,200 in revenue from this promotion, which will have cost a few hours a day in staff time (say $300) and $20 in free coffee.

If only we all got that sort of RETURN ON INVESTMENT!

So it's a great little case study that encourages you to think about what you should be giving away, to get customers to try (and hopefully love) your product or service. Not all margins are as healthy as coffee - and luckily not all products are addictive - but even if you get a fraction of the results, this is a hugely successful zero budget marketing tactic.

Yours aren't the only customers out there

2009-11-14T13:46:00.003+10:30

I've been working with Parks Victoria lately on an international event they're hosting next year, the Healthy Parks Healthy People Congress. We've just gone live with registrations and in commencing the marketing for the event, I'm reminded of a great zero budget marketing tip.

As this is a first time event, and Parks Victoria don't usually run this sort of event, and because we want to attract people from around the world, we don't have a big database to market the event to. So I've been getting in touch with the many partners and supporters of the event - those that do have databases - and asking them to promote it for us. It's in their interest, as you don't want to partner with an event that's not successful and they also want to be seen by their members/subscribers/customers as being involved in something important. And it's in our interest, the only "cost" is the 10% cheaper registration we're offering to partner organisation members.

So it's the perfect "zero budget marketing" strategy.

Does this apply outside events? Of course. Every business has something they want to promote. Every business wants to be able to reach new prospects with a tailored marketing message. So who would like to talk to YOUR customers. And who's customers would YOU like to talk to.

It's not as hard as you might think to pick up the phone and say "I've got this idea that would work for both of us". I guarantee that in 90% of cases, you'll get a yes if it's an offer that works as well for them as it does for you.

Making people smile is a great (cheap) marketing tactic

2009-09-30T16:52:00.002+09:30

I saw a fantastic little idea when buying lunch today. I grabbed a wrap from Zest Wraps at QV. I was already feeling pretty virtous, as they make clear how healthy & low fat their wraps are. But some smart marketing cookie spent a few cents - and some serious brainpower - in making me feel even better after my purchase.

You see, the wraps come in paper. This paper needs to be held together by some sort of tape or sticker. Instead of having a plain old sticker, the little sticker had a little message on it. It said "You're special."

Now, let's not get into why I need a sticker to give me some love. Let's just say, it made me smile. It re-inforced my purchase decision. That little sticker has actually made me keen to buy another wrap and see what the next one says!

And think about it. This is a real "zero budget" idea. It would cost maybe a few CENTS to add this little sticker. But it has BIG impact. It makes a statement about the kind of brand it is. One that cares for you, your health and your happiness.

Yes, I know it was just lunch, but it's a lunch I'll remember, as a consumer not just a marketer.

So what insight is there to be gained from this clever idea? What cheap and easy opportunities are there for YOU to make your customers smile? Are you missing opportunities in EXISTING vehicles, like emails, phone messages or on your packaging. If you make someone happy, they're not only likely to buy again, they're likely to TELL OTHER PEOPLE.

It's marketers gold. For a few, little cents. Congrats, Zest. You're my "zero budget marketing" hero for the week!

Tabasco undertaking some smart ZBM tactics

2009-09-14T15:30:00.003+09:30

I was rather excited to read a story in today's Australian about US Sauce company, Tabasco, employing a bit of "zero budget marketing" thinking to expanding it's marketing in Australia.

Admitting they had great brand recognition but not much in the way of a marketing budget, instead of trying to employ mass marketing to get to consumers, they're trying to talk to chefs & restauranteurs - to both use it as an ingredient and have it as a condiment front of house.

This advocacy over advertising is a smart strategy that gets your product in the hands of potential consumers - whilst funding this campaign through channel sales. It's a "trial" opportunity for the brand, sampling in a more smart fashion.

So what can we learn from this? That when it's too hard or too expensive to try and talk to your end market, the smart effort goes to trying to identify a channel and influencers, to get your brand in front of prospects. Who haven't you been talking to that you should have been?...

Another email marketing tool that's the right price!

2009-09-10T08:16:00.002+09:30

Email marketing is something most business people and marketers live buy, but finding a cheap enough and good enough service can be tricky. Most affordable solutions are US based and I've come across another good one - AWeber. Their monthly fees are reasonable, esp if you don't have a massive list (eg. $US19 for up to 500 subscribers)

But even if you don't want to use their service, I came across a GREAT tip on their blog.

Turn Your Blog’s Best Content Into an Automated Email Newsletter

There’s no reason to put all that hard work into creating great content, then get just one round of clicks, comments and other actions from it. Why be satisfied with that?

Much of your blog’s content isn’t only relevant at one particular time. Get that old content out to them and make it fresh again!

Create an Autoresponder Campaign For Your Blog in 3 Easy Steps:

1. Identify Your Best Content
2. Turn Each Post or Group of Posts Into an Email
3. Add Your Emails To Your Follow Up SeriesOnce you have your emails together, create them as schedule "follow up" messages to subscribers.

You can check out the detailed entry here.

What I really like about this idea is the opportunity to stay in touch with new subscribers/customers for very little effort or cost. It's a great way to manage a user experience with you and not leave it up to them to remember to come back and see you!

Just what is creativity?

2009-08-01T07:31:00.009+09:30

I was cruising eBay the other day and "won" a book on 'Creative Strategy in Advertising'. (BTW - that's a very clever eBay wording choice, not quite the same guilt associated as with the word "bought", is there?) It cost me all of 99 cents + P&H so it was very zero budget marketing too!

I was immediately interested in a section titled "Creativity Defined" - as creativity as a concept IS by its nature, tricky to define.

Turns out, the authors were talking about what makes a "creative ad". One of the points that really resonated, but I had never really "got" before, was that Creative ads are unexpected. They don't go for the obvious punchline, metaphor, outcome, media choice, layout, etc.

I think that's why we don't often see communication messages we think of as particularly creative, and why we actually really "enjoy" marketing sometimes when we do. So I've done a quick web cruise and some dedicated bloogers have pulled together some great complilations - check out Pronet, Hemmynet and Smashing Apps if you're interested.

Now as a zero budget marketing blogger, I know great advertising can cost a LOT of money. But that doesn't mean there's no inspiration to be gained for the rest of us:

1. If you are going to spend the money on any sort of promotion or advertising, consider first how you can make it more engaging and creative. Spend the effort and energy on trying to stand out and be "unexpected".

2. In your every day marketing communications, consider how you can make it more creative. Are your words bland? Is your messaging the same as competitors? What little leap can you make to position yourself more creatively - more unexpectedly - to start to make an impact?

I'll leave you with a couple of clever little examples...

A cautionary email tale - Try to learn from this mistake

2009-07-30T17:43:00.012+09:30

I received an email the other day and I felt really bad for the marketing people at VECCIwho'd sent it.

You see, they'd set up their html email as a large image, instead of a combination of text AND images.

And these days, anyone running Office 2007 has the 'default setting' of images being blocked unless you choose to download them. [You can of course change this setting, but I don't see too many people who either (a) have or (b) really know how too!]

Which means in the case of this particular email, where it's one big image, the only thing a recipient will see is...an unsubscribe message! Not really what they're going for, especially as an increasing proportion of people, weighed down with too many emails, are unsubscribing from email marketing lists these days.

This situation could have been avoided if they'd sent both text AND images in the massage. Whilst the images will still be initially blocked, you'll still get the core of the message across, allowing the recipient to decide if they'll download the images - and see the message in all its glory, just as the hard working marketer intended.

So in the "zero budget" vein of making sure everything you do is optimised, this is a cautionary tale of how not to do email marketing.

I'd strongly advise against having too much of your message in images - especially if you're sending to a business prospect or customer where the majority of people are running Office software. Yes, some people will see it as you intended, but a distressingly large proportion of people will just ignore your message, or worse, click that easy to spot unsubscribe link.

Woo a little before expecting something in return!

2009-07-27T08:50:00.003+09:30

Now "wooing" is standard practice when looking for love, but for some reason we forget these sort of simple rules when looking for customers. We want them to "buy now" and "act now" - so that we're essentially asking for commitment before they've even met us. And when customers are in cautious buying mode, as they are in the economy, this sort of strategy is even more risky.

So if you're looking for a "new relationship" with a customer, be prepared to do a little wooing first. Don't make their first steps with you ones that will cost them money...as this will ultimately cost you MORE money as they're less likely to actually buy anything.

I saw a great example of wooing in action in an online campaign by career one. (The original is actually an animation, so you see about 5 screens, but you'll get the gist from these couple of screen shots.)

What is smart about this campaign is that it's tapping into something many people in their thirties and forties are feeling: Am I on the right path? Is this the right job for me? What else could I be doing to feel more fulfilled?

Then it's getting people involved with the career one brand, without asking them to spend any money on an advertisement or post their resume on a site. But it will be building their database, as you'd need to input your email no doubt to get a result.

So it's also giving something away - a "free" assessment of whether you're in the right job - and in return is getting a name (and some prospect profiling). Thus, it's laid some solid groundwork from which to build that ongoing relationship.

Whilst this campaign is obviously not zero budget, that doesn't mean there's nothing to learn from it. If you're in the business of selling a service, you'd be able to replicate an offer like this, and what you'd be spending is your time. You could then promote it via your existing communications channels - your website, your database, your staff, you're various social networking channels.

Are you using the right words?

2009-07-22T17:11:00.005+09:30

Words can be immensely powerful little buggers. Finding the "right" word can mean winning prose and hugely successful marketing copy. The wrong word can be mediocrity and zero sales.

Too often we don't spend enough time finding the right words AND we forget to check back in on our copy and make sure the words we've chosen are actually singing for their supper.

I was reminded of this yesterday when looking at visitors to various pages on an event website I'm managing. I had one of the main header/menu options as "sponsors". Once you got to that page, you also learned the sponsors were also going to be exhibitors.

Looking at the low traffic to this page, I realised my fatal mistake. I was thinking in terms of words from my perspective, not my audience's perspective.

The audience (conference attendees) is not really interested in who's sponsoring the event. But they ARE interested in who'll be exhibiting, because this directly affects them.

So with this BFO (blinding flash of the obvious) I changed the menu item. And watched the visits to the page DOUBLE today. (Yes, and smacked my head for taking so long to get it!).

[Added 1 August: You may be interested to know that I kept and eye on this and last week got TRIPLE the visitors to this page compared to the week before I changed it from 'sponsors' to exhibitors.]

Now I have much better results to report to my other audience - the sponsors - and the conference attendees now more about the event they'll be attending.

So have you done an audit lately of your website - or other communications vehicles lately - and ensured they're written for the right audience? Just a page here and there so it's not too daunting a task.

This happened to me again recently, when I made the change on a menu item of another client's website. We switch from the common but vague "What we do" to "Why choose us". Now it's more about the visitor than the website owner. Small change, big impact.

So it's a lesson worth learning over. And over. And over.

It won't cost you anything, so it's very "zero budget marketing". And you will find that a LITTLE tweak here and there will can make a BIG difference in the way your communications are speaking to your audience.

So repeat after me: "It's all about them, not all about you!"

Then maybe it will sink in for all of us :)

Why asking questions will win you business

2009-07-20T07:56:00.003+09:30

I always say that networking is a long term investment. You stay in touch for a whole bunch of reasons, not least of which you keep some great people in your life. But rarely do you get an "instant win". But it does happen. And when times are tough, perhaps the best way to uncover rare opportunities is to speak to as many people as possible, as often as possible.
I'll give you two recent examples of this in action. The first generated over $100k in business and the second, well, I'll let you know.

Example one. I was out for drinks early in the year at Riverland in Melbourne with my partner and a friend of his over from the UK. The UK friend brought another friend and it turns out the boys all knew each other from the "old days" at a major tech company. Anyway, I did what I usually do on meeting knew people - ask questions to get to know them, try and find common ground to make for an interesting conversation. So I was chatting to the local friend and he was telling me how he was about to move to the UK, leaving his current job which was very busy. I asked some more questions. His current job was as CFO at a major sporting organisation. I asked some more questions. Turns out they had been implementing this major software project and were unhappy with the current vendor for the next stage of the project, so were stressed out looking for another vendor. I asked a few more questions. Long story short, my partner's company offered what they needed. I told him, his people talked to their people and a couple of months of contract negotiations later, both parties had been helped out and they were in business. (Sadly, I didn't get a commission on the sale, but we did get a very nice dinner out on my partner's employer!)

Example two: I have two days a week available that I use to work on marketing or event client work that's project based. My current project ( Professional eBay Sellers Alliance conference - bet you didn't know they existed!) finishes up mid August. For once, I didn't have something immediate in the wings. So I decided to tap into my network. I caught up with a few friends, over a few drinks (yes, bars do seem to be a recurring theme, networking has more than one upside!) and asked if they knew anyone who needed marketing or events assistance. Inside of two weeks, I had was not only updated on my friend's lives, I had a meeting set about some new work that could run till April next year.

I have yet to have the meeting, but even if I don't suit the opportunity, it's a great case in point of my favourite mantra....IF YOU DONT ASK, YOU WONT GET. Ask a lot of questions in conversations and best case scenario, you'll learn more about the person you're conversing with, enjoy a sense of connection and maybe discover something new.

So whilst times are tough in this (dare I say it) GFC, that doesn't mean there is no opportunities to be had, no income to to be earned, no business to be won. It just means you may have to try harder to get it AND tap into the people you already know (your network) to identify those many hidden opportunities.

[Added 1 August: Thought you might like to know I got the new client, as mentioned in example 2, always handy when you're own examples pan out!]

Have you checked out Mumbrella?

2009-07-16T09:29:00.002+09:30

Ok, so I got to this site a bit late, but now that I know, you know. Go check out "Mumbrella - Everything under Australia's media and marketing umbrella."

Great range of content, good links to various blogs and stories and best of all, you get to read it for FREE. It's sooo Zero Budget Marketing and you might learn something! :)

Super cheap design

2009-06-30T11:24:00.002+09:30

I love the Internet - it just keeps on giving when it comes to zero budget ideas.

I have come across a great site that I think many small business people, especially those starting out, should give a try.

It's a site where you can buy existing design templates, already laid out, for under US$100. As getting custom design done is one of the most expensive things for new business people, this can be a great option if you're on a zero budget - or under time constraints.

Yes, you'll still need to do some of the work yourself - but that's the zero budget challenge isn't it - if you're not spending $$, you're often spending hours.

But another reason I like this is that buying design, if you dont do it regularly, can be tough. You don't really know what you want and it can be hard to visualise what you want. Buying something like this that's ready made means your costs are "capped" as you wont rack up designer hours trying to get it perfect.

So whilst a great designer is always a great investment, if you're cash strapped, inkd is a great option!

From Inkd:

Inkd is the world's first marketplace for buying and selling world-class print designs. Designers from all over the world sell on Inkd and offer print creative that can be customized any way you want. Use the designs as they are or just use them as a starting point to get you going on your own unique project.

At Inkd you'll get print-ready pages with colors accurately defined, bleeds allowed and folds set up. Designers are able to contribute any print friendly design using the application of their choice. Most print files are either designed using the most popular Desktop Publishing Software Page Layout Software to include Adobe Illustrator or Adobe InDesign documents.

Check out: http://www.inkd.com/

Free tool for you - Have you tried Gumtree?

2009-06-24T21:12:00.003+09:30

Now it's been a little while since I've had a total and utter zero budget idea for you. But this is a goodie, I promise! Have you discovered Gumtree yet?

Gumtree is a fab (not so) little community noticeboard - which has listings by Aussie city. It's like Craig's List, but for those of us downunder (although being eBay they're totally global, you just wouldn't know it).

So why do I care about a community noticeboard, I hear you ask?

Well, did I mention it's free?! And it's also got excellent SEO (search engine optimisation) which means a listing on Gumtree is often what you find on Google when you're hunting for just about anything.

So have you got something you can fit into one of their categories? You have to think laterally. I tried it out for my client, Flexicar. I wanted to get some people to try the service for free, so I put an advert on Gumtree to see if I'd get any nibbles. I spent a whopping $7 or so to make it a "top listing" (so it wouldn't get pushed down the page) and I not only got over 100 website visitors in a month, I got around 9 actual prospect inquiries.

Now, don't get me wrong, that's not going to set the world on fire - but it's nothing to sneeze at when other times I can spend hundreds and hundreds to get that many leads.

From Gumtree:

Gumtree.com was started in March 2000 as a local London classified ads and community site, designed to connect people who were either planning to move, or had just arrived in the city, and needed help getting started with accommodation, employment and meeting new people.

We've grown a lot since then through word of mouth and we're proud to say that Gumtree is loved by its rapidly growing community. We now cover 72 cities across 11 countries - the UK, Ireland, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore and Hong Kong - and are the UK's biggest website for local community classifieds including flat share, flat rentals and jobs. More than 25,000 new rooms are advertised a month, which means at least 10,000 rooms are rented a month through Gumtree. We now have more than one million visitors every month.

Our aim at Gumtree is to give you a simple and easy-to-use tool that lets you quickly find you might be looking for. You can find everything you need to live your life with the help of your local Gumtree community; from a job or a flat, date, a nanny for your kids or a bargain to a language teacher and a tennis partner.

GFC producing some steller zero budget marketing inspiration

2009-06-24T20:38:00.003+09:30

Yes, it's all doom and gloom at the moment, but for us zero budget marketers - those that know how to create a lot from very little - it's business as usual.

But as the playing field has been rather dramatically levelled, there's some excellent inspiration out there to enjoy.

A recent gem has been the story of how to get an outdoor advertising space, worth tens of thousands, for small change.

In the US, it seems advertisers are using vacant storefronts as, you guessed it, billboards.

From the NY Times:

Taking advantage of all the abandoned retail spaces in urban areas, marketers are leasing them at cut-rate prices and filling them with their ads.

At first, advertisers saw storefront advertising as a poor man’s billboard — that is, a bad thing. Now, they see it as a poor man’s billboard — that is, brilliantly frugal.

I particularly like the second paragraph of this excerpt - don't you?!

Here's a couple of samples, one more flash and one more budget (the first being donated space for a charity campaign). Apparently some landlords are renting out the window space for as little as $500 a month, happy to have something other than dust and depression on show. Ah, I love to see a cliche come to life...necessity really is the mother of invention!

Giving away flights - great PR and trial strategy

2009-06-24T15:23:00.006+09:30

An online article caught by eye today, despite being a wine drinker - Flights cheaper than a carton of beer.

When reading the article, I discovered it was about some very cheap flights Tiger Airways was promoting.

Why is this zero budget? Well, if you've ever had to stump up for newpaper advertising, you'll know that it's very bloody expensive.

By offering up a very newsworthy story, Tiger has got an entire article run, that pretty much reads like a press release and a promotion description, complete with terms and conditions!

Now I'm sure Tiger is also an advertiser, but it is a great way to demonstrate the power of PR when you have a great story to tell.

This quote in the article is also telling:

Tiger Airways says the fares include all fees and taxes, so in essence, it is giving away the seat on the plane.

This is a promotion dear to my "zero-budget heart, in that it's giving away something for free.

This is SUCH a great option for a new/developing business looking to get fast traction. It gets people talking about you, it gets people using your service for little risk - and in the case of Tiger, it gets you a return airfare.

It's a much smarter "marketing" investment that an ad.

So congrats to Tiger, you get this week's smart marketing zero budget hero award!

I'm a sucker for a fantastic idea

2009-06-21T10:42:00.002+09:30

I got sent this video and I loved it so much I had to share it. It's definately not zero budget but it is a truly original way to tell a story. Plus, it may very well have been less expensive to make that had this been produced using actors and travelling around the globe.

So what is this? A potentially "boring" corporate video has been turned into something magical, off the strength of a beautifully simple idea.

So what can we learn from this?

If you're facing a marketing challenge, ask yourself what you can do differently to everyone else out there? Don't look to copy ideas from your competitors - look for inspiration from outside your industry.

This is a great example of how a fantastic idea, well executed, can totally bat above it's weight.

Origami In the Pursuit of Perfection from MABONA ORIGAMI on Vimeo.

What if you wanted to double your customer base tomorrow?

2009-06-10T15:13:00.008+09:30

It's a tough question. How to double your customers or prospects overnight?

Wouldn't it just take every customer to recruit ONE more person.

In a perfect world, that is really all it would take. But even though we're not in a perfect world, it doesn't mean the idea isn't worth pursuing.

I've yet to work with a business that doesn't get some - and often MOST - of it's business from referral. (And as you can see, the smart marketers at World Vision are trying to tap into that with the recent email I've pictured).

And that referral is great because it's MASSIVELY cost effective and carries the far greater persuasive power than anything a business could ever say.

So this is just a reminder not to ignore the most powerful new business tool at your fingertips - your existing customers. Get out there and motivate them to refer a new customer to you.

Check these out online for some inspiration

2009-04-21T09:20:00.003+09:30

Being all about "zero budget" means educating yourself constantly...and thanks to the web you can do this for nicks. It can be hard to wade through WHAT is worth reading, but here's a few worth signing up for / following online.

http://www.clickz.com/: These newsletters are online marketing gold. If only I had time to read all of them, all of the time.

http://mashable.com/ : Mashable is the world's largest blog focused exclusively on Web 2.0 and Social Networking news.

http://www.ipsosmediact.com/knowledge/ : Ranking third worldwide in survey research turnover, Ipsos specialise in five areas of research: Advertising, Loyalty, Marketing, MediaCT, and Public Affairs. The online knowledge centre contains tonnes of info, case studies and free report summaries.

http://www.sendupalargerroom.com/ : Original marketing/consumer behavious Aussie blog by lead strategist for Carat Sydney.

(List inspired by article by Lee Stephens "Finding Gold Among the Spammers" from AdNews - 10 April, 2009)

Have you tried this with Google Adwords?

2009-04-21T08:35:00.006+09:30

I've played around with Google Adwords with several of my clients, with mixed results.

Adwords are a great tool if enough people are looking for what you have to sell. But when you're selling something people might NOT be searching for, you have to think a bit more creatively about how to get their attention and hopefully entice them to visit your site.

One thing as marketers we DO know is that the web is used early on in a buying cycle. Consumer and Business buyers use it to research the category they're interested, often a while in advance of actual intent to purchase.

So you might get them browsing, but getting them to visit your site and BUY is the trickiest part.

So I thought I'd trial a bit of "old school" DM using this "new school" medium and ran the voucher ad below recently...

I linked it to a landing page that explained the offer - and included a promotional code to enter if they chose to join the service. My rationale was, if people were "tyre kicking" already, this might get them over the line.

In the first four weeks of running this little advert, SIX people joined the service using this promotional code.

At a cost of around about 60 cents per sign up [not including time for my creative brilliance of course :) ].

Now to understand whether six is a lot, you need to think about what each customer is worth.

For this service based business every customer means in the vicinity of $600 a year.

At 60 cents to attract, this makes a whopping ROI on this advertisment 1000%

If only all our marketing gave such a great return!

Now, I don't have the goose that laid the golden egg just yet. I'll have that when I can get 100 customers to buy using this offer.

But I'm off to a great (zero budget) start.

Why don't you try it for your business and let me know how you go!

The dog ate my homework

2009-04-21T08:22:00.002+09:30

...yes, I've been very bad and haven't blogged in AGES.

My only excuse has been a lack of inspiration - luckily I passed a little gem the other day that has got my lazy butt back in action.

So what did I see?

A bit of common sense thinking that isn't so common.

It was an electrician's van. It wasn't particularly flash, looking like a small operation. The branding on the van itself wasn't even that attractive.

So what caught my eye?

The branding on the front of the van - the part you'd see in your rear vision mirror - had the company name, phone number and website printed "back to front".

Which means, in your rear vision mirror, you'd be able to read it.

I love this little "big idea". It's a case of really making sure every cent you have to spend is spent in the smartest way possible. Because I'm sure this van gets more people stuck in traffic checking it out than it ever does parked at individual jobs in suburban streets.

(And I don't even has to wonder if anyone ever actually CALLS a number they see written on a van. I know someone does - because I've done it. It was how I got my cleaner of 4 years.)

So next time you're doing some marketing the way you've "always done it", stop and ask yourself if you should be rethinking anything? Use the back of your business cards to explain what you do. Ensure your signage is able to be read by those you want to read it. Structure your website in a way that makes sense to customers, not just to you.

Making your (zero) budget work for you, means ensuring everything is done as smartly as possible.

Hmmm, when coke goes with no advertising, you know something is up

2008-11-01T09:17:00.007+10:30

I was moderating a panel discussion at a marketing conference yesterday (evolve08 run by Networx Brisbane) and one of the panellists was from Coca-Cola, the global drinks giant. You may or may not know they have a host of brands in their stable, including things like Mount Franklin water and Mother energy drink.

Now Coke is a big believer in advertising, as anyone who's over the age of five can probably attest. A couple of years back they spent a reputed $18 million in Oz alone to launch the Coke Zero brand.

Now I've been saying for a long time that good marketing does not equal spending big bucks on advertising. Sometimes it equals spending no dollars on advertising. And who would have thought the people at Coke would agree.

But they do. When they launched Vitamin water in, they decided against spending marketing budget on advertising. In fact, their major marketing tactic was getting this product into the hands of influential people. And it's apparently working for them, as they've sold four times what they expected to sell in their last year, according to a rep.

Now I'm sure they spent a tonne of cash in other ways - they've got a spiffy website (which seems to have some flash bugs alas), probably the largest distribution penetration in the world and probably many a smart agency that advised them. But still, I'm sure this launch cost nowhere near the 18 million they spent on launching a mere brand extension, let alone a whole new product.

So really this is a bit of a "take heart" message. When one of the world's biggest consumer product companies decides there might be another way to go, it's a reminder that launching a brand doesn't require the world's deepest pockets.

As another one of the speakers (Jack Perlinski, Brand Strategist, DAIS) said yesterday "some of the best creative campaigns are born from having no budget".

Ah, couldn't have said it better myself!

A little letter & being willing to ask

2008-09-22T15:09:00.003+09:30

I've been working a few days a week this year with a small charity. So small that when I asked at the interview "what's my marketing budget" they said "what marketing budget?". So I'm getting a chance to flex my "total and utter zero" budget muscles.

And in a very, very competitive market. There are 19,000 charities in Australia - and an estimated 680,000 other "not for profit" organisations out there. That's a LOT of organisations hitting up a very small population.

One little campaign I've run this year - providing a 1500% return on investment - reminded me the power of ASKING for things - be it a sale, a donation or a favour.

A little background...

This charity (Western Chances) attracts most of its funds from Foundations and business donations. But it had never written to the people in these businesses and foundation AS people, as individuals.

So I thought, what can it hurt? After all, I tell people in business they can get more blood out of a stone when it comes to selling a product or service, so why not when it comes to selling "feeling good" by donating to a charity?

We didn't have a large database to start with and then the list was whittled down further, as some people just weren't appropriate to hit up again.

I ended up with a very short list of just 250 people.

I did a bit of an estimate and thought I'd probably be able to raise around $1,000. Not earth shattering, but every little bit counts.

As I didn't have any cash, I couldn't do anything fancy with design or brochures. I had to write a good old-fashion letter.

And I didn't re-invent the wheel. I used a great letter writing guide provided to us (free) by Our Community to work out the structure. I included a specific appeal we were working towards and a true story from one of our beneficiaries in the letter.

Then I laid out in Word a one page donation form, with some specific amounts people could donate and what it would translate into. And I'm no graphics whiz, I just made sure it allowed for everything I needed to capture information and make it easy for them to donate.

Then I had the issue of postage. So I continue on the "if you don't ask, you don't get" trail and made a phone call request to a larger corporate supporter, which landed us a committment to send the mail-out for us. So the "real" cost to the charity was about a day of my time, 500 sheets of paper and 250 envelopes. Let's say an even $500.

So the letters were mailed and I thought...let's see how we go. If I can double the investment, it will be a good result.

So how did we go?

Well, we ended up making awhopping $7,500 from those 250 letters. More than 7.5 times what we expected to make and 15 times what its cost was - a 1500% return on investment.

And if it had bombed? Well, we were only out $500.

And an interesting thing happened. It wasn't a lot of small donations - it was around 15 larger ones. So the same list will be worth targeting in another 6 months, as I only need another 15 generous people - 6% of the list - to donate and possibly hit a similar target.

So I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If you don't ask, you don't get!

I love this super cheap tool

2008-05-06T12:20:00.003+09:30

I get so excited by what you can find on the web these days. I'm doing some work for a charity at the moment and I wanted to build an online event registration form that compiled a database and also sent the event registrant a confirmation email. We have a great IT company that does a lot of work free for the charity, but they'd have to spend some additional IT time on this and they were going to have to charge us $600. Now this isn't a lot of money, but when you're a charity, it's enough! So I went to good ole Google for an investigate and found a tool that I love so much I can't stop telling people about it.

Wufoo.com is a completely idiot proof form builder. It's FREE if you only want 100 entries a month, which was all I needed, but even the version you have to pay for is only $24 a month for up to 3,000 entries AND it manages payments.

This tool has so many uses: as a database/sign up form, as an event registration, as a survey tool, as a means of taking payments.

It only took me about 30 minutes to customise a form in the colours I wanted, upload a logo and start collecting responses. Seriously.

I think I'm in love. Check it out at www.wufoo.com.

Turning a weakness into a strength

2008-04-23T22:11:00.002+09:30

Last week I spoke to some (very fit) business owners at Filex - a big national health a fitness conference. I loved a story I heard from one business owner, who started his personal training business five years ago. He didn't have much cash when they started so he couldn't afford to buy the equipment - the impressive bells and whistles - that other trainers had. So he made a smart call. He decided to position his business on having no equipment. He put on the spin that "it's just the trainer and you, getting back to basics". And six years later, it's still their busines philosophy, despite having 6 full time staff and the budget to buy the equipment if he wanted it.

Is there something your "zero budget" may be preventing you from having that YOU could turn into a key point of difference? This is a great lesson to really focus on what you DO have, not what you DON'T have!

How about a completely free website?

2008-03-27T07:54:00.005+10:30

This post is getting back into the totally, no holds barred, got no cash at all, zero budget marketing zone.

When organising a charity race day recently, I set myself the challenge of setting up a website completely free of charge, including integrating payment for the tickets.

The answer came in the form of (don't tell Blogger) -Wordpress. I had the idea courtesy of the clever and lovely Australian mook (mag/book) DumboFeather - which, when I visited their site, found had the feel of some blogs I'd seen. So I checked out Wordpress and found that they have the ability to create a blog with pages and other "widgets" - meaning you can essentially set up a proper and dynamic website free of charge. You can even have your own URL (instead of a sitename.wordpress.com) if you cough up about $100.

So then for the payments part. For this I went to Paypal. I set up an account, again for free, with payment only when you take funds (it's around 2.4% plus 30c a charge). I created a "buy it now" button, got some code (which I couldn't work out how to put on the blog) but I also got a URL link that you could put in an email. I used this link to literally link the words "buy a ticket" to this URL and hey presto, I was able to sell tickets.

Now if I wanted to get into building a database, I could have integrated something like zookoda and I'd be off!

And if you think all this sounds too tricky, remember I'm a marketer, not a techie. I managed to set up the site and the paypal option in a couple of hours. If I can do it, you can do it.

Have you checked out the library lately?

2008-03-27T07:49:00.003+10:30

I was looking for some inexpensive space to host an event recently and I was reminded that you don't need to pay a fortune in hire & catering fees to stage a professional seminar. If you're in Melbourne, you may only need to go as far as your local library!

The City of Melbourne has two great public library spaces - the Melbourne City Library, which has gorgeous windows, AV facilities, a cheap catering deal with a local cafe - and has a room that can fit up to 70 people! And that's before I even get onto the East Melbourne and North Melbourne Libraries.

So don't forget to check out your local library - it can save you money on more than the latest business books if you're planning an event and new business seminar!

Something you need to keep doing over and over

2008-03-27T07:40:00.004+10:30

I doubt there's a business out there who's main source of business over time isn't referral and word of mouth. Yet how often do we ask and encourage our customers to spread the word about us.

I was prompted again to think about this issue when I got this lovely looking promotion from Trendwatching. These are people who not only know the value of referral, they've invested marketing dollars in making it happen. They've spent time and money on both setting up a promotion (design and tech) and incentivising it (with the MacBook - which they probably had to pay for as Apple is quite precious, but perhaps they did a contra, making it far more "zero budget").

And here's the thing. If this promotion gets them the right number of referrals, it will still pay for itself, many times over. And this is a B2B offer, which I love. Because there's no reason business to business marketing cant be creative and fun and a little bit "consumer".

So go put a note in your diary for the times over the next 6 months when you're going to systematically ask your existing customers to refer other customers. Don't leave it to them to think about it- they've got better things to do!

Why saying sorry is a great marketing tactic

2008-03-27T07:25:00.002+10:30

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I'm a huge fan of US t-shirt biz Threadless - and now it's for more than their shirts and business model.

They had server issues during a sale - and instead of saying to their customers "too bad, so sad", they've created a marketing opportunity & made themselves look good in the process.

Here's what they said:

"Earlier this week, during your most crucial purchasing moments of our Spring Cleaning sale, we experienced some serious down-time. The frustration that many of you experienced while trying to make purchases is unacceptable and we promise to never ever let this happen again forever ever.

To allow you to make the most of the sale, our friends at Rackspace (the folks that host Threadless) are sponsoring five thousand $5 coupons on orders of $50 or more. The first five thousand people to use the coupon code 'spring08' during the Spring Cleaning sale will receive $5 off their order on top of the already discounted sale price. Time to go on a shopping spree!!!!

In addition to the $5 coupons and to make up for lost time, we are extending the Spring Cleaning sale until 11:59:59 CST on Wednesday, March 26th, 2008! The new shirts to be released on Monday will also be on sale!If you are interested in all the geeky details of what went wrong, please join Harper Reed, our CTO, in a live discussion of your questions and concerns..."

So first them empathised - great customer services. Then they told you what happened (and made sure you knew it wasn't all them), then they've made a supplier cover their mistake AND offered their customers a special in the mean time, then they've extended their sale and then they've even gone a step further and allowed for full interaction by setting up a discussion with the IT department.

And how did it go down? Well, you can see for yourself, as this was a blog post. The vast majority of the comments went like this: "You guys are so nice. Not like them other nasty corporations." and " wow, yes.i already ordered 3 times,but i will definitely order again monday."

So next time something in your business goes wrong, don't aim for a cover us and don't ignore your customers. Work out how you can make them feel you've listened, acted - and then keep them buying more and talking about you to everyone they know.

Don't forget the simple things

2007-11-27T14:57:00.000+10:30

Successful marketing is rarely about a single silver bullet. Instead, it's about many, many little things that joined together, deliver results for a business.

So this post is about a little thing. Your email signature. If your business is anything like mine, you can send and receive around 100 emails a day. Even if you only send 10 emails a day, each one is an opportunity to share a little information about yourself and your business (AND as a bonus it makes it a lot easier for the recipient to get in touch with you in the future).

Now if you're tempted to think that no-one reads an email signature, I'm able to recount from very recent experience that this is definitely not the case. I added a sentence to the bottom of my (already relatively long) email signature about the launch of my new book. And I immediately got back a tonne of questions and congratulations about it. I really didn't think anyone would pay that much attention. But about a third of the people I emailed that week commented on it - which means more probably read it.

So if you've got something new or exciting happening, pop it onto the bottom of your daily emails. It's totally zero budget - and I know you'll be surprised at the response.

Providing experience to get free to cheap design and copy

2007-11-22T11:22:00.000+10:30

Great design and copy writing can make a small brand look BIG and PROFESSIONAL -which we all know are key factors in attracting customers. I'm constantly amazed by how many shabby websites I come across and my instant thought is " this business isn't to be taken seriously".

But great design & copy has to cost a lot - doesn't it? Well, no.

If you have the world's tightest budget, why not consider getting a promising student designer or writer to work for you? You can contact Universities like RMIT (who run advertising and design courses) for a referral. Or independent outfits like The Australian School of Copywriting, who need 'real life' projects to give their students the experience they need. I recently referred a friend starting out a new venture (Little Fry) to The Australian School of Copywriting. Just going in to brief the budding writers gave the Little Fry team a good chance to articulate (and even form) their marketing vision. They then received several different writing perspectives for their brand, which has not only given them material to use immediately, but some fresh ideas for the future.

So if you have the time to dedicate, and are prepared to give as well as get, you can get some top notch design and copy for little or no cost. And as your business grows, and your student's talent grows, it could be the beginning of a long a mutually profitable relationship for both of you!

Design consistency is not only good for your brand it's good for your budget

2007-11-22T11:03:00.000+10:30

Marketers love consistency - that's why all the big brands have thick design manuals covering the rules of how their brand can be used, in what colours and related colour palettes and even how much white space should be around a logo.

Just because you're a smaller brand doesn't mean you should be lax about ensuring all elements of your look and feel aren't consistent. Apart from making you look like a professional outfit, it also has the added benefit of being cost-effective in the long term. Why? Well, when you have a clear idea and guidelines on what font, colours and style to use, it will take a designer less time to create new work for you. And that translates to lower cost.

Also, some strong design elements have the advantage of being useful for multiple purposes, which I've been reminded of recently. I partnered with a talented designer and illustrator on Dont Drink and Dial...and other secrets of female friendship (my first book, being published by Penguin and on sale this week) and we've been able to use variations on the illustrations she's created for everything from a stationery line to icons on our website.

So get committed to consistency for all the right reasons: professionalism, aesthetics and cost control.

Ok, if you're really, really poor here's an idea for you

2007-11-20T14:28:00.001+10:30

So I've been coming across a website a lot lately when hunting for stuff online. It's called Gumtree and it's essentially a free community noticeboard, where you can place free ads for just about anything. Their SEO (that's "search engine optimisation" which is how high up you appear in something like google) must be top notch, as it seems like every other search I conduct online for just about anything gives me one of these listings in the top ten!

So check out Melbourne Gumtree (and their 60 other cities) if you're looking for a totally, utterly, truly zero budget marketing tool to drive sales and possibly traffic to your own website. If it costs you nothing, is there any harm in trying it out?!

What they have to say about their service:

"Gumtree.com was started in March 2000 as a local London classified ads and community site, designed to connect people who were either planning to move, or had just arrived in the city, and needed help getting started with accommodation, employment and meeting new people.
We've grown a lot since then through word of mouth and we're proud to say that Gumtree is loved by its rapidly growing community. We now cover 60 cities across 6 countries - the UK, Ireland, Poland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. "

Viral isn't dead if the offer is good enough

2007-11-20T14:09:00.000+10:30

"Viral" marketing was a bit of a buzz word over the past few years that seems to have gone out of fashion in 07 - but the concept of viral is exciting because it's the ultimate zero budget concept. That is, you send out something (a promotion, an offer, news of a sale, a movie/joke/story) to a set group and then people pass it on for you. And it continues to spread...like a virus. So your original message to 100 people could end up reaching 10,000 people.

A good viral campaign isnt easy to come up with. The original (and future) recipients have to think it's exicting enough to pass on, such that their friends or colleagues wont be annoyed to receive it. So a really compelling offer - or a very funny message - is what's needed.

I just received a great offer passed on by a friend - and it was so good I wondered if it was real. So after a long investigation (well, actually, after clicking on a couple of links) I confirmed that Krispy Kreme WERE in fact giving away a half dozen donuts on the day after the election.

They've even tied in database building element, some topical marketing by linking it to the federal election, a cause related element by asking for a gold coin donation to the Salvos and some amusing creative. This little promo really ticks all my boxes! (They've also got some safety nets built in - see the preferred store and the "up to 6 donuts" to help them cover their tushies).

So Krispy Kreme have done it again - for the cost of some clever creative and I'm assuming several thousand donuts - they'll be gaining both a customer database and store traffic, at what I'm sure will be a very low cost per unit.

If I had a zero budget gold star, I'd slap it on them right now!

Knowing your customer makes for easy copy writing

2007-10-10T16:30:00.001+09:30

I was trawling the net the other day looking for a company that does decking and fencing as I'm planning a spot of "back yard renovation". This being my first home, I dont really know much about what I'm looking for - and I imagine the majority of people who are investigating online are in the same boat. And yet most of the sites I came across were AWFUL. Some had obviously had a lot of cash spent on them (eg. Bluescope Steel's site) but they were all tremendously unhelpful. No "general" information about their product, lousy pictures and no advice.

And then I came across a little gem. The Outdoor Timber Company. It's not the world's most stylish site, but it spoke to people like me immediately. No chest beating and waffling words. The page on decking started with: "Decking timbers can be divided into three main groups" - and went on to explain the world of decking to me - and ultimately why these are the people to buy it from.

You can tell this site hasn't been written by a copy writer either. It's been written by someone that's passionate about what they do - and they make you feel rather passionate by the end too.

So the zero budget marketing thought for the day is to visual a customer interaction...

Do you know what questions your customer usually opens with? Of course you do.

Answer these questions up front and people will assume that you know your stuff - and you'll save yourself a tonne of time answering the same queries over and over.

Given it away for free lately?

2007-09-26T05:58:00.000+09:30

Yes, it's an anathema to many business people, but the fact remains: giving something away for free can be the best way to attract future customers.

I saw this again in action at a recent regional tourism marketing conference I was speaking at.

There was a relatively new massage/health spa in the area and they were at the conference giving massages at breaks to attendees. The two owners were there in branded outfits. They covered all the accomodation owners and, importantly, the MC for the day, Lawrence Mooney from Postcards. So they took the opportunity to let important prospectiver referers "sample" their service free of charge - which will translate to referrals and perhaps even a spot on tv should Postcards ever cover the region. Plus they got to attend the conference, network and learn from the various presenters. What a smart zero budget marketing tip put into action!

It's all in the application!

2007-09-19T12:35:00.000+09:30

Last night I was speaking on networking skills at an event for mentors and mentees (otherwise known as heros) from a great program run by the City of Glen Eira and City of Kingston.

One of the ladies in the program came up to me after the event to tell me she'd seen me speak a few months previously on Zero Budget Marketing. And I was very excited to hear she's applied some of the simple ideas she'd come up with from my talk- to great result apparently. Her business is a specialist painting business (http://www.tuscantrellis.com.au/) . She'd successfully used a promotion of a family ticket to the Guggenheim Collection as a means of getting people to update their database details. So for $50 she heard back from people who she'd been chasing previously with no result!

She'd also remembered the tip about marketing to people you'd worked with before - and when she got back in touch with past customers, found she got four jobs straight away - apparently enough work to make her wonder how they'd get it all done. And all for the cost of a few phone calls!

It was a great reminder that no matter what time we spend learning and listening - nothing happens unless we put things into action! So the zero budget additional tip for the day is "get moving"!

Brains over brawn gets me every time

2007-07-23T11:25:00.000+09:30

The site coolhunter.com.au recently published a story about a launch that is a reminder that a really great idea doesn't need to cost a bundle to implement.

It could even cost as little as a few coloured packs of post-it notes.

"Hot on the heels of this fad, gaming giant Nintendo have promoted their latest baby Wii in Italy with this interesting wall display created by a series of posted notes. The post it notes make a nice 3D representation of a 2D pixel. "

Gee, that's a clever idea...I'm sure the agency charged a bundle for it, but what's to stop you coming up with your own version of this gem? Go on, get creative!

If anything but free is too expensive...

2007-07-23T09:26:00.000+09:30

I was advising a landscape designer the other day - a one-man band, country based - who would like a website but was finding the prospect of putting one together as a big job.

I asked who might use the site, and it was really only people who had been referred to him, so it was a place he wanted to showcase his work.

Like most of us, he didn't have a big budget handy to pay someone to do the site. And though I recommended a number of great third-party providers than would be quite cheap - under $1k for the whole lot, content management, hosting and even a custom design - it still sounded like a lot to him.

So I thought a great place to start was with something like this - a blog. Blogging has gone far beyond the concept of an Internet diary and has moved into the realm of a great potential - and search engine friendly - business tool.

You can bit some great design templates through the various blog sites out there. We found a lovely, semi-abstract plant one for him. You can use free add ons, like zookoda, to allow people to subscribe to your blog or conduct email marketing. You can upload pictures of your jobs and tell the stories about how they're created. You can add your business profile and your contact details. You can even buy a cheap .com of your own (TPP Internet will sell you one for two years for around $70) and automatically re-route it to your blog's domain, so it gives the appearance of a stand alone site.

So if your actual level of investment available to build a website is ZERO, give a blog a go!

Selective advertising + targeting = low cost lead generation

2007-07-23T09:14:00.000+09:30

Sometimes a little bit of regular advertising may be just what a business needs to keep awareness up or leads flowing in. But advertising is too expensive, isn't it?

Well, not always. I was recently reminded of this when buying 10 spots on Melbourne's Triple RRR -for around $500, including the ad's production. Now 10 spots over a month isn't much - but if the audience is targted enough, this won't necessarily matter. These ads, over 3 months, have continued to bring in 3-4 customers a month for my client - which covers more than the aquisition cost - plus it has the benefit of spreading awareness among others who may join in the future.

Another option I've used with success before was a small print advertisement in one of Melbourne's gay/lesbian papers. It was for a small laser hair removal studio. Now the first thing most people think of when thinking hair removal is girls. But we didn't have the budget for advertising in female glossies. So it came down to thinking about who else is looks conscious and living around South Yarra? The small and inexpensive weekly ads - again including production - generated MOST of their business from then on.

So if you've got a targeted product or service, there may be a relatively inexpensive media vehicle out there that YOU may not consume, but that your target audience does.