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 | 101 Tips for the Frugal Marketer Ebook | |
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E-book Title: 101 Tips for the Frugal Marketer
Author: Heather Jacobson
Book Description: Finally! Marketing Ideas that won't break the bank!
Do you have BIG marketing ideas but a small marketing budget?
Are you jaded with the thoughts that all marketing is expensive?
What if I were to tell you that are ways to effectively market your business without spending a lot of money?
There are ways, but first, let me tell you a little story...
There once was a woman who struggled to make ends meet. She was making $18,000 a year with her full time job and waiting tables at night and on the weekends. She had two children, ages three and one.
Her husband left leaving her with a mountain of debt, a car payment, rent, utilities, and two kids that she couldn't afford. Hitting what she believed was rock bottom, she moved back in with her parents, went back to school full time while maintaining full time employment, and allowed her parents to help raise her children.
In two and a half years, she received her Bachelor's degree, secured an apartment of her own (albeit not in the best neighborhood), with her own belongings and had a car...a 98 Geo Metro. It wasn't much, but it was paid for and it got her from point A to point B and back...most of the time.
Shortly there after she was offered a new career opportunity three hours from her home town so she packed up her 2 kids, her worldly belongings and they headed for new adventures. She had finally secured a job that afforded her some of the nicer things in life such as cable TV and high speed internet.
But there was one thing still eating at her. Someone else fed her children 2 out of their 3 meals a day. Someone else helped them with their homework, and someone else heard about their day before she did. And she was still in the corporate rat race.
"She" is me...Heather Jacobson, owner of Valley Virtual Assistants.
I don't tell you this story so you'll take pity on me or so that you'll admire me. I tell you this story so that you can see I had to be frugal, and in many cases, I am still frugal to this day. While I no longer water the kids' juice down to make it last longer, I do still pick things up at the G-Boutique (Goodwill), I do still clip coupons, and I do still look for the best deal possible. Being frugal has been my lifestyle for as long as I can remember. (Remember Scrooge? Yeah....that was my dad! Can't bash him too bad though, he retired at age 45 and has no debt...not a house payment, not a car payment and they travel a lot in their new travel trailer!)
When I came across the term "Virtual Assistant" it was something that I had already been doing for friends and family, and I knew I could make a go of my business. I knew I could leave the corporate world once I got the business going. I knew I could leave that rat race, feed my kids, help them with their homework and be the first to hear about their day.
But there was that little problem...money.
I started Valley Virtual Assistants just a little under a year ago while working full time. While I had a nice salary I still had to stop and think about the extras that I wanted. I didn't have the money to pump into a new business venture even though I was confident that I could get make it profitable. As a single mom, I'd overcome most all obstacles. I had a car that was paid for; I just bought a house, and those kids! I just fed them yesterday and darned if they don't want to eat again today. ::grin::
I relied on my fugal nature to get me going. I had great ideas of how to get my name out there, but they were expensive. I started researching, I started thinking out side of the box, and within 9 months and for less than $100 in marketing expenses I had built a business that would allow me to leave my full time job.
That's right...I left my full time job.
The woman who once depended on those steady paychecks is now on her own.
So how did I do it?
I found free and inexpensive ways to market my business. You'd be surprised at how many are out there. Sometimes they take a little more time, or a little more effort, but I had time and I had effort. What I didn't have was the money.
My marketing background comes from working in advertising and sales the entire time I was in the "rat race" and while peddling TV air time to potential advertisers, I heard every objection imaginable about how marketing was too expensive. Not being a business owner myself at the time, I didn't "buy" their excuses but rather helped them find ways that they could get the most bang for their buck.
Fast forward a few years and now I'm the business owner. I could've complained about how I couldn't afford things, sold off all the valuable items I own, taken a second mortgage to finance these ideas, or I could use the resources that I have available to me and think outside the box. To quote one of my favorite comedians, Larry the Cable Guy, I just needed to "git 'r done".
For example, how important do you think your signature line is? Do you take it for granted? Do you know how many people click on the links in your signature line to learn more about you?
What if I were to tell you that I've secured over 50% of my business just from my signature line?
Take a look at your business card. Is the back of your card blank? That's a waste of valuable space.
Are people talking about you and your business? No? Are you giving them a reason to? You'd be amazed at how many people want to talk about you when you give them a reason to do so!
How many times when you go into a retail store and make a purchase do they ask you for you zip code or their phone number? Learn from the big dogs...those that spend exorbitant amounts of money on marketing every year! Every time you make a sale you should capture your customer's information so that you can contact them again. Use this information to send out specials, coupons and get them back to your location!
How many of you have been "tricked" by the online pop-up "Congratulations! You're out 1,000,000th customer! Click here to claim your prize!" I fell for it...once. Why did I fall for it? Because I like to win things. I'm not a lucky person and rarely win anything at all however, I still enter those contests. What kind of contests can you offer to get people back to your site over and over? Where can you advertise your contests for free?
The answers are all inside...
These are just a few of the free and inexpensive marketing ideas in the book and there are more...96 more ideas all with real life examples and proven methods that work!
The key to inexpensive and free marketing is utilizing all the tools available to you. There are tools out there that you didn't even know existed. That is until NOW! I've compiled 101 inexpensive and free marketing ideas - complete with links for additional resources and examples - in one eBook - an eBook you may purchase and download right now - no matter what time of day or night - and get started on promoting your dream.
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