18 replies to this topic

[TheGreatDane]

stoli,
I like your approach, which is certainly relevant for small business like mine (and your apparently)!

[Toadally]

This probably, no I'm sure, wouldn't apply to you Ed, but for product sites I've just included a cheap magnet giveaway($.20) of our logo which is cute and attractive with each order. A friend with a similar product-based site reports that sales increase within the area where their recent orders were. I also include cheap little toys with obviously children oriented orders like t-shirts, toys and what not and have had a lot of thank you's for doing so. Thought I'd pass it along for the pure product sites.

[meta]

How about a white paper or e-book? For example, business success stories with how-to information pitched at small business owners. The how-to would include using certain types of web design or SEO, which your business can provide. The success stories would be about clients of yours (with their permission), who are usually delighted to have the publicity. Done well, a white paper can be of genuine value to the reader, but once you cover the initial cost, it is more or less free to share as many copies as you need. And it does more to promote your business than a magnet (that's only true if it is read, so make it good).

[Haystack]

This probably, no I'm sure, wouldn't apply to you Ed, but for product sites I've just included a cheap magnet giveaway($.20) of our logo which is cute and attractive with each order.

Hi Toadally. I've done refrigerator magnets before and landed business through them. I've given them to friends and family and sent them to current clients. The business has come from people seeing the magnets on the fridge while grabbing a beer or something which led to a conversation and a phone call. Not a lot of business, but an extremely high ROI.

There is a podiatrist in Minneapolis who targets the local running crowd and pays the Twin Cities Marathon to include her foot shaped magnet in their race day materials that go out to each runner. Each year they're a different color. My fiance and I have a few steps across our fridge now. One of these years she's going to need to create a left footed magnet so we don't have to keep hopping across our fridge.