Free/cheap marketing

[Machfive]

Anyone here run a small business? I've explored all the obvious avenues, google listings, yellowpages.com, and even managed to get some clients to put up favorable reviews on Angie's list, but I'm always looking for other good cheap/free ways of getting my company's name out there.

Anyone here have any experience with small business marketing when the budget is almost zero?

I'd appreciate any advice or tips anyone has. Thanks!

[Dirt]

Whoa. Blast from the past.

[Kunikos]

Just curious what type of business this is... certain types of businesses can benefit from hijacking MySpace as a promotion vehicle, but for others a simple web page is more useful. You'd be surprised how many people will Google for local businesses, and Google Local shows results pinned on a map if you make sure to include an address.

You can order stickers without paying too much and then hand them out or stick them to things, but depending on your business type this may not be appropriate.

[Machfive]

Just curious what type of business this is... certain types of businesses can benefit from hijacking MySpace as a promotion vehicle, but for others a simple web page is more useful. You'd be surprised how many people will Google for local businesses, and Google Local shows results pinned on a map if you make sure to include an address.

You can order stickers without paying too much and then hand them out or stick them to things, but depending on your business type this may not be appropriate.

It's a PC Tech business. I'm trying to focus on small biz customers, but I'm doing home users too until I hit saturation.

Yeah, I'm working on putting together both the myspace thing and the website. I know a LOT of those Myspace customization websites are loaded with spyware up the wazoo, and I never cared enough about myspace to get to know which ones were legit, so if you know of one that's reliable, that'd be awesome.

I've already got business cards, and I'm designing simple paper flyers I can print myself and hang on bulletin boards and that sort of thing.

I've pretty much ruled out newpaper advertising as a huge waste of money, considering how hard it would be to hit my demographic and how ridiculously expensive it is despite that.

I looked at advertising through ATT/SBC's online yellowpages/smartpages and considered that briefly. Supposedly there were 600 searches in the category I'd be listed in for January and February, and for $80 to $130 a month, I could show up in the top 8 to 3 of the list depending on what I pay. I was leaning towards that, but still hadn't made a decision.

[Kunikos]

Try to think about where your target demographic might go that you may be able to play inexpensive or free advertising. Churches, community centers, community colleges, etc anything with a bulletin board that allows you to place free advertisements with tear-off phone numbers. Think about how you want to present yourself in each case, as it may be prudent to customize the ad for the location.

Also, is it possible to advertise on Craig's List?

[Machfive]

You know, for all my net-saavy and computer use, I never got into Craiglist. I'll have to look into that.

Update: That was flippin' easy. Wish I would've done that a long time ago.

[Glenn]

Write your companies name across your ass cheeks - actually, have someone else do it so it'll be legible - then go streaking at a sporting event. Try to grab a microphone and maybe do some sort of ventriloquism thing with your codpiece.

[Machfive]

Write your companies name across your ass cheeks - actually, have someone else do it so it'll be legible - then go streaking at a sporting event. Try to grab a microphone and maybe do some sort of ventriloquism thing with your codpiece.

Don't give me any ideas like that, I might just run with them. Ask anyone that was around back in 2003 how crazy I am. ;)

[Funkula]

I doubt anyone will speak out, for fear of a retaliatory side suto.

[Machfive]

I doubt anyone will speak out, for fear of a retaliatory side suto.

I can't use side sutos anymore, after the Chuck Norris lawsuit. The court ruled I infringed on his ass-kickingosity.

[Kunikos]

How about a Spinning Bird Kick? Oh, wait, it'll break your ass-cheek banner up. Nevermind.

[Kyle Wilson]

Anyone here have any experience with small business marketing when the budget is almost zero?

I'd suggest hiring some wheelchair-bound shut-in to talk up your business in on-line forums. They work cheap!

[Machfive]

I'd suggest hiring some wheelchair-bound shut-in to talk up your business in on-line forums. They work cheap!

Hell, why don't I just get serious about it and hire 10 Indian office workers to do it for half the price of one American invalid!

Now I just need to find out how to get this hiring process started. I'll have them spam Myspace and Youtube and I'll googlebomb my way to the top!

[Kunikos]

... or maybe hire some Nigerians to make mass distributed informational e-mails?

[Machfive]

I want to get new customers, not piss off the civilized world. ;)

[Machfive]

Crispy Christ, I already got a hit off Craigslist. I thought 1 week was pretty good response time for an ad, but 12 hours? Damn. Thanks Kunikos!

[Lunch of Kong]

You get even more hits when you run a Craigslist prostitution ring.

[Kunikos]

Sideline WoW epix whoring business is booming!

[Machfive]

Believe me, before I met my girlfriend, I was this close to getting into the booming "Sex for PC repair" market on Craigslist.

[Kunikos]

Oh, yeah, then you could turn around and trade that sex for rent and food!

[Machfive]

Or I could trade it for WoW gold! :D

[shift6]

PROSTITUTE! WHORE! FILTHY, FILTHY WHORE! WITH FULL LIPS AND ROUND BREASTS!

[dannimal]

I can't use side sutos anymore, after the Chuck Norris lawsuit. The court ruled I infringed on his ass-kickingosity.

Now we know you're full of it. Chuck Norris doesn't need courts. Chuck Norris is the law, order, chaos, and despair all rolled up into one spinning heel kick.

That aside, what sort of PC Tech, and how close to Detroit? Watching my employer cram their head up their ass and mismanage my group into killing the service we provide means I've considered doing this kind of thing myself.

[Kunikos]

PROSTITUTE! WHORE! FILTHY, FILTHY WHORE! WITH FULL LIPS AND ROUND BREASTS!

STOP READING MY EMAIL

[Machfive]

Now we know you're full of it. Chuck Norris doesn't need courts. Chuck Norris is the law, order, chaos, and despair all rolled up into one spinning heel kick.

That aside, what sort of PC Tech, and how close to Detroit? Watching my employer cram their head up their ass and mismanage my group into killing the service we provide means I've considered doing this kind of thing myself.

Someone tried to file a lawsuit against Chuck Norris once, but he killed the person who tried to subpoena him with a side suto. No one ever tried to sue Chuck Norris again.

I do basic PC Tech stuff, repairs, upgrades, diagnostics, wired/wireless networking, small business servers, that sorta thing. Mostly Windows, but I've got a few clients that I set up their iPods and iMacs and stuff.

Is your employer a company I'd have heard of?

[dannimal]

Not unless you consider the large public university that isn't in Lansing a company.

The good news is if I ever decided I wasn't to lazy to actually do this, I wouldn't want to go east of Farmington Hills, so I wouldn't need to keep looking over my shoulder for a possible running side-suto.

Do you charge by the hour? If I can ask, how much?

[Machfive]

At the moment, I charge $40 per hour residential, $60 per hour for business, with a 50% surcharge for emergency work. My goal is to have that up to $60 per hour residential and $90 per hour business within a year or so.

[Kunikos]

I would charge separate rates for non-destructive vs destructive. For example, $40/hr for wipe and replace for fixing a virus versus $100/hr for removing a virus without wiping it. ;)

[John Merva]

I've already got business cards

Best of luck with the business and everything and apologies for derailing your thread but in the spirit of keeping the old days alive, can we see the cards?

p.s. Welcome back, Mach.

[Machfive]

Best of luck with the business and everything and apologies for derailing your thread but in the spirit of keeping the old days alive, can we see the cards?

p.s. Welcome back, Mach.

I have a vague recollection of utter insanity the last time I posted business cards. You think the board is ready for that? ;)

[Bill Dungsroman]

Don't give me any ideas like that, I might just run with them. Ask anyone that was around back in 2003 how crazy I am. ;)
Yeah, not very, so this avenue of marketing probably isn't for you.

[Super_D]

This might be considered a little bit of a guerilla marketing tactic, but you could look through job listings for your areas and apply for IT administrator or PC tech positions. Once you're in an interview you can try to subtly pimp your services.

You might make some great contacts...and you might get some people pissed off at you.

[shift6]

I have a vague recollection of utter insanity the last time I posted business cards. You think the board is ready for that? ;)
We've descended to entirely new depths of deprav^H^H^H^H^Hcrazy. Post away.