I was the guest speaker at a class last night for people who are starting a new business.  The topic was “How to Get Your Customers to Buy From You Without Breaking the Bank” — in other words, marketing on a shoestring.

I’ve grown my business slowly over the past 16 years and didn’t realize, until I was preparing for this presentation, how much more difficult it is in today’s world to market a new business than when I was started.  My first business was Arizona Singles — a singles newspaper that we grew from a Flagstaff publication to a statewide one before selling.  Ron (my husband and the wind beneath my wings) picked up a singles paper while he was on a Forest fire in Idaho about 20 years ago.  We decided it would be a fun business and started out knowing very little about publishing or business in general.  But we learned quickly. 

 The one thing that wasn’t a problem back then was marketing.  The city directory provided a list of singles living in the community and, with the help of SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Exuctives), we created and mailed a brochure to every one of them.  We sent press releases to the local papers, radio and TV stations and they eagerly responded.  A feature on the evening news and a radio talk show, as well as an article in our local newspaper, had us off and running.  Distribution of the paper and word of mouth took it from there. 

A few years later, when I started Creative Gifts To Go (a local gift basket business), it was still fairly easy.  The media was still receptive, membership in the local Chamber provided opportunities for networking, and direct mail completed the basic marketing. 

But today’s world is different.  My local gift basket basket has expanded into a nationwide gift service with customers in every state.  The local newspaper is no longer so receptive.  I sent a press release to them last year after winning the Master Designer award for Best Corporate Gift Basket.  Even though this was a national honor, the press release was ignored.  Our local Chamber is more interested in pushing for the Big Box stores that bring larger membership fees than they are in the locally-owned businesses in the community.  As a result, I and many other locally owned businesses, no longer find membership worthwhile.

Marketing on a shoestring is still possible but harder.  Postage has increased for direct mail but selective mailings to prospective customers and current ones still pays off.  But until I started preparing this presentation, I had never thought about how the internet has made marketing–at a reasonable cost– not only locally but across the country possible. There are online companies that make it possible to buy professionally printed business cards and post cards at a reasonable cost.  Email newsletters and even blogs, such as this one, makes it possible to communicate with customers everywhere. 

The world is rapidly changing.  The economy is at a standstill or whirling downward.  The value of the dollar has made prices on gas, food, and other products skyrocket.  But, thanks to the technology of the internet and using guerilla marketing techniques, it is still possible to start, build, and grow a business on a shoestring.