Advertising a Home Based Business

Stocking The Tools In Your Field Marketing Toolbox: What You Need

Online marketing is all the rage, but is it enough? While online marketing is important to any business, you still need field marketing to create greater visibility for your company. Here are the tools you will need to stock your field marketing toolbox.

Promotional Materials

Depending on your budget, you can buy everything from brochures and business cards to pencils and notepads stamped with your company information. Whatever you choose for promotional materials, you should have at least two paper promotional materials (e.g., business card and flyer or flyer and brochure) and three promo "gifts" to give away. Stash these materials in your vehicle if you want to canvass the neighborhoods round about or when you need them for trade shows.

Trade Show Materials

Trade show materials include tents, banners, chair cushions, and your promotional materials and gifts. Doing a trade show puts a face on the company, which is important for creating a consumer base. When you first get started, you should attempt to do at least three trade shows a month, if you can find that many. Even if not that many people stop by your booth, they can and will remember the company name by the trade show maps and flyers. Any visibility you can get is good visibility, and that is definitely the objective with this form of field marketing.

Door-to-Door Promotions

When business is really slow, you can work the old-fashioned approach to field marketing—door to door sales. Assemble packets of your paper promotional materials, and maybe even include a free pencil, pen, or refrigerator magnet. Talk up the company's goals and products with anybody who will listen, and give everyone who opens their door a free packet. Even if they toss out everything else, most people will keep pens, pencils, and magnets or other usable promo gifts. If people actually buy services or goods or sign up for more in-depth information, have a juicier promo thank-you gift available, such as a big discount or a shopping gift card.

Surveys

Surveys that pay are the quickest way to discovering what consumers want and need. Offer an incentive, like a five- or ten-dollar gift card for anyone willing to take a few minutes to answer a survey at their front door. This is vital and realistic data you can use to make your business even better, and the price for obtaining that valuable data is really quite minimal by comparison.

For more information, contact local professionals like those found at E3 Local.


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