"You can't just market your business a few times a year. The point of marketing is to get people to remember you and your business. Repetition equals memborability. Marketing a few times a year just isn't going to cut it – you might as well not market at all! If you market all year, memorability increases, which can increase your sales and profits.



If you think your budget just isn't big enough to market all year long, try reworking it with these inexpensive ideas for marketing – you'll probably have more than enough money in your budget to include many of these in your marketing plan.

1. Make customers feel special. People respond to being recognized, especially in this day and age of Internet businesses and less-than-spectacular customer service. Just taking the time to thank them for their business can get customers to return to your store. Include a thank you card in their shopping bag or box with a handwritten thank you message inside – thank you cards are cheap and it just takes an extra minute to write a personal thank you.

2. Use interesting business card printing techniques. Most business cards are thrown away within hours of a meeting. To avoid this fate for your business cards, try using full color business cards or use business card printing techniques like embossing or engraving to give your card that something special. Online business card printing companies can be especially cost-effective – they can email you proofs with different ideas and you can eliminate postage costs. You can eliminate other administrative costs by going with an online business card printing company too, like not having to pay for their multiple salespeople – they can have just one salesperson to handle online orders. They also might have other unique tactics for your cards, like creating a folding card or threading material through the cards if you're into a textile-type of business, like alterations.

3. Stop marketing to customers who aren't buying. If you've tried to get certain customers to buy from you and they just aren't budging after six months to a year, stop marketing to them! If you do that, you'll have more time and resources for customers who actually increase your sales. Atlanta marketing consultant Michael King estimates that only 20 percent of your customer base contributes to boosting your bottom line. Track which customers you're getting the most profits from and offer them premium services and other goodies to keep them coming back.

4. Create a mailing list and send out letters. Now that everyone has the Internet, it's the perfect time to send out letters by postal mail. This may seem counterintuitive, but people are getting less postal mail now, and anything that they do get in the mail has a better chance of standing out than an unsolicited email. Just be sure that your letter touts the benefits of your product or service, and gives the customer a reason to respond, such as giving a discount or a free item. You should also include some full color business cards for the customer to keep handy rather than trying to track down your letter later.

5. Share your expertise online. Research forums, online bulletin boards and blogs that are dedicated to your type of product or industry. Join these online communities and give your expert advice to posted problems or questions. When people need to buy the product they had a question about, they'll be more likely to go to you.

6. Get noticed by your local media. Newspaper and evening news stories on television are more credible than a paid advertisement. Plus, they're absolutely free. The hard part is coming up with a fresh, timely story that the media will want to cover. Once you have a story, write a press release to send to newspapers and local television stations to let them know about your big scoop.