I’m a great believer in doing things for free – without compromising on quality or getting what you want. In this day and age, I think it’s perfectly possible to have your cake and eat it, but you’re going to need to think about things in a different way. Here’s how:
Do you really need it?
The first mindset you need to adapt is asking yourself the question of “Do I really need it?” when you’re looking to spend some money on something. Most of the stuff we buy is because we WANT it rather than NEED it. There is a big difference and if you’re already saying to yourself “I need it”, it’s likely that you’ve already talked yourself into it. Try to stay objective and think about whether you do actually need it or whether you just want it really badly. Then think about:
Is there a different way to get it?
Can you get the same item or the same result without spending money on it? If it’s an item you’re looking at purchasing, find out the price in the shops and then search for it on the Shop Bots like Kelkoo that are out there to see if you can get it for less. Have a look on Ebay too and also register on Freecycle (www.freecycle.org – people post unwanted items on this site and you can get them for free, provided you pick it up. You’ll be amazed at what is posted on there. To get the same result for something – let’s say you were thinking about going to an exhibition – could you go and work on someone else’s stand for free and be able to promote your business in exchange? If it’s an advert, could you write an article in the publication instead of paying for an advert?
Have the mindset of not spending money You see, doing your marketing (and other things) for free is all about having the mindset of not spending money. A good tip to try is to reduce your marketing budget to £500 a year or less and stick to it. That means if an advertising opportunity comes up that costs £1000 you’re going to have to think much more creatively about how you do this since you don’t have the budget. So could you barter with the publication to reduce the cost; could you write an article instead; could you team up with another business and advertise together? The possibilities are limitless – you just have to be creative.
Be creative If I said to you – come up with 10 ways to promote your business – you’d probably find that easy to do. You’d be likely to include advertising, sending out mail shots and so on. If I said to you though – come up with 10 ways to promote your business for free – I know you’d find this harder to do, but just thinking through this, you’ll be amazed what you come up with and you’ll have 10 ways to promote your business that don’t cost you a penny. Be creative, you never know what the results will be.
Not spending money is just a mindset. It’s hard to think this way if you’ve been used to spending but when you put your mind to it, you’ll be amazed at what you can come up with. My philosophy is “Why spend money if you can have it for free?” Try it, you might be pleasantly surprised.
Doing your marketing for free - To learn more about this author, visit Helen Dowling's Website.
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