1. Use Coupons
and Discount Codes. Search for coupons and discount
promotional codes on the Internet BEFORE you make a purchase.
You’d be surprised at the amount of discount promo codes
out there for everyday business expenses: car rentals, hotels,
entertainment, cellular phones, flowers, office furniture and
supplies, printing, business forms, online courses, technology,
computer software, promotional items, and just about anything
you can think of. Coupon and discount promos net big savings!
Try it: go to www.google.com
and type "4imprint Discount Codes".
2. Join a buying group.
Studies show that on average small companies can cut up to 10%
of their total overhead by joining buying groups, some of which
use promotional coupons and discount codes to afford members
increased savings. There are several types of buying groups:
some can save money on insurance, marketing and advertising,
utilities, and many more items. ABN provides an array of different
business services that most all businesses are bound to use.
While most buying groups charge small fees, ABN is completely
FREE to members. See how we do it.
3. Shop Online. Save gas, time and money
by shopping online – you might find some great discounts
and coupon codes, too (or other deals). Office
Depot offers free shipping on orders over $50. You can also
ship online, too. UPS makes it simple
for you to schedule pickups and print shipping labels. Set
up an account with UPS and save through ABN.
4. Buy in Bulk.
Prices are always discounted when you buy in bulk. Whether it’s
technology products, office supplies, or promotional products,
the more you buy, the more you save. Be careful to not buy more
than you’ll use! 4imprint
offers ABN members a 10% discount when buying promotional items—get
pens, t-shirts, key chains and so much more at 4imprint
and increase awareness about your products and services.
5. Get FREE advertising.
Is there such a thing? Yes, it’s called PR, Public Relations.
Write your local newspaper and tell them about your business.
Put it in the form of a Press
Release. If you don’t think your business is news-worthy,
try throwing in something interesting, for example: “Our
business is celebrating its one year anniversary” or “Our
business is giving away 20% of the proceeds from sales on such
and such day to such and such charitable organization”.
You can also write to let them know of any business growth or
new employees and promotions.
6. Go online without
spending a dime. There are tons of ways to save
money once you have a website. A) If you don’t have one
already, get a website. Microsoft
is offering them for free these days, inlcuding hosting. B )
Submit your website to search engine directories. This way the
search engines will know your website exists and people will
be able to find your products/services. C) Ask other websites
if they will link up to yours. The best ways to get more hits
to your website is to have other sites link to yours. That way
the search engines know you’re legit. D) If you want to
spend a few dimes, try paid search advertising through Yahoo!
or Google Adwords—it’s
not that expensive and gives your site exposure.
7. Do it yourself.
If you can spend 10 hours of your time and $20
on a book, that’s better than $50-60/hour for professional
help, don’t you think? You can use online services that
are much cheaper than hiring a professional company to do the
job. For example, with VistaPrint
you can design your own business cards online at a very affordable
price. The Design and Print
shop at Office Depot also allows you to create your own
documents, upload them to their site, and have them printed
and delivered without ever having to leave your computer.
8. Look for “volunteers”.
Many students and professionals at an early stage in their careers
want to build their portfolio. Seek them out to help with things
like marketing, marketing research, advertising content, writing
articles about your business, or website development. Interns
are also a way to get good help at a low cost, while providing
experience and mentoring to people looking to jump start their
career. Check with your local colleges and universities. Try
Craigslist.org
9. Barter with Your Neighbors. If you need
a product or service, find out if the business could use your
product or service in exchange. Everything is negotiable. You
can also share marketing or advertising expenses by teaming
up on special promotions or direct mail campaigns.
10. Reach out to past customers and clients.
No matter how much new business you generate, your best customers
are the ones that come back. Make sure you don’t forget
them, or they will forget you! Read
about how ABN President Jack Bergman markets to his members
in a recent issue of the Business Times.
