For the small business owner and the home based business owner, getting people to the on-ground store or the website is paramount to staying in business. Everyone knows about business cards and fliers, but what else can these owners do to catch the attention of potential clients? Since people respond to visual stimulation, small business owners can do three things immediately at little cost to stimulate that recognition and get some foot traffic going on. If the business owner knows of a dollar store nearby, it will have most of what he needs to get started.
Uniform Recognition
Chains use uniform tops to identify their employees which are usually worn over black or khaki pants or skirts for the ladies. These uniform tops are embroidered or sport a name tag with the company logo on them. If the business owner can go to a dollar store, T-shirts, ball caps, stencils and children's finger paints. Paint the company name using the stencils onto the ball caps and shirts. If you're not the artiste type, companies that embroider logos and company info onto uniform tops have specials for everyone from beginning business persons to those already established. Wear the T-shirts and ball caps everywhere and just listen as people wonder and ask where you got that great T-shirt.
Windows On The World
Shrink plastic that adheres to glass has been used for many years for holiday decorations. How many windows have you seen sporting scary stuff on Halloween, snowmen and Santas at Christmas and bunnies and Easter eggs at Easter? Well, why not letters? Why not spell out the name of the business and/or its website at home and the rear window of cars? Asking the owners of buildings just built but not rented yet or buildings with space for lease if you can use your letters in the windows until the space is rented, upon which removal would be required might help as well. Seeing your letters in windows might stimulate someone with a business of his own to rent the space, so you'd be helping the landlord or owner of the building to market his space.
Yard Signs
Have you ever noticed when you need something, such as a junk removal or the lawn mower repaired, there's a yard sign advertising it just when you were looking for it? If you've been looking for a jazzercise class or learning to kickbox, there's a yard sign for it. It works for them and it will work for the small business person, too. Just a white sign with your company name and address or your web address is all you need and they'll run to check it out.
These are ideas for when the business is young and needs recognition. When revenue increases it will be time for Internet marketing and SEO, blogging and forums. Freebies in this area are all over the web and can be utilized by the small business owner. For now, get out there and visualize more clients.