99+ Best Marketing Ideas to Get New Customers & Clients FREE

It’s the utmost desire of a business man to see customers trooping into his place of business. Here are 99+ best marketing ideas to get new customers & clients FREE. Most entrepreneurs have successfully built a functional business system around their product or idea but they don’t seem to be making headway with respect to finding customers for their business. And without adequate customers, there will be no sales and without sales; there will be no profits. Without profits, your business is as good as dead.

“The purpose of a business is to create a customer.” – Peter F. Drucker

Since you have understood the importance of a customer to a business, let’s now brainstorm on how to find new customers and increase your customer’s base. In this article, I am going to reveal to you 99+ smart ways to find or attract 300 new customers in 30 days or less with little budget.

Please note that you are not expected to implement all the techniques; just pick a few and stick with it. Your goal here is to find 10 new customers each day for the next 30 days. At the end of 30 days, your business should have nothing less than 300 new customers in its asset base.

Secondly, creativity should be applied when implementing any of these marketing tactics. Thirdly, it’s advisable you make sure that your entire business is prepared and able to handle the inflow of new customers.

What’s the essence of attracting new customers to your business, only for the customers to arrive and be disappointed by your lack of co-ordination and poor services? Never let that happen because customers talk a lot and bad news spread like wild fire. Now if you are good to go, then below are 30 smart ways to attract or find 300 new customers in 30 days or less with little budget.

“Sales is about identifying a thirsty prospect and selling them a glass of water. Branding is about selling your 2nd glass and the 3rd glass and the 4th until when they’re thirsty they want to buy your water. Branding is finding out what you stand for and then communicating and delivering what you stand for.” – Ben Mack

1. Create a branded professional business card and give it away at every given opportunity

Your business card should be professional in its design and should maintain your company’s brand image and color. Important details about your business should also be included in the business cards and you must give it away at any given opportunity. Never leave your home or office without your business cards.

2. Brand your company’s car

If your company has a car, then brand it. If your company is still a small business, then consider branding your personal car. After all, it’s still your business. Brand your car with your company’s corporate color and leave a catchy message on it. For instance, if you run a pet food shop; then consider modeling a bone on the roof of the car.

3. Offer a money back guarantee to new and existing customers. A money back guarantee will attract new customers; the existing customers will tell their family and friends about it and this will lead to repeated sales.
4. Offer a discount to new and existing customers and make sure you give your discount offer maximum exposure.
5. Give away free samples to new customers. The free sample marketing strategy actually works; it was on this same strategy that Debbi Fields grew her cookie company.
6. Motivate your employees to promote your business and help you find new customers. Make them understand that your business success is dependent on their internal and external contributions to your business; and make sure you provide an incentive for them.
7. Look for a competition going on in your local area and offer them prizes. Please note that your donated prize should be the product your company sells and also make sure that the competition will receive publicity.
8. Write a press release and send it out to the media.
9. Advertise your products and services on mobile billboards that are attached to moving vehicles.
10. Create an informational booklet and give it away for free. Your informational booklet should be related to your business products or services. For instance; if you are running an electronics repair shop, you can create a booklet teaching people how to take care of their electronic gadgets.

If you run a pet food shop; create an informational booklet teaching pet owners how to care for their pets. Most importantly, you must give this booklet away for free but be sure to promote your business inside the booklet; preferably on the front page, back page and center page.

11. Advertise your business in print media.
12. Take your business to trade shows and business expos. These events attract tons of customers and exposure.
13. Form strategic alliances with other small businesses in your area and cross promote each other. For instance, if you sell men wears; you can strike strategic alliances with other businesses that deal on men shoes, men cosmetics and fragrances. You can even ally with barber’s shop in your vicinity; all you need is creativity and a win-win plan.
14. Advertise your business in electronic media.
15. Make an excellent branded sticker and give it to your existing customers. Make sure its content is something that your customers will be proud to fly. For instance, you can create a branded sticker inscribed with the words “I am a highly valued reader of MyTopBusinessideas.com blog.”
16. Initiate a loyalty program for your existing customers. This will encourage your customers to talk proudly or brag about your business.
17. Promote your business with direct marketing campaigns.
18. Approach your local radio station and offer to provide their audience with valuable information.
19. Design a hard hitting branded brochure and give it away to prospects.
20. Make your packaging branded and reusable. A biscuit company I know made their big sized biscuit package a dice board game. Once the customers are through with eating the biscuits, the package can be used as a dice game board. You can also make your package a map or educational material but make sure it’s branded and valuable.
21. Get a business website or blog and put your business on the web.
22. Become a syndicated columnist for a popular newspaper and offer the readers valuable information relating to your industry.
23. Start your own branded newsletter. You can choose to publish daily, weekly or monthly.
24. Ask your existing customers for referrals and don’t be shy about it. If you’ve serve them well; then be bold to ask them to reciprocate or encourage you by referring their family and friends to your business.
25. Offer to be a guest on a television show that relates to your industry.
26. Attend business events, conferences, annual general meetings, stakeholders meeting, lunches and social gatherings. Be sure to network very well during such events and never forget to give out your business cards.
27. Send your customers a thank you “branded public display gift item.” I am talking about gift items such as calendars, memos, customer’s loyalty badge, wall papers, awards and souvenirs.
28. Place branded notice boards in high traffic locations such as shopping centers, stadium, cinemas and conference centers.
29. Help your customers advertise or promote your business voluntarily by providing them with valuable branded promotional materials such as face caps, wrist bands and T-shirts.
30. Organize a “thank you” party for your loyal customers and ask them to invite friends who are non customers. Make sure you give the non customers a warming experience and be sure to hand them branded promotional valuables such as T-shirts and face caps.
31. Start a marketing ideas box
32. Talk to your customers and get feedback from them
33. Choose a business name that is branded and memorable
34. Package your product well and make it stand out
35. Make your staff wear uniform or dress in corporate attire
36. Offer exceptional services
37. Offer a toll free number
38. Keep a notice board in the hallway of your office
39. Teach your staff how to sell and take care of customers

Local Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

40. Remember your customer’s important dates
41. Send out reminder notice to your customers
42. Say thank you to your customers
43. Offer prizes in competitions within and beyond your community
44. Sponsor events within your business environment
45. Create information brochures about your products and distribute them
46. Ask your satisfied customers for referrals
47. Try to win or attract an industry award
48. Start a loyalty program
49. Attend trade shows and expos. If possible, organize or sponsor such events
50. Create a “Customers Only” membership club
51. Run free seminars
52. Keep in touch with your customers

Internet Marketing Ideas for Small Business

53. Put your business on the internet by creating a website
54. Start a blog to keep in touch with your customers
55. Create a Facebook Fan Page for your business
56. Join forums related to your industry and participate
57. Be watchful of your web copy
58. Advertise your business on Facebook
59. Use colours and fonts that attract the eyes and enhance readability
60. Advertise your business with PPC (Google Adword or Facebook Ads)

Wider Marketing Campaign Ideas for your Small Business

61. Advertise your product and services on Television
62. Run a promotional campaign on your local radio station
63. Utilize outdoor billboard advertising
64. Run mobile billboard advertising campaigns
65. Enter your business in industry competitions
66. Turn your invoice into a sales tool
67. Advertise in newspapers and magazines

As a final note, the above are 99+ effective FREE marketing strategies, tactics and ideas that you can apply to stay ahead of competition in your industry; and attract new customers without having to spend much. Even if you are running on a limited budget or you have no marketing budget at all, you can still take action with the guide provided above.

However, I would like to emphasize that implementing 100% of the marketing tactics listed above in the short run is not feasible. Rather, you will achieve more if you stick with one or combine at most seven of the 99+ guerrilla marketing tactics and implement them with a little touch of creativity; and 300 new customers will be yours in less than 30 days.