It's Marketing, Jim, but not as we know it...

I apologise to any keen Trekkies out there for plagiarising that well known phrase but it seemed a good idea at the time...

Many companies think that marketing is about chucking money at glossy brochures or high profile ads, but honestly that need not be the case. You can spend no money at all, or just a little AND still get business...

Let's start with the no money technique.

Due to savvy advice by Samantha Russell of The Social Sardine I decided to experiment with posting expert articles online. With some help from Sam for the initial set up and having read the very wise words on how to get the best results I blazed away.

Last week, as a direct result of this I got a piece of work in from Swindon (I am east of Basingstoke) When asked how she heard of me, my new client said she had read an article on a marketing site, followed the link to my website (got embedding the hyperlink sussed then...)read about my postcard service and decided they were exactly what she needed.

I am happy and so is she - having been sent the postcards her words were "Wow, Jane, they're great! And you were so quick! Thank you so much!"

Of course I don't like to be boring but this only worked because of the process in place which underpinned the marketing stuff in terms of the website being done well(thanks 48k) a downloadable pdf on the postcard service; an agreement that can be used remotely and a no risk payment plan to suit the client and me

Now how about the "little money" technique

Having taken a table at his local fete, a website designer asked what he should take as give aways as he had a limited budget. I suggested he go the the supermarket and look at party bag goods as they often provide inspiration.

This resulted in plastic trumpets for the kids which could be heard all over the ground and glasses of Prosecco for the adults - oh yes - and ultimately 14 solid sales leads.

I love it when a plan comes together...