Why do things hard way? It is far more lucrative to reward good customers by simply encouraging them to remain loyal to your business. The first step to achieving this; is to build a good database and stay in contact with your customers and potential customers.

Here are some no-cost/low-cost marketing tips that almost any business can use to add customers to a database and put dollars in bank.

One idea is to build your customer database by offering a prize draw. As an incentive, you could give away a product or a special discount.

If you are running a retail store or office, you could place a jar or fishbowl on counter or reception desk for business cards. Then at end of each week or month, draw a winner.

Some customers won't have a business card. So, it's a good idea to have a stock of plain cards on hand for those people. Use brightly colored cards as they will add to excitment and attract attention to fishbowl. A local printing company will probably have some free off-cuts to use.

Another idea applies to when you offer specials to your customers. Whenever possible, take a note of their name, phone number and/or email address. The following month you can make these people another offer as a reward for taking up original offer. You'll find you get a high percentage of successful sales.

Has this ever happened to you? You plan to go out on web and gather some information. While you are out in cyberspace, you notice an ad for something that is not related to what you are looking for. Since it looks really interesting, you click on ad anyway. By time you are done clicking from one interesting ad to next, you have lost two hours. Now you still have to go out and look for your original material. It's happened to all of us. The key is to stay focused on your planned task.