The opportunities for getting free advertising for your product or services are limited only by your own imagination and energies. There are so many proven ways of promoting your own objectives without cost that it literally boggles
mind just to think of listing them.One way is to write an article relative to your particular expertise and submit it to all publications and media dealing in dissemination of related information. In other words, become your own publicity and sales promotions writer. Get word out; establish yourself as an expert in your field, and "tag-along" everything you write with a quick note listing your address for a catalog, dealership opportunity, or more information.
Another really good way is by becoming a guest on as many of radio and television talk shows or interview type programs as possible. Actually, this is much easier to bring about than most people realize. Write a letter to producer of these programs, then follow up with an in-person visit or telephone call. Your initial contact should emphasize that your product or service would be of interest to listeners or viewers of program - perhaps even saving them time or money.
Other ways of getting free or very inexpensive exposure include posting of advertising circulars on all free bulletin boards in your area, especially coin-operated laundries, grocery stores, and beauty and barber shops. Don't discount idea of handing out circulars to all shoppers in busy shopping centers and malls, especially on weekends. You can also enlist aid of middle school students in your area to hand out circulars door-to-door.
Some of more routine methods include having a promotional ad relative to your product or service printed on front or back of your envelopes at time you have them printed with your return address.
Be sure to check all publications that carry kind of advertising you need. Many mail order publications just getting started offer unusually low rates to first-time advertisers; a free-of-charge insertion of your ad when you pay for an order to run three issues or more; or special seasonal ad space at greatly reduced rates. And there are a number of publications that will give you Per Inquiry (PI) space - an arrangement where all orders come in to publication, they take a commission from each order, and then forward orders on to you for fulfillment.
