Are you leveraging every opportunity?

Free marketing opportunities are everywhere.

Sometimes, your business is already doing something you can use to generate even more marketing impressions. Check out this example from Amazon.

They send millions of packages, and they're already printing their logo on the box, so why not make millions of people aware that Amazon Prime is the home of Thursday Night Football?

You don't have to be Amazon to deploy this strategy. In this week's Budget Marketing newsletter, we'll explore this further.

-Mike

Where can your business do more marketing?

Here are some other ways a business could leverage existing assets or operations to market its products or services with minimal additional cost:

1. Email Signature Marketing

Add promotional banners or messages about new products, services, or events in employee email signatures. Every email sent to a customer or partner becomes a mini-marketing opportunity.

2. Product Packaging Inserts

Include flyers, discount codes, or QR codes inside product packaging. This can be used to promote new products, loyalty programs, or even social media engagement.

3. Receipts as Advertising

Use printed or digital receipts to include special offers, discounts, or information about upcoming products or services. This is another excellent place to experiment with QR codes. You could also integrate promotions within your POS system.

4. Website Footers and Customer Portals

Add promotional content in the footer or dashboard of a website or customer portal. It's a subtle way to inform customers about other products or services.

5. Cross-promotion with Other Products

Use one product to promote another. For example, a software company could offer free trials or bundled services as part of their existing product. Have you ever contacted a group of current customers and said, “Thank you for your business. We have another product you might benefit from, too”?

6. Customer Support Channels

Leverage customer support touchpoints to inform customers about other offerings. For example, include messaging in live chat boxes or IVR messages when customers call for support.

7. Subscription or Invoice Notices

For subscription-based businesses, add promotional offers or updates about new features to renewal notices or subscription confirmation emails.

8. In-Store Wi-Fi Login Pages

If you offer free Wi-Fi at physical locations, customize the login page to promote sales, events, or new services. Some coffee shops do this well and direct customers to their website after connecting to their Wi-Fi.

9. Product Instructions or User Manuals

Incorporate promotional content into user manuals or product instructions, particularly for digital products. This can be a great way to encourage users to upgrade or explore complementary services. Try QR codes here, too!

10. Customer Success Stories or Testimonials

Showcase customer stories in your communications (like in product boxes, email newsletters, or internal portals) to subtly market the positive outcomes others are experiencing with your brand. Put success stories on your website and some customers you feature will pass their story along to others, which can be great free marketing for you.

Each business has its unique opportunities

All of these strategies leverage existing assets—like Amazon using its packaging to market—without requiring much additional investment.

This list of ten ideas is just a start. Your business likely has unique opportunities because every business is different.

Try brainstorming with others in your industry or plugging an idea into an AI tool like ChatGPT and seeing what it generates. It might help spark your next great revenue driver.