Business by Design this month reports on how to take the "price" out of promotion.

THIS MONTH:
+ Big Cash, Little Splash
+ Cheap Marketing Tricks

Big Cash, Little Spash
Go ahead. Spend a mint on advertising and glossy brochures and direct mail campaigns and multiple web sites. That's fine.

But understand something: "Marketing" doesn't work.

Only "Smart Marketing" does.

What's the difference? "Marketing," the way most design professionals do it, is too unfocused, too costly, and too time consuming. Only "Smart Marketing" involves making a maximum impact for a minimal investment of money and time.

You can't afford to waste your resources on such mega- marketing strategies as full page ads in slick, trendy local magazines.

I've met many design professionals in my 16 years of coaching and speaking in the industry. Not one of them ever got a very big job from a very expensive ad.

Not one.

Consider the alternatives. Review the low cost, no cost smart marketing maneuvers listed below.

Cheap Marketing Tricks
Effective, easy, economical: smart marketing is all that and more.

For $150 or less, you can...

+ Add a marketing message to your voice mail
+ Add a marketing "signature" to your email
+ Send out a news release
+ Send out an article
+ Send out a newsletter or ezine
+ Become a media "source" who gets quoted often
+ convince a local TV station to do a feature on you
+ Distribute a bio sheet
+ Distribute a product and service list
+ Present a seminar
+ Present an adult education class
+ Get marketing support from vendors and suppliers
+ Create a joint marketing plan with an allied professional
+ Distribute cards at home or trade shows
+ Conduct a focus group of high end clients
+ Ask clients to do introductory calls and letters
+ Hire a student to make your web site user- friendly
+ Create a feedback form
+ Ask ex-clients for additional business and referrals
+ Add a promotional note to invoices, contracts and other business forms