When a company is short on money, its marketing budget is often the first thing to go. But when you’re a small, family-owned business, being short on money is the norm. Still, there are plenty of cheap (or free) ways to grab the attention of your customers and rally your community. We asked the firms on our list of America’s favorite small and family-owned businesses to share their most viral marketing moments, and we’ve picked a few to encourage you the next time you’re trying to make a splash.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Andytown Coffee Roasters
1. Find unexpected (non-internet!) places where you may reach your customers.
“We partnered with a local filmmaker to create a commercial to play in our local independent theaters. He shot it on 35mm and it looks so cool. Even though we do a lot of digital and social media marketing, it’s nice to reach customers beyond their phones or computers.” —Michael McCrory AND Lauren Crabbeowners Andytown Coffee Roastery in San Francisco
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Back Cove Personal Fitness
2. Give away free stuff. It’s great promoting.
“We have always offered our clients free, high-quality T-shirts. I see most companies charge for this, but I never understood why. Getting our clients to share their fitness successes with their friends, family, business clients, and patients is our #1 way to promote our company. I often see clients and friends wearing our merch around town and I see it as free advertising. When people start talking about our studio, our clients offer the best possible advertising.” —Jeff Eckhouseowner Back Cove Personal Fitness in Portland, Maine
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Photo credit: Courtesy of Terrance Osborne Gallery
3. Increase your visibility with giveaways.
“I make art, and in the late ’90s I sold a piece for $5,000. I hadn’t sold an original for over $2,000 before that. With that money, I made prints of five of my best works. I took them to all the local framers in the French Quarter and gave them two for free. I left a card saying, ‘My work is selling well. So when it sells, call me so you can order more.’ Eventually, about 25 framers were selling my prints. My work could be found in every nook and cranny of the touristy neighborhoods. I didn’t realize what I had done at the time because I was just trying to make some extra money, but flooding the market tripled my household income.” — Terrance Osborne, Owner Terrance Osborne Gallery in New Orleans
Photo credit: courtesy of Paoli Art Shop
4. Share the most significant events from your personal life with your clients.
“I don’t do much advertising because we have a merchants association that does good advertising for the entire city. But my most engaging social media post was a personal one about closing a store while my wife and I were celebrating our anniversary. Part of the appeal of a small business is knowing the people involved.” — John Auntie, owner Paola’s Art Shop in Belleville, Wisconsin
Photo credit: courtesy of Moonshot Coffee
5. Make your customers feel noticed, even if it costs you money.
“Early in our second year, January was a hit and sales were down. It was our first post-holiday slump. We talked about sales and campaigns, but nothing seemed to fit. Instead, we decided to have a ‘Guest Appreciation Day.’ When every guest came to the register, we told them, ‘This is all from us. Thank you for allowing us to do what we do.’ People were shocked and happy and embarrassed and excited. The next day, our sales went up and never went down. From that day on, we had a completely different relationship with our regulars.” — Matthew Wendlandowner Moonshot Coffee in Seattle
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Feltz’s Dairy Store
6. Give people something to photograph (and share).
“Our best marketing spend was on a giant fiberglass cow that sits in front of our store. We’re always looking to add something exciting for visitors, and we thought a 10-foot cow would fit right in with our farm. We hoped it would serve as a good advert and photo opportunity, but it turned out better than we expected. It’s often shared on social media, and when we first got the cow, we held a naming contest that drew thousands of entries—which ended up being a story on the local news channel.” — Ken AND Jackie Feltzowners Feltz’s Dairy Store in Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Photo credit: courtesy of Sound Body & Mind
7. Offer your space or services for development opportunities.
“Our biggest marketing push didn’t cost us anything—in fact, we got paid! Our studio landed several photo shoots and TV filming opportunities, including Season 12. American Horror Story. The production team generously compensated us for the four-day studio closure, and our space was prominently featured in the episode, which generated local buzz and attention on social media. This attention not only raised the profile of our studio on a national platform, but also piqued the interest of the local people. Our members have been talking about it for months!” —Jill AND Adam Levyowners Healthy body and mind yoga studio in Huntington, New York