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Fill Up and Get Fit Creative promotional teaming really gets noticed. Marumsco Shell, a gas station located in Woodbridge, VA, doesn't offer the standard, boring "fill up and get a free glass" promotions for their customers. They've teamed with the Woodbridge Sport and Health Club to offer a free two week trial membership to the club when you fill up your tank. Pretty creative. Marketing with License Plates Many state motor vehicle departments in the US offer customers the option to purchase personalized license plates. Linda Hall Gillen, a math tutor in Herndon, VA, bought personalized tags that read "MATH TUTR". No matter where she goes, she receives countless inquiries about her tutoring services from folks who read her license plates. Her "license plate marketing program" sends her a steady supply of students. Business Yard Sale Need a creative way to sell surplus merchandise? Follow the lead of Framemasters, a custom framing company in Merrifield, VA. Every September they hold a "Framer's Yard Sale" in the parking lot of their commercial office building so they can sell the surplus framing materials that haven't moved in the past year. They promote the event with postcard mailings to customers and prospects, signage and ads in the local paper. It's so successful that customers begin calling in August to find out when the next yard sale is scheduled. Smart idea. Get Noticed with Custom Ties When it comes to marketing, are t-shirts passe? Illinois-based Corporate Textiles thinks so, and they have the custom neckwear to prove it. They've been printing custom silk ties for the last 17 years, helping Fortune 500 companies as well as small businesses create unique corporate identities through limited edition neckwear and scarves. Perfect for your next trade show team or as an ice breaker when meeting prospects at network meetings. Childhood Marketing Most people buy products due to an "emotional response". Remember that the "baby boomer" folks are now in their early 50s. Have some "boomers" as prospects? Gain their attention by reminding them about the good things of their childhood through your marketing. Here are some examples of how "childhood marketing" can work to attract business: - An image consultant can market her/her services to the "baby boomer" (50 and over) crowd through a "paper doll" direct mail campaign. - A graphics artist sends the 64-Crayola crayon pack (with the crayon sharpener!) to ad agency art directors with a note that creativity never grows old. - A freelance copywriter sends out blank black-and-white marbled composition books (remember grammar school?) to marketing directors at large corporations with a note: the blank page is no problem. Make the Most of What You've Got Phoenix Aviation of White Marsh, Maryland (410-256-1234) is a FAA flight school that makes the most of what it already has. When they're not training students, taking folks on sightseeing flights or renting their aircraft, the folks at Phoeniz take to the skies to help businesses advertise through its Banner Towing service. Businesses in the Washington/Baltimore area hire Phoenix to fly banners over Redskins, Orioles and other sporting events during the spring, summer and fall. Are you making the most of what you already have? Tax Refund Specials Who isn't delighted to get a tax refund! Help your customers spend that extra money from Uncle Sam by offering a "Tax Refund Special" for your products or services. Some ideas: Travel Agent: book a summer cruise by April 15 for extra savings Computer System Sales: With each computer purchase, add free software...including in a tax preparation package...so folks can get a head start for next year. Training - 2-for-the-price-of-1 summer seminars if they order by April 15 Any Business - Mail a "tax refund" coupon to your customers, offering 10% off purchases made by April 15. Getting Into College---and Profits! Find a need and fill it? Here's one! An enterprising programmer/entrepreneur in the local area runs a business that makes the process of applying for college easier on the student and his/her parents. He has created a monster database that contains all the information about U.S. colleges and universities (including scanned entrance applications and financial aid forms). He handles all the paperwork for a certain fee. His clients don't have to go through the tedious task of calling or writing for applications. God Bless America...and Increased Revenues A real estate agent we know targeted certain townhouse neighborhoods with a very successful "flag" campaign last 4th of July. She purchased American flags, stapled her business card to the flag sticks, and planted them in the front yard of every townhouse. Anyone who drove through the neighborhood couldn't help but notice all the flags waving in the wind, and many stopped to investigate. Many of the neighborhood children picked up the flags, played with them, then showed them to their parents. Smart agent! Business Come in All Shapes and Sizes A weight-loss counselor we know befriended a consultant who specializes in organizing class reunions. The consultant wanted to lose some weight, so the weight-loss counselor traded her services in return for the class lists the consultant used in her business. The weight-loss counselor created and sent a "15 Ways to Lose Weight Before the Big Reunion" flyer to individuals who lived locally 6 months before the scheduled reunion. Result: new customers and lots of lost weight. New Ways to Market "An Old Game" FrameMasters of Fairfax, VA (800-553-2467) is selling a great product - children's games such as Scrabble and Monopoly that are mounted in stylish sturdy box frames. When these games aren't being used, they hang on the wall, decorative and out of the way. Great marketing? You bet! It pleases both the kids and the parents - a winning combination. Reading Can Be Fundamental...For Business A smart real estate agent we know goes the extra mile to make sure the children of the family are remembered. She orders a year's subscription to a children's magazine for each child in the house. She delivers a copy of the magazine personally on move-in day and tells the child to watch the mailbox for the next issue. This can help the child feel more welcome and a bit more comfortable in new surroundings. This also reminds the parents of her kindness every time a new magazine issue arrives. Good Report Cards Get Extra Cheese A pizza parlor owner we know rewards his customers under the age of 18 with a free pizza "for a good report card". Kids bring their parents and their report cards (that have a B average or higher) to his restaurant for this special treat. Business booms every time report cards come out. and yet even more unusual ideas Return: Main Marketing Ideas Menu Return: Idea Site for Business Main Menu Idea Site for Business ©1999 gillINC. All rights reserved. No use of this editorial material or illustrations may be made without express written permission of the copyright holder or artist.