Eager to expand your client base and spread the word about your embroidery products and embroidery services?

Wondering if you should even bother with marketing programs if you don't have thousands of dollars to spend?

Think you can't afford or know how to implement any effective marketing tactics on your own?

Don't worry......... I'm going to give you five ways to make a splash on a shoestring budget."

Bottom line is, that it's financially riskier for an embroidery business not to market. There are literally hundreds of cost-effective ideas you can use to increase your revenue, however these five high-impact marketing approaches that don't cost a bundle will get you started in marketing your embroidery business.

1. Talk to your clients.

It's amazing how much money businesses spend to gather market information and attract new clients when they have a wealth of opportunity and information in their existing client base. One of the best ways to increase revenue is to talk to existing embroidery and screen printing customers.

When you assess perceptions, you don't need to talk to hundreds of individuals; simply choose 5 to ten embroidery customers and contact them to see if they'd participate in a phone interview. Here's how it works:

1. Put together some value-based questions such as:

• What problems were you trying to solve or what challenges were you facing when you considered our embroidery services?
• What were some of the main things you were looking for when choosing an embroidery company.  Price, selection, personal sales visit, quality?
• What did you like most about our embroidery company's work?
• What other products or services do you wish we offered that could help you with other business needs?

4. Send a thank-you letter to every customer who participated. Include what you learned from the interviews and explain the specific changes you plan to make to your apparel decorating business based on the information.

The important part here is to use what you learn. If you don't make changes to your business, then you've wasted everyone's time.

Keys to success:

The conversation with your customers is just that, a conversation. Don't fire questions at them; instead, engage in a conversation and gather as much valuable data as you can. Remember, the quality of the questions is the most important factor and it's not about how satisfied they are-it's about how much they valued your product or service.

2. Creatively package your marketing campaigns.

A postcard is one way to market your embroidery business. But how about putting a small box together with a fork, knife, spoon and a custom printed or embroidered napkin that invites your prospect to "have lunch on us?" Think outside the box, and your marketing campaigns will have more impact.

And don't be afraid to see what other people in other industries are doing and adapt that to your business. Think about the little details that will get attention.

Keys to success:

Set a clear objective for your embroidery business marketing campaign, and identify how you'll measure its success. Then follow up to measure the results and adjust the program if necessary.

3. Get the word out with publicity.

Think you can't do PR or publicity without employing the services of a high-priced firm? You can! Although a good firm brings tremendous contacts and experience, most small companies can do enough PR on their own to spark the public's interest.

Keys to success:

In one word, leverage. Though it does happen, don't expect one story placement to generate thousands in revenue. Your success depends on leveraging each press release, each article and each published mention. Put it all on your Web site: Create a news page and add a What's New area on your home page. Add it to your marketing kit and send the piece to clients, colleagues and professional organizations. Include a note in your newsletter that says 'Recently Seen In...' And remember: PR is more cost-effective and more credible than embroidery business advertising.

4. Leverage existing relationships.

Most people know at least 200 people. Do the math: If you know 200 people and they each know 200 people, that's 40,000 potential contacts! Spend time developing relationships with the people you already know...clients, colleagues, people you meet through professional networking organizations, friends and even family.

Start by making a list of all the people you know. Next, prioritize your list into As, Bs and Cs. "A's" are your advocates. These are the people who feel strongly about you. They're the "cheerleaders" who would refer business to you right now. Bs could become advocates if they knew more about you, so you need to spend time with these people to educate them. Cs are those people you don't communicate with often enough. You may keep them in the loop, but they need more time and nurturing before they'd refer any business your way. If there are any names that remain, delete them.

Keys to success:

Educate, don't sell. The key here is to build relationships. These develop over time as you create credibility and trust. To be truly effective, you must always be on the lookout for ways you can help your network. Start from the perspective of giving more than you ask, and your network will become your most valuable marketing tool.

5. Commit to e-mail marketing.

Marketing through e-mail is flexible, cost-effective, easy to measure (assuming you put the right tracking in place), and high impact. It allows you to easily drive traffic to your Web site, reach a broad geographic audience and stay in frequent contact with your customers and prospects. E-mail marketing allows you to market your embroidery services and establish your expertise with your audience.

Use it forembroidery service newsletters, new product announcements or to share your publicity success - the ideas are endless. But know that this flexibility and ease-of-use can cause problems. Remember, this is a marketing campaign. So be sure to think it through, develop an appropriate message, create a piece that reflects your brand, know your objectives, and make sure the information is valuable for your market, or people will quickly unsubscribe.

Keys to success:

Don't be seen as a "spammer"! Send e-mail only to those people who have given permission. When someone asks to be removed, respond immediately.