Jim's Marketing Blog

Marketing tips and ideas to help you grow your business

  • Home
  • About
    • About Jim Connolly
    • My top marketing tips for 2025. Yours now, for free!
    • Privacy Policy
    • How I use cookies
    • Contact
    • Disclosure
  • Hire me
    • Let’s Grow Your Business
    • Pick My Brain for the results you need!

This creative marketing idea costs nothing and is super effective

By Jim Connolly | March 8, 2024

creative marketing, low budget marketing, free marketing ideas

It’s a simple marketing idea. It costs you nothing. And I’ve seen it work extremely well. Moreover, it works for a diverse array of retailers and service providers.

Creative marketing in action

I had a creative marketing idea around 6-months ago. I wondered what might happen, if my friend added a word of the day to the specials menu board that’s behind the counter of her coffee shop. A word that’s interesting, funny or quirky.

I gave her the first word to get her started. It’s a word I have a close attachment to: Balter. To dance clumsily, with enthusiasm.

Anyhow, a month or so later she called me with an update.

  • Her customers started talking about the word of the day almost immediately.
  • Soon, she and her team noticed customers who previously only spoke to them when placing their order, started speaking with them about that day’s word. That’s better customer engagement.
  • Then, some of their customers started taking photos of the word of the day (which is intentionally written on their specials menu board) and sharing it with their friends via social media

So, that’s free organic publicity for their specials menu, which now gets spread locally across social media, resulting in new customers, many of whom do the same. Social media is working for the coffee shop, without investing time or money on social media

Pretty good, eh!

I have now shared this idea with other business owners, who gave it a try. Again, the results have been similar, but only for retailers who have premises or service providers who have clients or prospects visit their premises.

Will it work for you? There’s only one way to know for certain. Give it a try.

Photo by Masud Allahverdizade on Pexels.com

The small business owners I work with enjoy far more sales, attract better clients and grow amazing businesses.
If you want the same, here’s exactly how it happens.

FREE marketing tips & advice

Get my best marketing tips, advice and ideas delivered direct to your inbox. Just add your email below.
I respect your privacy.

Hi! I'm Jim Connolly and I help small business owners to increase sales, boost their profits and build amazing businesses. Read more here.

Featured by

marketing advice, marketing help

Site sponsor

packaging consultancy

Categories

  • Blogging (406)
  • Business development (477)
  • Copywriting (303)
  • Email marketing & mail shots (186)
  • General marketing (1,665)
  • Professional development (534)
  • Social media marketing (355)

Hosting provider

20i hosting

Search

Recent posts

  • Attract. Don’t sell May 14, 2025
  • Marketing gold: The follow-up May 10, 2025
  • How to make more sales, in uncertain times May 8, 2025
  • 17 Tips to help you grow a stronger business May 6, 2025
  • How to increase your prices May 2, 2025
  • Your economy April 27, 2025
  • From rags to riches? April 26, 2025
  • Tiny tweaks. Huge wins April 21, 2025
  • Working in. Working on April 15, 2025
  • How to own your competitors. It’s easier than you think April 12, 2025
  • Four questions that helped a subscriber boost sales by 68% April 8, 2025
  • Ignore the uninterested April 7, 2025
  • Does your business pass the coffee shop test? April 6, 2025
  • It’s back to normal for you and your business April 5, 2025
  • Marketing 101: Vigorous, written marketing April 2, 2025
  • The horrible truth about marketing April 1, 2025
  • I have no clients. Seriously. Not even one! March 26, 2025
  • Finish strong March 20, 2025
  • Read this and improve your advertising results, fast March 16, 2025
  • Marketing 101: Get your prospects to buy now March 13, 2025
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Home
  • About
  • Hire me

Copyright © 2025 Jim Connolly