Marketing and Fundraising go hand in hand, both can make your business thrive. Marketing gives you a chance to meet new customers and show off your skills. Fundraising also gives you access to new customers while improving your community or the world at large. Together they are a power team!

Check out our collection of "Not So Crazy" Marketing Strategies

Learn how to Host a Fundraiser in conjunction with your business.

Read the article How To Run A Successful Event.

"Not So Crazy" Marketing Ideas

Teach a class It can be free or you can charge for your services. Hold it at your local community center or library, where rental fees are low. Hang up fliers around town and advertise your class online with social groups that have your target market.

Create a Video It can be a commercial for your products or an introduction to your services. You can make videos with lifestyle tips that correspond with your product or service. There are several free sites where you can upload your video. YouTube is the most talked about, but there are many more popular sites listed here: www.youtubealternative.com

Create a Digital Business Card. Scan your business cards and format as a jpeg. then add it to your facebook page, Ning.com group and any other site where you can add photos. You can also create a new business card if yours does not scan well. Add a page on your site just for your card and link that page to Twitter or use it as your email signature!

Write & Submit An Article about your Business, New Product or Event. Your article may get picked up by a reporter or added to a blog. Find Article Banks.

After you write an article, turn it into a blog post, add it to your newsletter, send it out as a white paper to new customers, turn it into a video or podcast. Add a link to your article in a news section of a Linked In group, on Twitter, on your Facebook fan page and your website.

Use Reciprocal Marketing. This isn't new, sharing advertising online is like using word of mouth. It's also very simple. Approach a business owner in your network about reciprocal marketing. You will then post info about their business on your blog, website or on a social media site. Then they will do the same for you on one of their channels. Voila, You just got some free marketing and helped another business too!

Start a Rewards Program Whether a coffee shop or a clothing store, you can give customers a card so that when they reach a certain amount of purchases, they receive a free item or a large discount.

Support a Local Artist You have wall space, what are you doing with it? For no cost you can host a different artist in your store each month. You get a commission for any work sold and the artist gets more exposure. Have a open house the first night you display their work. Offer free refreshments with coupons or goodie bags to the first 20 customers.

Start a Fundraising Drive Is there a local charity or after school program you'd like to support? You can raffle off a prize for donations to your favorite organization. Advertise the raffle at local centers of worship, bulletin boards and your local papers event page!

Create Eye Catching Postcards and Flyers You can hang these up at local coffee shops and community centers that have bulleting boards. Use print media to introduce a new product or service, announce a sale, or as a coupon.

Start a Community Coupon Book Ask local businesses to join in and pass these out in your neighborhood. You can all share the costs of printing, or each business can print out a agreed upon size of coupon and staple all coupons together.

Offer a Discount to other Business Owners in exchange for advertising in their store or website. They may just fall in love with your business and use you next time they are shopping.

Sponsor a Team There are adult and little league teams that need sponsors to pay for Tshirts and Gear. Your business name will go on the shirts or hats of each player. This puts your business right in front of local shoppers.

A “down” market is the perfect time to increase market share: If your goal is not just to survive, but to thrive, you must continue to spread the word about your produce or service through these challenging times. And the most successful marketing campaigns get your name (well branded, with a consistent message!) in front of your prospects repeatedly and coming from different sources. We call it the purple cow technique. If every marketing and communications vehicle you use has a purple cow on it, pretty soon anything that has a purple cow on it will make people think of you. More info in my blog under the category of sales and marketing: mnbusinessprintinganddirectmail.wordpress

Hold a Contest: A popular method for years, holding a contest is fun and requires customers to interact with your business. Who doesn't love a free prize? You can offer different prizes, offer a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prize, a gift basket of your most popular products, or collaborate with other business owners to offer a variety of prizes.

More ideas coming soon.... Become a member and add your marketing ideas here along with your business link!

Host a Fundraiser!

Host a Dinner and Auction Party. Show how your business cares by supporting your favorite non profit, charity or organization. Ask locals to volunteer in lieu of monetary donations. They can act as servers, auctioneers, and cooks. *Costs Food, Dining room rental, products/services to auction, printing for advertising

Find other businesses in your community that would like to hold a raffle for your local school. Each business can offer a free service or product that customers can purchase tickets for. Get some T-shirts (preferably organic) printed up with the name of the event, and logos from all the businesses involved. *Costs- shirts, printing for shirts and flyers, tickets, product or service.

Host a Dry/Canned Food, Clothing, Toys, School Supplies or Toiletries drive for the local shelter. Place a large box in the front of your store with a sign for people to drop off donations. You can offer a coupon/discount for every donation. *Costs- boxes, signs, printing for coupons and flyers.

Start an annual community clean up. Offer volunteers at the event a free T-shirt or Goodie Bag with items that have been printed with your business name, logo and contact information. *Costs- garbage bags, gloves, pick up sticks, t-shirts, promo items, printing for advertising, shirts and promo items.

Marketing Your Event

Check your local paper for an event section to place an ad.

Also look at Online classifieds and social media sites to post it on.

Post flyers on bulletin boards, and at local schools, community centers and places of worship.

Add informative postcards in bags, with each purchase.

Ask bloggers to post about your event.

Send an announcement to the local news station.

Hand out Flyers in a public area such as the mall or a popular walking area.

How to Run a Successful Event

By Leah Oviedo

An event can be great advertising for your business. Whether you are sponsoring a contest or holding a fundraiser you need to plan ahead of time.

First things first, map out the details of what you need for the event. Where will it be held, what time will it be, what will it cost and how will you advertise.

There are many free or low cost venues for an event. For outside, your local park or your own backyard will work. Community Centers and Libraries often have rooms for rent at lower costs than a hotel or conference center.

Choosing a time is also important, will there be families, adults or teenagers. Most families have weekends open and want to find places to go with their kids. Adults or teenagers may be interested in an evening event.

Your costs should be calculated beforehand. If the event is too expensive then it may not be worth the marketing. Will there be entertainment, food or prizes?

Below are some costs to consider:

Music or a Live Band
Speakers/ Auctioneer
Tables and Chairs
Food and Drink
Shirts, Promotional Items, Samples
Servers/ Help
Advertising

You can cut costs by finding other businesses to donate food, drinks, products, space and advertising. In exchange they can have free advertising at the event. Ask friends, family and the community for volunteers. In exchange they get a free shirt or goodie bag.

In order to get people to the event you will need to advertise. With the internet there are plenty of free places to advertise an event.

Online Forums and Social Media sites
Newspapers have local event sections
Contact your local TV and Radio stations
Put up flyers on bulletin boards and telephone poles
You can also find someone to hand out flyers in public areas
Ask a blogger to post about your event

After you have these details covered you will be ready to host an event!