Marketing pickups on a shoe string budget

[kevinT]

I want to piggy back on a couple of other recent threads.....I have heard a lot about the big pickup makers and their big marketing budgets to get their advertising message out. ..and from my observations the feeling here is that if we don't have a million $$$ to slap down on advertising...we don't have a chance.

You don't need a million dollar advertising budget to get your message out. My background is in marketing and advertising and there are still highly effective ways to generate interest in your products and get noticed in the marketplace on a shoe string budget. I think if we all put our heads together, and list the methods that have worked for you, we can come up with a list of promotional methods that are just as effective as the big guys that spend a million.

I'll start off my listing some really cheap things that i do that i think are effective.

1. You gotta have a Myspace site nowadays. This is basically free web hosting. If you don't have a myspace site you're missing an additional opportunity to network with potential customers and get your message out.

2. Use coupons. Folks love coupons. Use a coupon in your print ad and put a code in your ads so that you can track where the coupons are coming from. This is especially good for print ads where you can find out where your ad money is working hardest for you.

--throw them in packages that you send to your customers so that they are motivated to make a repeat purchase.
--print a discount on your business card

3. Word of mouth (testimonials) offer something to customers who write in with a testimonial.

4. Endorsements. You might have to give away some free stuff...but it is well worth it. I know some folks say that endorsements don't lead directly to sales. I disagree. The more people that see stars using your products the more apt they are to make a purchase down the road.

5. Link exchanges on your web site. Find partners that will exchange links. The more links you have on your site, you will have better rankings with the search engines.

These are just some methods that i use....i would be interested in hearing other folks' success stories as well as other creative (thinking out of the box) ideas about this.

[kevinT]

ok...since no one's jumping on board, i'll list some more


1. Get guitar magazines to highlight your new product in the "New Products" section of the magazine. You can usually get this done for free...i know Guitar World does it...talk to Jeff.

2. Send a set of pickups to a magazine for them to review and write an article on. (e.g., Possum's article in Vintage Guitar)

3. Contests. Zhang recently did one on the les paul forum recently....That was pretty clever Bro!!!.....and funny!!!

4. Sell T-shirts....not only are you making money on the shirt ...you turn folks into walking billboards.

5. Offer something for free if someone makes a purchase. Just using the word "FREE" in your copy instantly gains attention.....a free guitar pick for that matter.

6. Have some stickers made and throw them in the box of folks that make a purchase. Maybe they'll stick em' somewhere where folks will see...like on their guitar case, or guitar toolbox.

[corduroyew]

I'm new to the marketing thing and really like the advice.

Something I've found works on a local level is to offer commissions to local music shops. Music shops don't like to stock products that they don't know will sell, but they don't mind putting up a display if they get 5% of each order sold through their store. Get one of those notepads for hand written receipts and a small box of money for change. Then let the music shop take the order for you and let them collect the money for you. The full amount of money goes into your box and at the end of each month you give them their cut. It's not large scale, but it works very well with mom and pops stores that are nearby.