You need to find a way to attract people’s attention to your business and its products, and help them make a conscious decision to purchase from you.

If you’re on a budget, that can be tough. It’s possible to spend a small fortune on marketing.

The alternative is to bootstrap it. This means marketing your new business on a very small budget. It’s about using creativity rather than cash to shout about what you’re doing.

Here are two in our series of 25 bi-weekly bootstrap marketing ideas:

1. Offer a discount card: These are the cheapest way to reward your existing customers for their loyalty, as you only give free product away to your very best customers. When they buy your product five or six times, they get the next one free. What a great way to say thank you. Copy big companies; Cafés have stamps and tokens when you buy coffee, to encourage you to drink there regularly. Remember to ensure your tokens aren’t easily forged, and that your loyalty card stamp is locked away every day!
2. Launch a competition: It’s cheap for you to give your services or products away, so do it regularly. Plug the competition on your website. Or better still, contact the relevant media that talks to your potential customer base and ask if they’d be interested in a giveaway. Also contact as many local papers/ magazines as possible, with the press release of the competion start, as well as the winner!