What do you do when you don't have enough cash to
advertise? You trade! Trading products and services for advertising
is one of the hottest marketing topics in business discussions. And
for good reason. Bartering for ads can give the small business
person excellent opportunity and value.
One radio station owner, who never forgot his penny-
pinching beginnings, is always on the lookout for businesses wanting
to trade. When he needed extra storage sheds behind the studios, he
got a carpenter to build them in exchange for free commercials on
his stations. When the station promotional vehicles required regular
detailing, he traded commercials for custom car washes. A big
snow brought a private snow plow purchased with traded on-air
mentions.
The station owner figures he has a few commercials that his
sales reps won't sell. Why not trade them to other business people
who have extra products and services they can't sell? It's a classic
WIN-WIN arrangement. And lots of media managers welcome the
situation.
Joan, who owns a very successful donut shop, bases her
advertising entirely on trade. She gives boxes of her high-quality
donuts to select radio stations for daily giveaways. In return, they
speak highly of her donuts on the air. It's not unusual to hear a
morning DJ go on and on about how wonderful her product is. She
has a rock solid reputation in the community as a result. The cost?
A few boxes of donuts that might be surplused anyway.
A newspaper editor reminds us that radio isn't the only fertile
ground for trade. Newspapers frequently need traded items and
services to give away as prizes to readers, advertisers, and
employees. He advises to check with the circulation department.
They often need prizes to give to paper boys and girls.
Be creative. Got a book store? It's trendy now days for TV
weathermen to publish their own books on local weather stats. Call
the manager at your favorite TV station and offer to do a
cooperative promotion with the station. They can place the books in
your store, AND have their weatherman do in-store appearances, in
exchange for mentioning your store's locations. Offer to help them
write and publish the book.
"But I'm a Realtor," one man told me. "How would I trade
real estate services to a media outlet?" There is a Realtor in my
town who solved the problem. He does his own real estate show on
talk radio. Enlisted sponsors pay his on-air fees. For the Realtor
who doesn't have that show biz zeal, appearing regularly as a real
estate expert on someone else's show can be just as effective.
Not all media outlets do trade. Some welcome trade some
times of the year and not others. Many will do a part trade, part
cash arrangement. A great many will bonus a certain number of
free commercials or mentions when you buy ads.
No matter what you do or sell, there is probably a
newspaper, newsletter, magazine, TV station, cable system, radio
station, or on-line provider that needs you.
"Kevin, I concur! I find that AM stations are more open to the idea of trading for ads. I did a logo design for an AM station in Burlington, VT for a swapout in free ADs.. And they were VERY generous with the Live Commercial spots during the morning talk shows."Chris Stecher, Moles Eye Graphics
Kevin Nunley helps small and mid-sized businesses build effective marketing. Reach him at DrNunley@aol.com or at (801)253-4536. Ask for his free marketing report and list of Special Reports and Tapes that make you a marketing whiz in dozens of areas. Also ask how he can help you build your on-line presence.
