by Art Young

Created on: November 13, 2009

In a struggling economy, most businesses are forced to do more with less. This means getting more sales with little or no money spent on marketing and promotion. Companies that are successful in generating consumer interest from this so-called "free" marketing have a distinct advantage over those who aren't.

It's More Believable

The most important reason for any company to spend valuable time on free marketing programs is because in this environment, the company's message is more effective and more believable than with paid advertising and promotion. Not convinced? Just administer this marketing test to yourself.

Which scenario is more likely to encourage you to try a new restaurant?

In scenario "A," the new restaurant is featured in an article in the local newspaper. The writer of the article is a journalist whom you have read for many years and who presents glowing facts about the food and service of the new establishment. There's a picture of the charming interior of the restaurant and the article fills about one-half of the page in the newspaper.

In scenario "B," the restaurant owners hire a graphic designer to create a warm, inviting half-page ad about the restaurant. It shows menu items, great food pictures and ad copy that perfectly captures the ambiance. After paying the graphic artist and copy-writer, the owners then spend a substantial amount of money for a half-page ad in the newspaper.

Which scenario would motivate you to try the new restaurant? Is it an article written by an unbiased journalist or a well-designed ad prepared by the owners of the restaurant?

Countless studies in marketing have shown that scenario "A" - the "free" story written by an unbiased journalist - is more compelling because it is more believable.

As this discussion will suggest, this believability factor is also evident in other types of free marketing. In addition to publicity efforts, there are other free media strategies that can lead to increased awareness and sales, including; social network marketing and experiential marketing at the business location.

Free Media Publicity

Receiving positive media coverage about your business is seldom an accident. It takes research of media and journalists, development of lucid, well-written company background and newsworthy topics and the tenacity to aggressively follow-up on this effort. While this is time-consuming and somewhat intimidating, it can pay tremendous dividends in the form of reaching new customers.

The basic

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