TANSTAAFL.

Jibberish? Did I just pass out on my keyboard?

Nope. Try legit acronym, for a very famous saying you’ve likely heard some variation of:

“There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.”

The implication is that everything has some hidden cost, no matter how beneficial. 

Think about antibiotics. They’re arguably the greatest invention in history. Yet, particularly in larger doses, they're really not too good for our tummies (“microbiome”, if you’re keen on nerding out).

TANSTAAFL applies to medicine, relationships, home/auto purchases, diet, finance, and so much more. And it can often apply to business, and marketing in particular, what with tech and analytics galore. However, it doesn’t have to, if you’re savvy enough with your marketing.

Let’s explore some marketing ideas, ranging from inexpensive at the worst, to 100% pro bono at the best, so you can outsmart the competition with superior consumer engagement.

Social Media Marketing 

It’s like one big Caesars Palace-level buffet, but free! The array of interactions possible on social platforms can elevate your business beyond belief.

An underrated benefit is often engaging with other businesses. It always helps to grow the ol’ rolodex, so following other pages with even the slightest relation to your business or industry is smart. Not to mention, while you don’t need to engage with your direct competitors, there is always a wealth to knowledge to be gleaned from what they’re doing. There’s no reason you can’t take and put a spin on something they’re doing well, or to see where you can zig where they are zagging.

As for prospective consumers, social is a terrific way for authenticity, humor, and branding to win them over. Nailing the right hashtags, being prompt in replies, and not coming off as vanilla or cliche are three crucial tactics. That last one is undoubtedly more difficult, but it’s made easier by dedicating hours to studying what is cliche so you can avoid it. Of course, sheer authenticity - be it in posts or content - is also instrumental to standing out.

Bottom line; due to its arsenal of tactics, social media marketing is top-tier when it comes to boosting your online presence.

Customer Referrals

There is a reason you see these referral programs at virtually every business at least once annually; they can hold the power word-of-mouth…on steroids.

Now yes, technically, there is something a business loses here - the perk, discount, or benefit to the existing customer. But while you’re giving something away to him or her, that loss is mitigated with the guarantee of new business. So it’s a seamless cancel-out, and that’s aside from the huge net benefit of the increased word of mouth. Because If there are more people having pleasant experiences with your business or operation, more people are going to hear about it.

It’s one of the simplest and oldest rules in the book, and it’s a godsend, regardless of whatever financial sacrifices you have to make to achieve it. Fortunately, when it comes to customer referrals, the sacrifice is by definition made up on the back end.

Blogging

There’s this mantra out there that people’s attention spans are shorter than ever. And frankly I just don’t buy it. At least not completely.

I get it. TikTok is huge. Old-fashioned book reading is antiquated.

But film runtimes have stayed the same. Podcasts have exploded over the past decade. So what if attention spans aren’t shorter or longer - but rather, merely exist on a wider spectrum?

Blogs are a persuasive avenue to compel customers to do business with you because of their defining characteristic - longform. This format allows you to educate, entertain, and persuade with a level of depth simply not attainable in other platforms.

Additionally, you have more flexibility. Assuming the writing is engaging and succinct enough, you can have a wider range of topics discussed compared to social posts or email blasts.

Think about any long, memorable conversation you’ve had in which you learned something fascinating, or grew unrelentingly inspired. That is the precise effect a quality blog can bring to the people you want to capture - and it won’t cost you a dime.

Free Boise Radio Advertising

Grocery stores? You buy stuff. Donuts? They’ll cost ya. But what’s better than that 13th free donut, making what’s known as the baker’s dozen? How tasty are those free samples throughout grocery stores?

Free is somehow even better when it’s applied to something not normally so, and boy oh boy does that apply to radio advertising. Especially on a region’s top-rated stations, which just happen to be available right here in the cozy confines of Iliad Media Group.

That’s right. For every two weeks of radio advertising you buy on our hit stations, we as employee owners are giving you ONE WEEK FREE.

And we do mean, hit stations. But don’t take our word for it, when BoiseDev broke it all down for the Treasure Valley.

Our special New Year’s offer is only good for a limited time, but we just felt like tossing a cherry on top to our beloved local businesses. On top of one whole week of free radio advertising being a top notch deal, it couldn’t be easier to get started. Simply text “Free” to 68719, whether it’s your business and you know someone with their own who wants to dominate competition by reaching the most engaged audiences in the Treasure Valley.

Thanks for reading, because we couldn’t be more excited about kicking off 2023 in a fruitful partnership to help your business boom.