Many schools, churches, and other civic groups have yearly fund-raisers. Donating products to raffles, charities, and other local opportunities is not only a good way to attract local attention for your business, but often can lead into interesting new directions. Folks can drum up new business through donations, and by doing this, branch out into markets and even other mediums otherwise unknown!
Here are some tips for using donations as a marketing tool:
* Be realistic. You can't donate to everyone. Some people may try to take advantage of you, so choose your recipients wisely. You can say no!
* Be sure everything you donate includes some literature about your company; a business card at the least, a small brochure, a hand made card saying "Hand Crafted by," etc.
* Be sure to leave some business cards with the fund raiser, chairperson, school or church secretary–whoever is in a position to get phone calls after the fund raiser is over. (Once some people get home, they will decide they want more of your products.)
* Don't forget that your donation is tax-deductible. Check with your accountant about this.
Finally, if someone asks for something you have never done before, don't say no–just say you will get back to them. Then do some research. Maybe this is something you can offer. If you can't, you can always say no later, and be helpful to one of your customers by pointing them in the right direction.
