What if You Only Had $10 to Market Your Camp?

I was in McDonald’s today with my kids. We overheard two guys talking about starting a new business together. Gist of the conversation was they thought they had a million dollar idea, but literally ZERO money for marketing. So it got me thinking, what if I only had a couple bucks to market my camp? How would I do it?

Well, let’s say I’m in REALLY bad shape and can only afford about $10 for marketing. Here’s the kind of thing I’d do.

• I’d spend the whole $10 on a great Website domain name
• I’d find a free, do-it-yourself website building tool and a place I could host my site for free (like this one — Blogger.com) and get it online immediately
• I’d blog like CRAZY … at least three posts per day for as long as it took to acheive my desired ranking
• I’d put coupons all over my site to entice camper registrants at a discount
• I’d run “New Customer” and “Bring a Friend” discount offers and specials
• I’d use Google Maps strategically to let everyone know where my camp is located
• I’d use PR liberally sending out press releases about my new program several times a week
• I’d make VERY close friends with influential mommy bloggers — people who could endorse my camp through their blog and social media pages to their friends, fans and followers
• I’d set up Facebook and Twitter accounts and get to know as many people through them as possible, and run sweepstakes and contents (to the extent they’re legal) to garner quick interest among prospects and sharing and “liking” among friends
• I’d design a nice, color brochure with the free do-it-yourself publishing software that comes with any computer
• I’d find a printer who has kids they’d like to send to camp. Then I’d do a trade with him — free camp for printing my brochure, dollar for dollar. 
• I’d distribute the brochure in places like doctor’s offices and schools, and I’d turn it into a PDF to post online as well
• I’d find 5 or 10 other business owners who serve customers just like mine (but who don’t compete with me), and do joint ventures / referral deals with them. I’d give them 10% of all the money I make from every camper they refer to me
• I’d ask those same business owers to send emails to their list endorsing my camp, and I’d give them 10% – 15% of whoever signed up from their endorsement

And that’s the kind of thing I’d do….