Here are some tips that could be helpful: 

• Instead of following the “me too” strategy, try to create some unique and attractive concepts for your promotional campaign.
  
  
• Innovative ideas will not only attract your potential consumers but it can give you wide ranging FREE media coverage. 
  
  
• If no ideas come to mind, try to find a company whose service can assist you in developing a unique promotional idea for your product or service. When ordering this creative service, don’t accept the first idea presented to you; ask about a few alternatives to choose from. 
  
  
• To save money, don’t hire a huge established company even if they have an attractive portfolio and Fortune 500 clients. You rarely will find that their pricing will fit your budget. Instead, hire a young promising team that will be able to give you a great discount while trying harder to build their client base. In this case, you have more of a chance to be satisfied with the results and process. 
  
  
• Use as many visual tools as possible in your marketing campaign, web site, and press-kits. With any great product, the service description will not achieve as much success as the right photos and illustrations. That is first priority in building the correct image for your company and your product as well as attracting the attention of the mass media. If you decide to hire a photographer, first consider a cheaper option: usage of stock photography available from as low as $6.99 per image. Don’t use images that thousands of other companies use. Your goal is to be unique and different from your competitors. Go for quality, exclusively distributed imagery that in itself can suggest great ideas for your advertising campaign. 
  
  
• Explore the opportunity to add unusual, easy-to-remember video clips to your Sales & Marketing presentation. Don’t go for an expensive commercial. Hire a small production team that will save time and money and produce for you original digital video. A CDROM containing 1-5 minute video clips can be a very effective presentation tool when conducting special events for your clients, partners, media event, trade show, or motivational meetings for employees. Also, it is an indispensable addition when you apply for financing or searching for international representation. Reasonably priced Internet commercials, added to your web site and sent via e-mail, can yield unexpected secondary advertising since a lot of people distribute great pictures and shorts via email to entertain their friends. And who could blame them - even my guinea-pig likes cute movies!

-- Olga Kostrova, Creative Director of Artmill Creative Group. As a professional advertising photographer with an MBA and great experience in marketing, public relations & creative promotions, Olga contributes her time providing Free consultations to business owners and marketing professionals. Contact Olga Kostrova at http://www.artmill.org/artist and view the company’s latest project, Artmill Photostock at www.artmill.org .