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101 WAYS TO MARKET YOUR BUSINESS

61 Tap into large membership-based organisations

What is a large membership-based organisation? It is an
organisation that people join to receive certain benefits.
Auto clubs, unions and sports clubs are just a few examples.

    One of the best known organisations is DEFCOM.
DEFCOM is an organisation that has created a club for
members of the defence force in Australia. This enables them
to receive discounts at thousands of businesses Australia-
wide. There are almost 100 000 DEFCOM members in
Australia. Most countries around the world would have
similar organisations.

    DEFCOM produces publications where you can adver-
tise your business. Most companies offer a discount of some
sort as an added incentive for DEFCOM members. The
sheer size of DEFCOM means that your results can be very
good for a fairly minimal outlay. To find out more simply
look up DEFCOM in the phone book.

    Offering discounts to the various club members nor-
mally only requires doing some research and perhaps taking
an advertisement in a club publication. This principle can
be applied to local councils, large companies, schools and
universities.

    It is often surprising how receptive large organisations
will be when small business operators call them for assis-
tance with marketing ideas. How many larger organisations
are there in your city that could be utilised to promote
your business?

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