Did you see them? They’re back!

The lemonade stand is set up in your neighborhood somewhere. What leads to these oldest of pop-up ventures?

1. Kids decide they want some money. They need more I-tunes, to convince their parents to pay for Spotify or Tidal, they’re saving up for a trip to Sephora or the Apple store or whatever….
2. The only thing these entrepreneurs  have to sell for free is their time and their pilfered lemonade making supplies.
3. The production of the lemonade is cheap and easy.
4. People drink more lemonade when the temperature goes up.
5. More customers are nearby as the weather is better.
6. Their visibility is their marketing.

Dang, those kids know basic level marketing. So, what can we do to emulate our neighborhood marketing geniuses?

1. Go where your customers are. If you are in a store or even an office that has nearby driving or walking traffic, come outside for a bit. Hand out samples (or lemonade!!!) or a coupon. Potential customers live or work near the businesses to which they are loyal.
2. Determine what you can afford to give away for the sake of marketing. A bit of your time? Some product? Printed collateral about your business?
3. Think about people’s changing needs in summer. If you sell boutique clothing, pretty soon kids will be in tow. Advertise charging stations or your Wii for the kids while the parents shop. (Hey, charging stations for the parents while the kids shop is good, too.)
4. Get outside in general. Conduct a door hanger campaign that requires you or someone who works for you to hang advertisements on the doors in a specific neighborhood. This is meta zip code specific marketing.
5. Join forces with the lemonade gang. Sponsor their lemonade stand for a day (I bet an even $25 would make them swoon)  if they also give out your materials.