6 REAL Reasons Why You Need A Mobile-Optimized Website
We’ve all heard the saying, “If you build it, they will come.” But what about that other saying: “If you build it right, they&...
Let me ask you something: what if you could grow your brand for free, tap into the power of your local community, and ride the wave of other people’s trust — all while giving away something people actually want? Sounds like a dream, right? Well, it’s not. We did this at Integrity Junk Removal, and it worked like crazy. And in this post, I’m walking you through the exact steps we used — no fluff, no theory — just straight-up, actionable stuff that helped us get seen, get shared, and get hired. Let’s dive in.
So here’s the deal. A lot of you are trying to grow your business, and I get it — marketing costs money, and sometimes you’re just starting out or trying to stretch every dollar. That’s where this idea came from. It’s not just about giving something away. It’s about partnering with your community and leveraging existing trust to get your brand in front of people — in a way that doesn’t feel like advertising.
Now let’s back it up a bit. A lot of people run giveaways with stuff like Yeti coolers packed with gear, or tickets to a hockey game. That stuff’s fine — it grabs attention. But I wanted something more relevant and universal. And I kept coming back to one thing: food. Everybody loves food. Women, men, couples, parents — you name it. And in our case, women are typically the ones calling us for junk removal. They’re cleaning out the house, organizing the garage, or making space for a reno. But I also wanted guys involved in our giveaways too. So again… food. Food brings people in.
I thought — if I’m giving away food, why not partner with restaurants people already know, like, and trust? So here’s what I did: I made a list of local spots — restaurants, bakeries, cafes. I reached out — mostly through email and Facebook Messenger (some I already knew, others were cold). I pitched it simply:
“Hey, I’d love to do a giveaway featuring your business. I’ll run a post, boost it a little, get eyes on your brand, and the winner will come spend money with you — probably more than the gift card. Want to partner up and provide the gift card?”
And it worked. Most places said yes and gave me the gift card. A few didn’t, and I bought those myself. But here’s the kicker — one of the restaurant owners ended up hiring us for a junk removal job. Total bonus.
For me, it wasn’t just about scoring free gift cards. It was about leading with value and starting relationships that could grow into something more. I always ask, “How can we give first in the relationships we want to build?” And that mindset — giving value first — helped us make connections, earn trust, and build real visibility in our community.
Here’s a few examples of businesses we partnered with: a local grocery store, a custom cupcake and cake shop, a hotel with a fancy bar and eatery, and even a scooter rental startup that was running ads and gaining traction. You could also go with paintball places, archery spots — honestly, anything fun and local. The more creative, the better — as long as it’s something people love.
Alright, so now you’ve got the gift card. Here’s how we ran the giveaway: Make a simple graphic in Canva. Nothing fancy. Post it to your Facebook page. Add this call-to-action:
“Tag 4 friends in the comments — every comment tagging 4 people is one entry. Share this post for an extra entry. No limit to how many times you can enter!”
Also add the disclaimer so you don’t get in trouble: “This giveaway is not affiliated with Facebook or Instagram in any way.” Then boost the post — we usually did around $25. Not a huge spend, but just enough to get local eyeballs. And speaking of local…
When you boost your giveaway post, make sure to target it properly. Set the location to a radius around your city. Select “People who live in this location” (not just people who visited or passed through). This way you’re not wasting ad dollars on people who aren’t even nearby.
We ran these giveaways for one to two weeks max. Any longer and it loses momentum. People forget or assume they won’t win. And here’s the trick: make it a regular thing. At the end of each giveaway, we’d post something like:
“Winner will be drawn on [date] — and stay tuned, more giveaways coming soon!”
That trained people to come back, stay engaged, and keep our brand top-of-mind.
This strategy helped us: build trust with local business owners, get seen by thousands of local people, land actual jobs and clients, and do it all with almost no money up front. If you’re just starting out or looking to expand your brand locally, this is a no-brainer. It’s fun, builds goodwill, and gets people talking.
