What is the most effective advertising for a start up small business?
Its a gutter cleaning service using an industrial vac. I have already leaflet dropped and have got some work from that, but I want to expand the advertising. I have missed this years listing in the yellow pages. Radio? Newspaper? Keep leaflet dropping? I would love to hear from small business people who have been in a similar position.
The shitty response would be "Hey, everybody knows that word-of-mouth is the best advertising there is."
And it could be true. But you have to think of it in the most practical way. Nobody gives a shit about the gutters until they're fed up with the trash in them.
I certainly don't.
So your business alleviates hassle. That's what you provide: relief for the lazy.
You haven't missed out on the yellow pages, radio, newspaper or even television. You just need to figure out a way to actually make them work for you.
What kind of leaflets do you give out? Text-based only?
Why not show the contrast between what people COULD be doing instead of doing the gutters because YOU are taking care of it?
Also: What kind of information did you get from the people who you already worked for? Did you get their mailing address?
You know how those places where you can get your oil changed put a sticker on your window to let you know when to come back?
Dentists send out greeting cards every 6 months to remind people that they need to get another check up.
How often do gutters, on average, get stuffed up in clutter? Was there a storm last night?
Is autumn coming in and all the trees are beginning to shed?
Maybe they'll need you more than ever, but won't even think about you because you weren't there to remind them.
Just think about this: You, and me as well, might have something we need to take care of that we are for one reason or another just slacking on and leaving it for later.
What if I actually get a piece of advertising that let's me know that I could get it for a discount?
That would remind me and get me at least an inch closer to taking care of it. Probably with you.
And that's my two cents.
B2B Business to business!!
References :
The best way for any business to advertise is through word of mouth, you do a good job and people will tell others and your customer basis will grow.
You could try a local radio station and local papers, shop windows might work too…The yellow pages is over rated anyways.
References :
With my mom's upholstery business, she handed out business cards to local businesses, started a monthly radio ad, and put magnetic sign advertisements on her vehicle so people would see her business when they were driving and jott down her number. She also rented a spot in the homeshow, that drew in MANY customers, more than one may think. Yes, putting an ad inthe newspaper helps, but most people just skip over ads, they just want to read the news. Good luck with your business!
References :
I started using Antech service in few weeks back and I had written my online business newsletter and immediately sent out using the powerful service by
Antech yet, simple to use software to few million customer from their database, within a week I had several orders of my product displayed which pretty much paid over 100 times for the membership price I had paid for.
It’s very recommended service to get more traffic of your website.
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References :
The shitty response would be "Hey, everybody knows that word-of-mouth is the best advertising there is."
And it could be true. But you have to think of it in the most practical way. Nobody gives a shit about the gutters until they're fed up with the trash in them.
I certainly don't.
So your business alleviates hassle. That's what you provide: relief for the lazy.
You haven't missed out on the yellow pages, radio, newspaper or even television. You just need to figure out a way to actually make them work for you.
What kind of leaflets do you give out? Text-based only?
Why not show the contrast between what people COULD be doing instead of doing the gutters because YOU are taking care of it?
Also: What kind of information did you get from the people who you already worked for? Did you get their mailing address?
You know how those places where you can get your oil changed put a sticker on your window to let you know when to come back?
Dentists send out greeting cards every 6 months to remind people that they need to get another check up.
How often do gutters, on average, get stuffed up in clutter? Was there a storm last night?
Is autumn coming in and all the trees are beginning to shed?
Maybe they'll need you more than ever, but won't even think about you because you weren't there to remind them.
Just think about this: You, and me as well, might have something we need to take care of that we are for one reason or another just slacking on and leaving it for later.
What if I actually get a piece of advertising that let's me know that I could get it for a discount?
That would remind me and get me at least an inch closer to taking care of it. Probably with you.
And that's my two cents.
References :
Try leaving your flyer on the bulletin board near a Home Depot or other home improvement type places. Or you could put up signs near these places.
You could also start a blog, to get some of the local online business. People use computers a lot now so maybe instead of thinking about TV, radio and newspapers you should be thinking about how to get your ads online.
You could also auction your service off on eBay. At least it will get the attention of those who are online.
Have you tried Craig's List or some of the other online want ads?
References :
I just started a home-based gift basket business myself, so I can relate to the advertising challenges small businesses face.
I would suggest that you keep going with your flyers, and with postings on local business bulletin boards. Craigslist (as mentioned before) also helped to increase visibility for me.
In our area, we're allowed to put flyers in individual newspaper boxes (not in mailboxes, though), and this allows us to cover a whole lot of ground in a very short time. My children and I went out one Saturday, and covered 5 subdivisions, distributing over 400 flyers, in just under 2 hours. Not bad considering how many households now had access to our services and contact information! My website traffic shot up like crazy, and it's really helped with sales.
I don't know if your mom has a website set up just yet, but even if she doesn't, this is a great way to cover alot of ground and get the word out about her business. Keep doing what you're doing, increase the amount you distribute each time you go out, and continue providing great service. Her business will begin to pick up very soon.
References :
Sometimes people are annoyed by leaflets. At least, that's what I have found in my experience. I didn't have a huge budget starting out, but I went to a website called Signazon.com.
Here's the link: http://www.signazon.com
They're really cheap, and I got amazing looking car magnetic signs, decals, advertising yard signs, and banners. Everything they have is full color, and if you need any assistance, a designer will help you for free. The other thing I liked about them is that they have industry specific signage (for cleaning services, contractors, tailors, restaurants, etc.) So the designs I picked out fit my business completely.
Good luck with everything!
References :
http://www.signazon.com