Hello everyone,

I would like to know if anyone here have done these type of marketing a site.

1) Sponsor a school contest - high school and college
2) Create a flyers and hire someone to distribute them.
3) Business card
4) Stick your domain name in the rear window of a SUV, truck, compact car

Does anyone have done all four marketing?

Regards,

Dex

Hello Dexter,

Owning a local business, I have and currently do market the ways you have mentioned.

All company paperwork has our web address on it.

All company vehicles.

Coffee cups, brochure carrying bags, shirts, everything that has the company name also has the website url.

I currently signed an agreement to have our company name and website address to be printed on 500k prescription bags.

I believe that when it comes to advertising your business, the website address is as important as the telephone number.

Jody

While much of those ( to me) is more 'promotion' than 'marketing' - any and ALL oportunities should be taken to promote the site....

... I would certainly consider local publications (newspapers etc..) as well....

Gypsy, that's a good idea. I don't know why I did not think about newspaper ads.

Dex -- I too, have tried all of the methods you mentioned, but have found that my Custom-designed Business Cards are what many company owner's prefer, because it has all of their contact info and website URL's on the front ... to see samples of my work, go here.

The major drawback I found with newspapers is not only the high cost for a 1/4 page ad, but with today's consumers using the Internet, most don't bother looking at a newspaper anymore which is a waste of money.

I asked to have some shirts made with our website's name on them for a trade show last year...

...when i got them back they had just that- the site's name only and not the "WWW." (which i live without), but also not the ".COM" which is crazy

lesson learned...inspect what you expect

I don't advise paying someone to pass out flyers or to post bills. This method ususally results in more littering complaints and harrasment from homeowners than it does business referrals.

Other than that, go crazy with as much local promotion as you can afford.

Offering a percentage of proceeds from a sale is a great way to team up with a non profit agency or church group.

Hi there...yes, newspapers cost a lot, and you have to ask yourself if you're reaching your target audience.

Just FYI, if you're a small business owner (or even a big business owner), I might be able to help. My website is not only offering free ads, but we just launched our Pay Per Listing program, where we pay YOU to list ads (in eligible categories, of course).

Being a small biz owner myself, I know how hard it is to get started, esp. on a budget. So hopefully this can help some of you!

Also some other ideas, which can help depending on what kind of business you have:

- Attend local events, maybe share the cost of a table/booth with another biz owner (festivals, Chamber of Commerce expos).
- Go to networking meetings.
- See if your local gym holds a vendor night. Mine does, once a month, and it's free.
- Send out press releases. You can do this with clickpress.com for free, or submit to your local newspaper. Also check out www.prweb.com for affordable release pricing.
- Check out www.meetup.com for local business meetings and other networking groups. It's free!

Hope a few of these ideas help some of you out there!

:-)

Hi, we have been looking at using handouts in the form of photographs as you get a very glossy finish if you have them printed properly and they are very cheap as in 5 pence each for >150.

Has anybody tried this before?

Hi everyone,

One way to market a specific business or website which I haven't seen talked about yet is to have your business appear on the back of purchase reciepts, ATM reciepts, store reciepts, restaurant reciepts etc.

This form of advertising would be best suited for businesses wanting to target a specific geographical location.

The cost isn't as you would expect...   I wasn't as shocked as I thought I'd be when I recieved a quote from a local bank a few years ago.

Anyone have any opinions on this particular marketing strategy?

dallastech

I agree with your ideea:
Stick your domain name in the rear window of a SUV, truck, compact car
Nice

Just for the record, I do realize I'm responding to a question that is several months old, but, hey, just found a small niche on this forum that I do have experience and good, tried and true, advice to offer.

1) Sponsor a school contest - high school and college
2) Create a flyers and hire someone to distribute them.

All your questions really depend on what kind of business you are promoting. I used to do Secreterial Services, DTP, and good ole-fashioned resume writing. Had a sweepstakes for a free resume, once. Just stick your business card, or fill out an entry form and stick it in the jar, during a business fair. Ummm, the winner never did call for her free resume, and my small mailing list never improved the business. LOL (One of my own ideas, that obviously could have been ignored.)

On the positive side, got a few term papers to type over night, while students slept, by having a student stick a few pamphlets with phone number to rip off on the bottom on the popular bulletin boards around campus, in lieu of actually paying for her typing. (Refunded, after first job came in, proving that she really did post them up.)

3) Business card

One of the most enjoyable parts of my sites are the pictures of the teddy bears having adventures in public parks, playgrounds, and around other tourist attractions. Embarrassing enough to be middle-aged, while taking picture of teddy bears. Of course, I have business cards for anyone nosy enough to come up and stare. LOL I'm weird -- not crazy! LOL

4) Stick your domain name in the rear window of a SUV, truck, compact car

Again, I'm weird -- not crazy!

On the other hand, another side line of my business was to write letters from Santa at Christmas time. (Don't laugh. Learned how to do it from a guy, who was making $6000 between Thanksgiving and Christmas AFTER deducting for supplies and money to his favorite charity!) I had a large pin that read, "Ask me how I know Santa" that I wore throughout the Christmas season. That did increase business, although, I'm very glad I had my speech prepared when a little girl asked me. (My speech: "I'm one of Santa's Helper Elves, Baby Huey Elf, who helps the BIG Elf write to some of his favorite kids. HoHoHo" From her look, I have to assume she no longer believed in Santa. LOL)

Now, truthfully, does look like you might be confusing marketing with promotion, which is easy to do, since the goal of both, ultimately is to gain more customers. I really think you're asking for some unusual, and fairly cheap, marketing ideas. (Title of this folder gives me the biggest clue. )

Again, forms of marketing differ depending on the business. Can you imagine anyone on this forum promoting letters from Santa?! LOL (A shame that I can't do it anymore - this forum needs more nuts! LOL) If you'd like some good ideas on how to do cheap - free marketing, hit your library for books by Jay (Conrad) Levinson and/or Paul and Sarah Edwards.  Their books stopped me from wasting my time trying sweepstakes, while finding real places to advertise that worked well.

My business did become profitable in a mere 2 1/2 years. May not sound like much, but real, work-your-butt-off businesses (verses get-rich-quick, which rarely work) average 7 years to become profitable!

I started my daughter's ringtone site making sales just by putting up fliers on noticeboards in shopping centers and at the local university.

I am doing the same with my caricatures site, and making available some fliers for happy customers to print off and post see here for samples

Talking of signs on vehicles, a much more subtle option is to have your URL/slogan made to look like a proper after-market accessory like here we ship world-wide

Advertising in newspapers, and flyers, and on license plate, never help my mom with her herbal store. She has been in business for 9 years and most of her customers came from word of mouth. Once people who wanted to know about herbs, realized that she had the knowledge they spread the word. She even has other vitamin stores sending people to her.
You also need the mindset, believing in what you are doing, have a passion for what you are doing!
Free Lessons On Changing the way you think.
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dry wrote:

Advertising in newspapers, and flyers, and on license plate, never help my mom with her herbal store. She has been in business for 9 years and most of her customers came from word of mouth. Once people who wanted to know about herbs, realized that she had the knowledge they spread the word. She even has other vitamin stores sending people to her.

As dry has pointed out it can depend very much on your niche and your niche's audience.

And that's the key - how does one target the people who are looking for you? Or even the ones that would look for you if they knew you or your type of business existed?

get the ones looking for you first, then try to get those hooked that are not looking for you

If someone handed me a flyer about herbal products i'd probably put it in the next bin i came to - because I'm not ill, nor is anyone I know right now.

In this case it's about TRUST.

How do you write copy that makes people TRUST you?

Advertising in newspapers can be pricey, but many newspapers--including the smaller local ones--also have websites, where your print ad is listed for free.  Many of these online papers also sell internet ads where you can direct link to your site.  Being in construction, most of our business comes through word of mouth by satisfied customers or recommendations from contractors.  I've tried a print ad, but the results were disappointing.