Business is a little slow. I'm thinking about making a simple little flyer.(nothing fancy - just bright color paper and a copy machine)
The headline will read "WINDOW LETTERING". The flyer will have a couple of samples with some base prices.
The bottom of the flyer will include a $25.00 coupon. You know... if you act now before such and such date, you get $25.00 off.
The flyers will then be placed on the front doors of businesses in several neighboring villages.(very early - before they open).
Has anyone tried this? With what kind of result?
Thanks!!
Posted by David Wright (Member # 111) on :
I have had varying degrees of success with mailers and cards sent out. Always get some response and a sale or two out of it. Statistics show a call back rate of 1 to 2 percent response on most. Experts advise to always make your advertisement time specific like you mentioned or they may always put off acting on it.
Also coupons are nice, everybody nowadays looks for one. I just don't know how applicable in our business it would work. Most not knowing our normal price would probably doubt they are getting a deal.
Make it appeal to their needs and how buying from you will generate sales or foot traffic to their store. Something like " Window Lettering to get you noticed".
(BTW, no need to feel that strongly about your competition as your tagline suggests )
Posted by Jon Aston (Member # 1725) on :
Good reply David.
Jim:
There isn't anything wrong with "DIY" flyers but do be careful about the message(s) you are sending. Poor quality photocopies with a coupon stuck under the wiper blade might be sending the wrong messages about your business. Ie. not very creative, cheap...you get the idea.
Flyers are essentially junk mail, and are 99% inneffective (as David pointed out). They may not cost much, but the time you spend might be better invested in other ways...or you could invest a bit more time and creativity to make them really stand out.
A splash of fluorescent window paint on the flyer, hand delivered with an personal introduction to a small number of targetted local businesses...and followed up by a phone call (making the special offer only to those who express some possible interest) would probably yield exponentially better results. People are more likely to buy from people who offer them real benefit...not from pieces of paper snuck in their mailboxes in the middle of the night. Plus you could have some fun in the process...stick a rubber dollar store bug in the wet paint and have a tag line along the lines of - for advertising that sticks! Just jamming with you.
If you find that you're getting results, expand the program. If not try to understand why and re-tool.
Good luck!
[ May 15, 2004, 07:22 PM: Message edited by: Jon Aston ]
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
Jim,
I like the idea of sending the flyers out, but I'm not too sure about the $25 off part.
As mentioned, the average customer doesn't know pricing and if you wind up dong smaller jobs at $100 each, you're giving up 25%.
I tried something similar once with "Off season" discounts, but never will again. The discounts were not worth the struggle and I found that the customers were....for lack of a better word....cheap.
Your work is the same, the material costs are the same. The profit margin should be the same, too, despite the slower times.
my 2 cents... Rapid
PS: Hang in there. It gets better.
Posted by Kissymatina (Member # 2028) on :
Jim, if you're trying to drum up a little business, there are a couple other almost sure-fire ways to do that that haven't been mentioned.....
1. Plan on going to a letterhead meet. Never fails that as soon as you start getting ready to head outta town, you get buried with work.
2. Any cool stuff you wanna play with? Samples you've been thinking about making for the shop? Get yourself totally into a cool project for yourself & you'll get buried.
Posted by PKing (Member # 337) on :
Chrissy idea is a good one! IMPROVE your skills when you have down time weather Design,Hand Lettering,or Other. Produce the best looking,most effective signs The CUSTOMERS will beat a path to your door!
Why wait for stores NOT to be open?Walk in,Introduce yourself,Meet the owner with a handshake and smile.Sell yourself
The tag line is VERY negative "Any one can build themselves up,by pushing others down!"
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