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Advertising – Your Local Newspaper - Please remember, all of these articles are designed for the person who has just been made redundant, and/or for those who want to do something for themselves.
Article by Malcolm MacLean copyright 2008
Now, not every home run business can really make use of the Internet for local advertising, but a website can be incorporated for backup and support. For example if you live in a town with say a 20,000 population, having a website that supports your business can be quite useful. You can include the type of work you offer, perhaps post testimonials of work you have completed locally to satisfied customers.
The best initial approach to launch your new business is to insert a small advertisement in your local Newspaper.
Most papers will have a section such as classifieds ads or trade classifieds etc.
The cost of this will be quite minimal and doing this on a weekly basis will get your phone ringing.
You need to word a quick good little ad that outlines your offer. Include your phone number and your website address.
Advertising – Leaflet Drop
One of the best methods of advertising a local business believe it or not is to organize and do a ‘leaflet drop’
Arrange to have perhaps 5,000 leaflets printed. Use A5 size for this and don’t use color, just go with white or colored paper and black/blue ink. This will keep your costs down.
Most small towns will have a local printer. Failing that, check out your local newspaper, they will often offer printing services.
(Check out this article here> I have written this section on PRINTING for those who might like to do that part themselves – This is a method few know about and can produce a really cheap means of printing) – click here
A leaflet drop will produce far better results than any advert in a local newspaper but of course the costs are a little higher.
If your local population is 20,000 then ‘rule of thumb’ – you could estimate that there will be approximately 5,000 houses in your town. Doing a letter box drop will get you plenty of phone calls for your new business.
This method is not just for a lawn mowing business, this method can be used to advertise ANY type of local business.
As these articles are aimed primarily at unemployed people, it is going to be best for you to do these leaflet drops yourself, rather than paying for someone to distribute them for you.
You are starting off with no employment right? – You will have ease of mind knowing WHERE your leaflets have been delivered and that they actually HAVE been delivered.
You’ll have saved yourself some considerable expense.
This distribution of leaflets can be combined with making personal calls, hence when combining leaflet drops with personal calls – dress respectably and be polite to all who answer your door knock.
You must instill into their mind that you are reliable, and that you will perform a good job for them given the opportunity.
Another shot in your armory would be to approach local businesses and shop keepers and ask to leave some of your leaflets in a prominent position on their counters etc.
Using all of these methods should produce positive results for you and it is up to you to retain each and every client by offing a good, clean and tidy job competitively priced.
This brings us down to price. You must get to know the ‘going rate’ in your area and adjust your price accordingly. It will be far better for you to work on an hourly basis in the beginning, but after experience this can be converted to ‘how much for the job’
End
Article by Malcolm MacLean copyright 2008 Other ideas to draw from: If you aim a business at your local community, perhaps the ideas below. Then leaflet distribution can be used for advertising anyone of them:
Accounting
Advertising
Bookkeeping
Building
Business Services
Electric Car
Children
Cleaning
Clothing
Coaching
Computer
Consulting
Educational
Entertainment
Finance
Fitness
Flooring
Food
Gardening
Giftware
Health and Beauty
Internet/Web-based Business
Leather & Vinyl Cleaning
Lighting
Pet Care
Power Washing Business
Print/Design
Security and Alarm Services
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