Best Way to Advertise

chrisb1357

Hi Again,

Borrowing is the last thing on my mind. I dont have any credit cards anymore and have been down that road before and never again.

I have a computer, phone, website and flyers.

CHris

pcfixmanchester wrote: »

Another thing to think about with running any small business is keeping your costs low.

Just like in your normal life try and avoid borrowing money if at all possible, dont buy things on credit cards unless you are 100% sure they will bring in business that will pay for themselves within the 30 days to pay the card off.

It might sound harsh, and be against what others might say, but when you first start all you need is a computer, some cheap printing and lots of time and hardwork.

Joining business clubs with fees is something to do later on, there are lots of free clubs and forums to get information from.

Advertising in Magazines/papers/diaries/calendars etc etc are all for the future, get your business up and running for a year before you start to sign up for any advertising contracts. Especially ones where they want a regular monthy spend !! they are just a huge drain on your cash and if you have a bad couple of months you still have to find the money to pay for them.

When people ring you up offering advertising and telling you they have a great deal but need an answer in 5 minutes/1hour/end of day then just ignore them, its not a great deal if they are going to tie you into spending money that will not make you money.

When you first start every penny counts so think long and hard before spending any thing and never be talked in to giving a credit card number to a salesman for advertising on a first phone call. !!! If you read the forums there are so many rip off police diary / local papers that are just total scams.

So spend carefully, and dont use that credit card unless you know you can pay it back within the 30 days.

Even if you have 3 fantastic months and earn £3,000 each month, you could should not spend more than you usually would, bank that extra cash for when you have bad months where you earn nothing.

Sorry for the long posts again today !!

Cheers and now forget all about work and business and go and have a nice Friday evening in the sun ;-)

Andy ;-)

bellsmum

you can advertise for free for 28 days on ebay under local services that's one thing I will be doing.:o

chrisb1357

Many Thanks for the call Andy :-) and for giving me a few tips on a few things.

I have made a few changes to my A6 flyer and wanted some other members on here to give me there feedback on the flyer. If anyone can do this for me please PM me and i will share the link.

Many Thanks
Chris

chrisb1357

Well here is my A6 Flyer, I have made so many changes to it i have lost count on version numbers LOL.

Any good or bad comments please


Flyer link http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3606/3663811728_30f770496e_b.jpg

chickmug

chrisb1357 wrote: »

Well here is my A6 Flyer, I have made so many changes to it i have lost count on version numbers LOL.

Any good or bad comments please


Flyer link http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3606/3663811728_30f770496e_b.jpg

Good comment - it does give clear indication of what you offer.

Bad comments - However (and so sorry to say this) but it is very boring and has the look of 'put me in the bin' if I received it. Just a sheet of paper with words and if I was in business still I really am doubtful if would give me the right impresssion.

I think you need to consider the initial impact on people who get it.

So this could be achieved by being a little more colourful but by something more visually stimulating. A photograph perhaps but why not put a picture of you on there to make it warmer and more personal?

I think the same comments apply to your web site it needs to be softer in overall feel/image and do you have any logo that is going to be carried through on all paperwork, letter heads, comp slips, etc?

Are you qualified and if so you need to get that on as too many PC repair guys don't really know what they are doing. Don't underline the price as it is not a major feature.

I have done loads of this type of flyer so have had time to see what works and what doesn't and I know that they are kep on the mantle or in the drawer for longer than you think. That is if they look good.

Good luck and happy to contribute more but late going out now!!!!!!!!!!!

Horace

Advertising is a bugbear - I too am a startup business but I have had to take adverts in relevant magazines but I have never paid full price and I refuse point blank to pay their ideal price because it doesnt match mine. Its the same with wedding fairs - I even negotiate down the cost of a stand:cool:

There are free ways to advertise - have a group on facebook (I know it sounds odd but it gets your name out there especially if you join other groups that offer a similar service regardless of which country they are in and be sure to add a link to your business). Have a blog on blogspot too, visit old folks homes and offer your services to the silver surfers etc etc.

Put a flyer up in the window of the local corner shop (this shouldnt cost much). Leave some in your local library and maybe the doctors and dentist (these are all places where people congregate and as they are so bored will pick up literally anything to read).

It is hard starting a business from scratch and although I have had to use my credit card (used wisely), I havent had to have a loan from the bank:j

lauraaurora

chrisb1357 wrote: »

Well here is my A6 Flyer, I have made so many changes to it i have lost count on version numbers LOL.

Any good or bad comments please


Flyer link http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3606/3663811728_30f770496e_b.jpg

I like to know the name of the company person I am going to call wherever possible. I can tell from your web address at the bottom that your company is called CNB Computers, but I prefer a flyer that looks like it comes from a professional company. Are you a ltd. company? It looks better if it says CNB Computers Ltd. as opposed to no name at al.

Alternatively, if you don't want to look like a company, but prefer to come across as a 'man who comes to fix your computer', then tell them to call 'Chris'. It makes it more personable and inviting.

Also, maybe tell them the hours they can contact you? I might get a leaflet and think, "Oh, I could do with their service, but it's Sunday. Would they be annoyed with me if I call?" Make it as obvious as possible for people.

Just my opinion, others may disagree...

pcfixmanchester

Hiya Chris

You getting some good feedback here.

As I said on the phone last night, its not worth rushing in and getting 5,000 leaflets printed without showing that leaflet to people and getting an independent point of view.

Rather than spending the money on 5,000 very simple leaflets that people will not remember or bother to read, spend the money on getting a smaller number of better quality larger leaflets.

The art of a leaflet (or any form on Advertising) is the hook, that one thing that catches the eye and makes the person want to keep reading. I hope you can stand some constructive criticism here, but your leaflet and website have no eye catching feature to make a person picking up your leaflet from the door mat want to read it. We all get too much junk so the thing you have to do is to make your leaflet the one they read and keep while they throw the rest of the pile in the bin.

These are just my ideas, there are lots of others and I hope more people on here come and give you more ideas to play with.

1, Rather than the 5,000 at A6 size, do a small run of A4 Z fold leaflets. Z fold is where you have an A4 piece of paper in Landscape orientation, which you fold into 3 Panels or columns. This gives you 6 Pages to fill and play with.

2, The hook, that first page of the Z Fold should have very sparse text, a nice large eye catching graphic and a simple message in large bold type.

3, At the bottom of that first page should be your name, phone, web, opening times and cost. All the basic information that any person wants to know.

4, Now hopefully the person has seen your front page and is intrigued enough to either open the leaflet or flip it over to read the back. So make sure the Back is again full of basic information about you and your services, in nice large easy to read fonts, without any fussy or overly complex design features that might distract the person from actually reading. The trick here to is to further arouse interest in the reader so they will decide to keep reading or at least put the leaflet aside for when they do have a computer problem.

5, On the Inside of the leaflet you now have a huge A4 sheet to fill. But again stick to plain large easy to read fonts, avoid lots of graphics or distractions, and try and break the page up into distinct areas. For example split between Mac or Windows, Home Users / Office Users, Training or Support. That way the person doesn't feel overwhelmed and can quickly see the section that might be relevant to them.

6, Some Good Hints on actually how to deliver a leaflet.
a) Don't deliver during the day Mon-Fri as your leaflet will just end up in the pile that is picked up when they household returns from work. People just sift out the post they need and generally throw the rest in the bin without even looking at the individual items. The times I have found best is from 7pm - 8:30pm where people fill hear the letterbox go, and usually will go and see what it is. That way your leaflet is the only thing they see and they are much more likely to read at least the first page.
b) When you putting the leaflet through the letterbox, try to have it slightly sticking out, that way it doesnt fall to the floor and get stolen by the dog !! and if you extra precise like I am !! as the person walks to retrieve the leaflet they are looking at your nice large graphic and text as they are walking towards it.
c)Just do small selections of houses at a time, as you walking towards a house try and guage if they are likely to want to spend money on IT Support. Many people still dont like to spend money on IT help when they have already spent a fortune at PC World or similar, and in todays climate it is fair enough that people dont want to or have the money available to spend. So check out the driveway for nice new cars, is the house well maintained, have a walk around the area on a Saturday Afternoon, is there a gardener working away or a painter decorater van oustide. If people are already paying for services they are much more likely to be in the mindset to pay for your services.

As well as leafleting homes, have you thought about other places that offer services ? Strange as it might sound, Beauty Parlours, Spas, Massage, Health clubs are full of people who are prepared to pay to have a good service. If you go to those places and tell them how you could provide a high level of service to their clients, and you offer them a introduction fee then you may well get some work that way.

Hope this all helps

I hope its not breaking forum rules, if it is please tell me or remove, but here is my current leaflet, feel free to take as many ideas as you want from it.

http://sites.google.com/site/fixmypcdownloads/leaflets

Dont be discouraged by the feedback you have had on your leaflet, and remember, dont rush into things, you will make mistakes as you start up in business, but at least if you only order a few hundred leaflets at a time that mistake is small, compared to having 5,000 leaflets that are not bringing you any work in.

Cheers

Andy

chrisb1357

Hi all,

Many Thanks for all the support so far and the comments on my not so good flyer LOL. Its good to get views from people on here and the support as its the first time i have done such thing

Chris

chrisb1357

Afternoon all,

Well its been a busy few days and with the great help of 2 members on here we have a new flyer deisgn which i would like your thoughts on and also the new website.

Flyer - http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3405/3669026452_26299e59d1_o.jpg

Site URL in my Profile

Chris