My advertisement=NO Leads---I need your help

advertising stategies

[amflores]

I'm trying to start my own webdesign company so I designed a flyer. I went out last week and went to what I thought were perspective customers to hand out flyers. I dropped the flyers off at several places like beauty salons, realty co., attorneys, restaurants and several others. Anyway, I'm disappointed. I probably handed out over 80 flyers but to no avail.

I was wondering if you guys could give me some advice. I uploaded a copy of my flyer. Can you guys take a look and tell me where I went wrong.

Here it is [snip] . It is a Word Document but dont worry, there's no viruses.

Thanks in advance!

[edited by: Drastic at 3:01 pm (utc) on July 25, 2003]
[edit reason] No URLs to your own sites/info please. [/edit]

[pff_iy]

You say you are aiming at local prospective clients, yet your solutions sound as if they are very creative and visual and should be aimed at architects etc.

The other issue with flyers is that people are very weary of such web solutions through experience (other people they know) they believe that they will get a very poorly constructed cheap solution built using MS Word constructed by a college kid.

Don’t laugh I have actually seen a customer that had a solution built just that way! So it puts punters of the genuine article when it comes along.

[Drastic]

I doubt the problem is your flyer. It's the method and quantity.

80 flyers is not very many, you'd probably need to send out over a thousand before you might get a response.

How many people need a website right now? Ok, how many of those people probably got one of your flyers? Of those, how many would choose a service from a flyer rather than the service recommended by their friend/co-worker?

As an example, I need some landscaping work done at my house. I have received a flyer on my door. But, I have a neighbor who is in landscaping, and I also have a friend who has a landscaping business. Chances of the guy who put the flyer out getting my work is pretty slim.

I'm not saying you can't get work this way, just don't expect great returns. You need to be putting flyers out by the thousands, at least by the hundreds. Many, many more than by the tens.

There are better ways of getting your name out there. Like doing some free charity work. Who do you think the people at the charity would recommend if their relative/buddy mentions they need a website.

[korkus2000]

Local bands playing shows should try and put out at least a few thousand flyers to get people to come see4 their shows. Their product has excellent word of mouth advertizing. Like drastic said, you need more flyers. If markets that are use to acting on flyers need such a broadcast, I would think you would need to distribute more than those markets.

[moltar]

Maybe instead of flyering you should try and find one specific customer that is REALLY interested and talk him into it personally.

Once you get few customers hopefully you will get lots of leads from them. Of course, if you do a good job :)

I think web design is not something that should be promoted by flyers. Of course it's not limited, but think yourself, would you actually order a web page to someone if you saw a flyer? I wouldn't.

[bunltd]

80 flyers isn't very many - and since you'll generally get maybe a 1% response from that type of thing, what you've seen (not much) is what I would expect.

Like drastic said, charity work can be a way to get started.

No one else has mentioned it: but what about your own web site - is it up to snuff? Does it show up in the SERPS? Do you advertise online at all? Quite a bit of our business comes directly from our online efforts (that and referrals) - our thought here: we're an online company - if we can't do it for ourselves, why should someone believe we can do it for them?

Hope this helps.

LisaB

[amflores]

Thanks for the replies. The idea with the charity work is a great one. My website is up and running but I decided not to put my web address on the flyer. I wanted to make the flyer less of a "junk mail" feel and more personable. I guess I should try my hand in a different form of advertising. The reason I did flyers is because I know for a fact most of the businesses I targeted are not currently online. I thought about just walking in these stores in person but figured it would be kind of intrusive.

What other ways could I target these businesses? I'm just starting out on my own and resources are quite low at the moment. Any other ideas how I can target the local community without spending tons of money?

[bunltd]

Try joining your local Chamber of Commerce... it's a good way to meet local business owners and network.

LisaB

[tedster]

When I was starting out, I tried a bunch of things that brought me NO results:

XXX flyers
XXX direct mail
XXX cold calling (phone)
XXX cold calling (door to door)
XXX emailing site owners to suggest an upgrade
XXX local newspaper ads

What did work was networking -- talking to people in a natural way, putting out the word of mouth that I was in the web development business.

One key was being in the right situation - being a small business myself (at least hopefully) I went to small business meetings in my area. I also went to every party I was invited to, and it was natural to talk about "what do you do for a living?" I talked to everyone I knew about it -- family, friends, neighbors -- often to ask for their advice and ideas about how to market myself.

My first contracts were with a friend of a friend. Those early websites built me a rudimentary portfolio. For my first site I worked for a piece of the profits and some software (DreamWeaver and Homesite.)

Eventually the word spread and people started calling me. I haven't needed to actively market my services in quite a while.

[PatrickDeese]

I will second the suggestions for a charity - go to a web directory like Yahoo or Dmoz - and drill down in their regional section and see which Charitable organizations have websites. Check to see when they were last updated. Lots of times they haven't been updated in ages, but need someone to put their newsletter online.

If you can't find a site for an organization - double check that they don't have one. Offer them one to "cut your teeth".

I made a site for my local chapter of nature related organization and the board of directors have sent me at least a dozen referrals - and they always thank me in their quarterly newsletter when I do updates, which are usually really minor - usually little 15 minute jobbies that I have my assistant do.

Also, since they are a charity it is easier to get them listings in places like DMOZ , Yahoo, Looksmart, etc. So if your site has a link, well, that is helpful as well.