Advertising made easy

by Joseph Penasso
(Portland, Or., US)

At first it seems hard to find the right kind of promotion for your new company. My background comes from a now sank career in mortgage lending. But during the fall of my short time there i learned how to promote myself in the business with very little cost, and most of all these tactics can be used in other service based businesses.

1)

I would say the biggest tool you can use in a service base work place is custumer referral incentives! It's easy. first you have your general hook (draw them in), that's what the rest of this page is about, but to get repeat clients and greater number of them let them work for you!

i.e.: someone comes in on a promotional massage say 70 dollars for an hour and half!!! looks good. on the way out assuming you gave them a massage to their liking, you ask if they liked it and what not and them inform them that if they get someone to come in and mention who sent them you will give them a 25% off their next one and 25% off each massage per person... notice NO FREE MASSAGE!!! also keep track of how much it cost you in discounts so you can use that when you do your taxes as an advertising expense! this way you pay for your advertising as you get clients instead of paying for it and hoping it works enough to justify your spending.

2)

Don't forget your clients! when a client comes in you have their information (address, birthday, wedding date, so on) If you notice that a client hasn't been making it there send them a little something, a simple card might just be the reminder they need. Also if you have a client that spends a lot there on a regular bases keep them happy and they will stay with you, also they are a great resource for referrals.

these are both examples of in office advertising, and both have a low cost in comparison, not to mention you know it reaches future customers only! no waste at all.

now out office ads... these have a cost, consume time, and have a tendency to have turn downs and back fires!

Flyering.... this is a useful tool but must be done with care! Before jumping into the general public pick your target group FIRST THING!!! if you do your hand outs at wal-mart, or walgreens, even safeway... just cheap places with food think of way people are there. they are spending as little money possible for something they need, do you think they are likely to spend a lot of money on a want? not too likely, you might get a few here and there.

Now look at a mall, here is a place that is over priced and sells non-essentials. these people have a disposable income and aren't afraid to spend money in these hard economic times. Just make sure that the mall or whatever store you find is in your area or close to.

before flyering at a store just ask yourself, why are people here, and what kind of people are here. make sure its people who will spend the money, and have the bank to back it.

Gym flyers and cards: these can be tough! before Flyering a gym you need to ask if you can do so, if they have someone there already you then have a conflict of interest and that can lead to many more problems! If they don't though (like a new gym or just one that hasn't done so) might be a great in for you!

if you guys have any comments, questions, and more tips for me please feel free to email me at jeremiah31.3@hotmail.com

thank you for your time,
Joseph Penasso