For small to medium-size company, these tactics are more than just low-cost; they are also very effective. They will provide you with a steady flow of incoming business year after year. They include personal contacts (or networking), face-to-face contacts, classes, free speeches, publicity, circulars, signs, and small ads. These tactics work for manufacturers, engineering firms, day-care centres, retailers, and every other type of business.
PUBLICITY AND FLIERS
Everyone can get some publicity.
- The two Rules of Publicity
Have events that are worthy of publicity
You need to develop an eye for publicity. Editors of newspapers and magazines or radio producers won’t carry everything you send to them. New products and new store openings are traditional ways of getting publicity. You can also use classes, seminars, demonstrations, contests, or store business visits by celebrities. This tactic does a great job of generating publicity.
One of the often ignored publicity channels is the community bulletin boards in your local newspaper or on a local radio station. They will run publicity for seminars, classes, or any other event you run. Seminars have been run where 50% of those attending came as a result of a community bulletin board announcement.
Get your announcement out on time
It often takes two to four months to get a magazine to run a publicity release, and newspapers take two to three weeks. Even community bulletin boards require ten days to two weeks notice. You should post in your office a list of every newspaper or magazine you plan on using, the name of the key contact at each one, and how far advance you need to send information. Editors will usually gladly give you this information. One of the reasons to call editors in advance is that sometimes they will run a bigger story than just a small press release. They might send a writer to cover the event, or they might ask you for a small report. Either way, the extra publicity will help.
- Fliers or Circulars
Consumer fliers
A flier or circular is a simple one-page sales brochure that states what you want to do and offers something free to potential customers, such as a discount , a free estimate, or a free consultation. You can hand -deliver fliers, post small versions of them on community boards at shopping malls of banks, and have them delivered at another business. For example, a shoe repair business might distribute fliers for a dry cleaning shop.
Business-to business fliers
The most common industrial use of fliers is as an insert to a trade magazine, an insert in a monthly billing or other communication, or an insert in another company’s mailing.
For a fee, trade magazines will include a piece of promotional literature. Depending on its size, a trade magazine might also insert a flier for a small geographic area. You can also make up fliers to go out with routine correspondence during a particular period. If much of your correspondence goes o buyers or marketers ( rather than accounting or customer service), you can also exchange fliers with another company that serves the same market.
Dated Announcements
Have your flier centred around a dated announcement. For example, fliers work well if you are announcing a seminar or class, a one-week sale, or a week when people can come and use your equipment in a production setting. Dated coupons are another common tactic. You can also offer something free to the first respondents.
