Advertising a monthly special - ideas?

[gnubler]

I'm a newly opened a sign & decal shop, just got a deal on running a series of ads in a local paper and plan to run one ad a month for the next six months offering a monthly special to get people in the door. Will be posting the same deal on social media to compare results. Most of my business is B2B, but I'm open to walk-in customers just as well. I'm a one man show starting very small, based in a lake resort town where the bulk of economic activity takes place from June - August. My shop does cut vinyl and mounting/production in house, anything printed gets outsourced. I also do installations (vehicles/windows) weather permitting. I have a surplus of vinyl I acquired from a closed business that I want to use up, so am pushing the decals & lettering and trying to avoid outsourcing unless it's something I can get a really good deal on.

Anyone else done an ad campaign like this? If so, what did you offer, when, and what kind of results did you have? Here's my ideas for each monthly promo by offering a % discount on that item, or throw in a service offer like '24 hr turnaround' (where possible).

March: RTA decal special, keeping the specs simple (single color, no detailed weeding, within a certain size range)
April: window lettering for vehicles & store fronts
May: graduation - yard signs or banners (Signs365 outsource)
June: boat ID numbers and boat names
July: banner sale (to get ready for the plethora of events happening in August)
August: don't know yet, maybe something related to the farmers market/fall festivals

 

[Moze]

I'm a one man show starting very small, based in a lake resort town where the bulk of economic activity takes place from June - August.

Sounds like McCall.....

 

[Robert Armerding]

gnubler What other promotional plans might you be thinking about using?

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

gnubler What other promotional plans might you be thinking about using?

I think that's what he's trying to ask the community. Do you have any you'd like to share Robert?

 

[Val47]

in my former life, I had to deal with regular ads in various trade magazines and online. Under the marketing director -when I had to deal with these... I had to regularly create new creative, and each one had to have an "offering" a deal of some kind. it was usually like 10% off something specific, or "site wide". we had a super fancy website we had just moved into, so the online part was easy - just coding in the offers. for the print stuff, and people called in or walked in, there was a code to enter in the order. It was great in helping to track where business was coming from.

I'm just going to assume you don't have "netsuite" lol, and your scale is much smaller. I think if you take anything away from my ramblings - make the ads visually dynamic, and offer them something - you need a call to action - to act on something they need.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Nothing beats face to face sales calls. Jamb all of your work into a few days and spend the rest of your time out shaking hands (or fist bumping if that's what were doing now?).

 

[Val47]

Nothing beats face to face sales calls. Jamb all of your work into a few days and spend the rest of your time out shaking hands (or fist bumping if that's what were doing now?).

True, but it sounds like he's already signed up for the advertising. now what, I think is what he's asking.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

I read several newspapers a day and have for years... but I can't remember the last time I physically held one... everything is online. Do those ads give you some online exposure? I would look into your online Google listing and maybe adwords.

 

[Val47]

There are some (still left) local publications for N. Idaho and Spokane... you may or may not get results from this audience, but yah, not sure what pub your looking at, but
... "consider your audience". you have someone sitting at the table drinking coffee - browsing... gonna throw it out there, they are on the toilet.
what do you have to offer your audience?
We, don't do print ads, no need... we have a good online record and presence. and word of mouth, and some seriously Large and loyal customers. Also mostly B2B, but people find us. Or just hear about us.

awe crap, I sound like Robert.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

I'm pretty cynical and would say print whether it's direct mail, coupon books, news papers, billboards, race car stickers etc don't do crap for a small business. That's feel good stuff. It may work some for a service business like an ac place but even that is suspect. You build your local business on relationships and word of mouth. Now if you have an active door to door sales force then the print will help, it's a subconscious recognition thing.

 

[Val47]

So, don't sign up again is what this guy in FL says... but now that your locked in, you have some guidance offered. not sure if it helps you, but it's there.

 

[gnubler]

Sounds like McCall.....

About an inch south of me on the map.

I appreciate all the comments and believe me, I hear you. I worked in commercial printing most of my life (including a newspaper) and have lived the steady decline and death of the trade, and have the cynicism to prove it. That I just started my own sign business might be questionable, but had I opened a print shop instead...well, then I could have thrown all my money into a pile and just lit it on fire. Same result, only faster.

The cost of these newspaper ads is negligible so I'm not fussing about that, and in my small mountain town the paper has an unusually high readership because internet in these parts is very spotty. Mostly it's an experiment to run the print ads and post the same offers on my website and on social media to see what works and what doesn't. I do the sales calls/door to door routine, but can only do so much before I have to get back to my sign cave. Looking for more passive ways to get the word out, without getting dragged down into social media upkeep and endless website upgrades, and all the Googly-gook. The more technology invades our lives the more time it all takes, and I have other things to do.

Any thoughts on the monthly specials I listed? I've designed plenty of ads in my time, and want to promote offers that are appropriate for the season and get people in the door or on the phone.

 

[Moze]

Ah, Ragazza Di Buffalo proximity....lucky you.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

They look well thought out which is more than most people do. I didn't like the march one but the rest look good.
The only thing that crosses my mind is if it would be better to run the same thing multiple times or is it better to change it up like you're proposing? I forget the exact number but it takes a consumer something like 10 times of seeing the same thing before they act. I couldn't tell you whether or not that applies here.

 

[zspace]

I'm a newly opened a sign & decal shop, just got a deal on running a series of ads in a local paper and plan to run one ad a month for the next six months offering a monthly special to get people in the door. Will be posting the same deal on social media to compare results. Most of my business is B2B, but I'm open to walk-in customers just as well. I'm a one man show starting very small, based in a lake resort town where the bulk of economic activity takes place from June - August. My shop does cut vinyl and mounting/production in house, anything printed gets outsourced. I also do installations (vehicles/windows) weather permitting. I have a surplus of vinyl I acquired from a closed business that I want to use up, so am pushing the decals & lettering and trying to avoid outsourcing unless it's something I can get a really good deal on.

Anyone else done an ad campaign like this? If so, what did you offer, when, and what kind of results did you have? Here's my ideas for each monthly promo by offering a % discount on that item, or throw in a service offer like '24 hr turnaround' (where possible).

March: RTA decal special, keeping the specs simple (single color, no detailed weeding, within a certain size range)
April: window lettering for vehicles & store fronts
May: graduation - yard signs or banners (Signs365 outsource)
June: boat ID numbers and boat names
July: banner sale (to get ready for the plethora of events happening in August)
August: don't know yet, maybe something related to the farmers market/fall festivals

‘Two things come to mind.
- Use a “Buy Local” tone. That is the strength in advertising in the local paper.
- Why offer discounts? I’m not saying don’t do it, just suggesting you consider what value it brings to you and can you achieve the same thing another way. If stores need to freshen up their storefronts in May before the season starts, then offering a discount only reduces your profit at the time when they most need to buy and you should be making most of your money from that product.

 

[Stacey K]

Years back I used to do this. I offered discounts on "non-seasonal" items. Vehicles in January, banners in February, things like that.

These days, I would do something like this instead:
500 Free business cards with a vehicle install
10 free 1 color, one sided yard signs with a vehicle install
5 free 1 color tshirts with a vehicle install
Vehicle install - pick 10 yard signs, 10 tshirts or 500 business cards

Vehicle installs, especially cut vinyl are good money makers so group free stuff with those, you aren't losing much. Business cards and yard signs are cheap to make/order. So are 1 color Gildan tshirts. These are good gimmicks for a new guy in business as they need all these things but may not be able to afford them all at once.

Anytime I have a new business I make sure to tell them that in the future if they need yard signs, tshirts, business cards, building sign, I have their logo on file forever and can easily create the above from it. This gets them thinking about things they didn't think about before and often they will at least ask for a price for one or more items. Often I see them again in the near future!

 

[Reveal1]

Time to get into the 21st century. I live in an area of approx. 60M population in the surrounding 30 miles. We have a daily newspaper with a 5,000 circulation and unknown online subscription. Not a great bang for the business-to-business buck and declining. I spend approx. $300/mo on Google/MS ads and occasional facebook boosts of posts. Other than direct referral, search is my best source of new leads. We are in a business where a consumer usually buys occasionally when a need arises. To get noticed requires either a comprehensive top-of-mind campaign (expensive repetitive advertising) or being there when they are ready to buy. By the way, paid search increases your organic search results.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Years back I used to do this. I offered discounts on "non-seasonal" items. Vehicles in January, banners in February, things like that.

These days, I would do something like this instead:
500 Free business cards with a vehicle install
10 free 1 color, one sided yard signs with a vehicle install
5 free 1 color tshirts with a vehicle install
Vehicle install - pick 10 yard signs, 10 tshirts or 500 business cards

Vehicle installs, especially cut vinyl are good money makers so group free stuff with those, you aren't losing much. Business cards and yard signs are cheap to make/order. So are 1 color Gildan tshirts. These are good gimmicks for a new guy in business as they need all these things but may not be able to afford them all at once.

Anytime I have a new business I make sure to tell them that in the future if they need yard signs, tshirts, business cards, building sign, I have their logo on file forever and can easily create the above from it. This gets them thinking about things they didn't think about before and often they will at least ask for a price for one or more items. Often I see them again in the near future!

Very good ideas!

 

[Stacey K]

And in the future, I would stick to Facebook/online ads and post every good job you do, without FB my business would not be where it is today.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Time to get into the 21st century. I live in an area of approx. 60M population in the surrounding 30 miles. We have a daily newspaper with a 5,000 circulation and unknown online subscription. Not a great bang for the business-to-business buck and declining. I spend approx. $300/mo on Google/MS ads and occasional facebook boosts of posts. Other than direct referral, search is my best source of new leads. We are in a business where a consumer usually buys occasionally when a need arises. To get noticed requires either a comprehensive top-of-mind campaign (expensive repetitive advertising) or being there when they are ready to buy. By the way, paid search increases your organic search results.

Not to get this off track but we used to use adwords and it seemed to be effective but tough to tell. I get that it's something that you really have to work properly in order to fully benefit from it. What turned me off of it was them constantly upping the cost of the keywords and I found it hard to believe that all of the sudden other companies were after these same obscure words. We were advertising real niche products with a very small market and only a few competitors across the country. Not like we are competing with local plumbers.