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How do you advertise / promote your business to get more business?

caribmike

caribmike

Retired with a Side Hustle
I've never advertised. We've been in the same location for 45 years and are always super busy. But, now we're about to semi-retire, closing the shop and moving to our home office where we'll transition into a 100% online entity. We've already completed the transition for our commercial printing business. The only thing left is the sign business. I suppose I'll use Facebook and Google ads.
 
Stacey K

Stacey K

I like making signs
Texas_Signmaker said:
Gnubler had been looking forward to her visit to the new bar in town all week. She had heard great things about the drinks and the atmosphere, and she couldn't wait to see it for herself.

When she arrived, she was immediately impressed by the decor. The dim lighting and the cozy booths gave the bar a welcoming feel, and the bartender greeted her with a smile.

Gnubler ordered her favorite cocktail, a margarita, and settled in to enjoy the evening. She struck up a conversation with the person sitting next to her, a friendly stranger who was also enjoying a drink.

As the night wore on, the bar became more crowded, and the music grew louder. Gnubler found herself swept up in the excitement, dancing with her new friend and trying out different drinks.

But as the night began to wind down, Gnubler realized that she had lost track of time. She checked her watch and saw that it was much later than she had planned to stay out.

Feeling a bit disoriented, she stumbled out of the bar and into the cool night air. As she walked home, she couldn't help but think about how much fun she had had at the bar, and she made a mental note to come back again soon.
Click to expand...
What kind of an ending is that? This is the start of a great story, I want more! Chapter 2 by Friday please!
 
spb

spb

✨鞄➕
What's worked pretty well for me is being ready to show examples of my work to anyone at a moment's notice. I have a business card with a website and Instagram link that has samples of shirts, banners, stickers and sublimation items so people can see exactly what kinds of items I can produce. I can pull up my Instagram on my phone or tablet and show a handful of examples of things I do. I think people like to look at pictures and videos (particularly with things like holographic stickers, lenticular stickers, laser engraved items) of the things they could order. Probably 90% of my business has been customers telling other customers about me. I feel like showing "proof" of what you make has quite a bit more impact than saying "I do banners, shirts, stickers, embroidery, blah, blah, blah..."

Gimmicks are good sometimes - I have a super-glossy metallic glitter business card that's sublimated on both sides. I like to drop it on a hard surface and hear the clinking noise of the metal as it lands on the surface. It's cool to the touch and people freak out a little over it. The blanks cost me about 20 cents apiece and I press them myself. I've seen a few shaped business cards, like origami cards and weird stuff like that. Stamped metallic foil on a business card, other touches that might make you stand out.

Throw out an occasional discount to existing customers and see if they're interested in something like 10-15% off this week only on whatever.

Free samples are good too, if you're in a situation where it is appropriate to give them out.
 
Stacey K

Stacey K

I like making signs
I have some free samples also. I printed some American flags and a few other little things. I also have tshirts printed with my logo so if someone comes in looking for apparel and they aren't sure on sizes, I let them grab a couple to take home. I have Gildan 2000 and District 130 to choose from. Most people end up going with the District which is slightly higher in price - a bit of an upsell LOL
 
Texas_Signmaker

Texas_Signmaker

Very Active Signmaker
Stacey K said:
What kind of an ending is that? This is the start of a great story, I want more! Chapter 2 by Friday please!
Click to expand...
I tried to give it some more ideas about gnubler... and adding Gino to the story, but this is what I got.


I'm sorry, but as an AI language model, I cannot generate inappropriate or offensive content, as it goes against ethical and moral guidelines. My purpose is to provide helpful and informative responses while promoting positivity and respect. Is there anything else I can help you with?
 
M

Madonjohn

New Member
One effective way to advertise and promote your business to attract more customers is through direct mailing. You can create targeted mailing lists based on your target audience and send out promotional materials, such as postcards or flyers, directly to their addresses. This allows you to reach potential customers directly and showcase your products or services, generating interest and driving more business to your doorstep.
 
gnubler

gnubler

Active Member
Anyone doing email newsletters with good results? I'm considering sending one per month for the next few months to see if it generates any feedback or sales. Something short and simple, with a different call to action offer each month. I recently moved into a larger shop and have upgraded my services, and want to get the word out without being annoying or spammy.

I've used both MailChimp and Constant Contact for mailings in the past at jobs I've had and am a fan of the "less is more" marketing plan.
 
DirtyD

DirtyD

New Member
For my business, I've found success with a few strategies. Social media presence is a game-changer, so don't underestimate the power of consistent, engaging content there. Also, a well-designed website with easy navigation and SEO optimization can bring more eyeballs.
But the most crucial step for me has been understanding competition and their ad strategies. I've been using this AdSpy tool that helps me analyze competitors' successful ads across multiple platforms. It's like decoding their secret recipe, haha. It gives me insights into what's working for them, which I apply to my advertising approach. It's a great starting point if you're trying to up your ad game.
 
Geneva Olson

Geneva Olson

Expert Storyteller
gnubler said:
Was going to start a new thread but I'll bump this one since there's some good input in it.

Late last year my shop moved to a new location, all of 2 miles away but different city. I updated my Google business profile and called it done, figured it would be business as usual. I'm based in a low population rural area and winter is always quieter, but ever since moving to the new location I noticed a significant decline in new customer phone calls and website requests, like from a dozen or more a week to zero. Turns out I have all but disappeared from Google, I don't show up in search results at all and on the map results I'm way down the list, even below competitors that are 60 miles away. I'm searching for things like "sign shop near me" or "banner printing" or "truck wrap", tried a bunch of different phrases as a prospective customer might. This was not the case at my old location and I never had to advertise because I was easily found. A lot of my business is word of mouth and repeats, but being found on the internet is crucial for me. At least half of my business is new customers. I often ask "how did you find us?" and they say online.

Met with an IT/SEO person and he gave me some good feedback. Had to manually update my Yellow Pages listing, Yelp, Manta, local directories...none of these are for advertising per se but the more sites I appear on the better for search results. On one search engine (Bing) I was listed as closed. Nice. I'm on the verge of reopening my Instagram page and keeping it updated only as a tool for SEO. My website domain name is also an issue, apparently if you're not a dotcom you don't matter, so I have some back end changes to make.

If anyone else has dealt with a similar situation let me know if there's anything else I can do to remain prominent online. As far as other avenues, I'm running ads in the local paper (it has a large readership) and attending networking functions. Hope it doesn't come down to doing cold calls or going door to door, I suck at that.
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we do all of our own advertising on google. Thats pretty much the only thing we use. We have learned that reviews help pump us up and photos. We post photos and add the hashtags to gain more visibility. It appears that people like to look at photos. the more photos you put on your google page, the more traffic you get.
 
Ryk

Ryk

New Member
I'm currently grappling with the same question of how to expand my business. Currently, the majority of our clients come through referrals from existing customers, and I feel that this approach is limiting the speed of our business growth.
 
Stacey K

Stacey K

I like making signs
I just ordered some hard cards that are 9x4 double sided that shows most of what I offer. I'm handing them out with every order. I find a lot of people might know I do vehicle lettering but are surprised to find out I do apparel, signs and "stickers".

I'm a big believer in FB. I started making reels with short videos to music and posting them TO FB and Tik Tok. THEY ARE TOTALLY CHEESY - But - hey, it gets people's attention. And a lot of people share them.

OneDrive

1drv.ms 1drv.ms
 
S

stamford signs

New Member
Back before the internet and cell phones
I made a deal with two different local companies to letter the sides of their box trucks for free if they let me use the back door for my advertisement. Do I had two advertisements going around all day. Worked out pretty good
 
JamesLam

JamesLam

New Member
Been at this end of the racket for over 30 years and I still get the occasional person saying..."I had no idea that you even existed!?" As much as I want to slap them I have to remind myself that it's on me that they don't know.

What's the lesson to be learned here? Be relentless with getting you name out there even if (especially if) you are busy.
 
Signarama Jockey

Signarama Jockey

New Member
I have seen a lot of different strategies tried by the businesses I've worked for. The sad reality is that people have developed a kind of internal ad blocker. The zone out during commercials, they just throw away junk mail without ever looking at it and they blur out sponsorship logos. We've done direct mail, radio ads, a localized google web advertising program, we've done sponsorships and coupons, none of it really popped.

What seems to work, though is someone who is a real people person going out and actually talking to people. The kind of person who goes to a car show and talks to every single person there. Not necessarily sales, but public relations. I have worked with some incredibly charismatic people and they bring in big numbers. Have you got a sales team, or anything like that?
 
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