Quick, simple, effective marketing ideas?

[Jon Aston]

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.

OK. So Sun Tzu didn't actually post that. But I think he made a pretty good point.

Pat, I have to say that I'm a little surprised to find you starting a thread like this - which is meant as nothing but a compliment.

Take a step back, analyze the situation, develop a strategy, have clear and measurable objectives, execute with appropriate tactics, measure results, refine. Systemize. You'll get farther ahead and your business will have much greater value to prospective buyers.

 

[blueben]

I went to a marketing workshop about a year ago and the main guy who was talking to us said that easiest and cheapest form of advertising is your business card. He said they are like seeds. If you are planting a garden and you plant 100 seeds out to grow only a small percentage will actually grow. Your cards are like seeds. You spread them out and a percentage will call and use you for their projects. I usually go through about 1500 to 2000 business cards a month and I would say I get about 15-20 jobs a month from people who say they got my card at so and so's.

 

[Malkin]

We opened a 2nd location about 30 miles away. We spent some effort doing a targeted mailing. We gathered address from our local CofC and yellow pages. The envelopes contained a letter introducing ourselves and an invitation to an open house, and a magnetic business card. The letters were all signed and the envelopes were all hand-addressed. We sent out about 500 (got 5-10% back as returned mail). We had a few people stop by the shop the next day, letter in hand. It seemed to work well as a boost to get going. We had already been networking with a successful BNI group for several months in that area before opening the location.

 

[ddarlak]

get a merchant membership at signs 101 and start selling tee shirts....

 

[john1]

Great information here guys, What gets me is i have honestly done 90% of what you guys are recommending that "works" and am still not a steady business. The 10% i haven't done is local group networking. There is allowed only 1 profession per network group and EVERY group has one around here which means i'm outta luck.

I'm really starting to think it's either the saturated market we're in and or this economy. The way i have been going about things may be it but i read so much information and try so many approaches that it seems endless on what works.

When i first started i did no advertising but on small forums and word of mouth and i was steady. The past few years i have been up and down, more downs then ups though.

I find myself lately doing little small random graphic jobs just to keep the machines running and to make up some kind of cash flow.

I had a hair stylist today who said she is probably closing her shop since it's DEAD out there. She bought 2 small signs today to display in front of her shop advertising $8.00 mens haircuts as a last shot.

 

[SqueeGee]

Great thread and ideas! I've thought about boxes for our banners a number of times but never ordered them. What size/type of box or tube have you found works best? Do you stock different lengths?

We print small labels in our edge print voids and stick them on all kinds of stuff. Backs of signs, real estate frames, you name it, our tools, etc. You'll be amazed at how often you use them IF they are already made up and ready to go.

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

there are many ideas. . . but the way to be successful is to build a plan. an action is simply one part of the entire program ... that should be continuous and ongoing...never ending.

everytime a shop gets slow they take on a marketing project. it should be on going all of the time and it should be much more than just a simple action like sending out a postcard. how are you going to follow up? what is your plan to convert the inquiries you revceive into sales? etc etc.

it amazes me how many sign companies do not have a referal program in place. in my opinion this is a must. if you do not have a referal program in place you are missing a HUGE opportunity for high quality prospective clients.

i could write a monster of a post with idea after idea of marketing ideas. in my opinion what you should be thinking about is marketing strategy. what types of clients you are trying to reach, etc. i am not a big fan of the throwing a hand full of spaghetti noodles at the wall and hoping something sticks.

 

[Mark Smith]

I'd like to post a link to a blog entry I wrote about this (Fred, if this is a TOS violation let me know and I'll copy and paste instead, but it's big).

21 Ways To Drum Up Business In A Slow Economy

When I started out in the sign business and was still "getting my legs" so to speak I didn't know how to get any business rolling. Many of these were things I did from instinct, but they were instrumental in my eventual success.

Pat, you're a long timer so they may not apply - but hopefully will spark an idea or two!

 

[Blaney]

Word of mouth works best for me. A heating and cooling company in town had white panel van with basic black lettering. Playing around with new software I designed a logo for the company. I went to Toys R Us and bought a die cast van ($12) lettered it with the new logo out of scrap. I took the van and a dozen donuts to his shop, introduced myself. A week later he called and asked me to redo his 6 vehicles. After that I receive several calls from referrals he gave me and now his referrals are referring me too.

 

[Mark Smith]

Blaney: brilliant! I love it. That's creative advertising. ;-)

 

[blueben]

it amazes me how many sign companies do not have a referal program in place. in my opinion this is a must. if you do not have a referal program in place you are missing a HUGE opportunity for high quality prospective clients.

I cant believe I didnt mention this. I have a referral program for our business cards. Are's is you refer 10 people to us for business cards you will receive 1000 business cards free. I have 2 people that have gotten this a couple of times.

 

[blueben]

it amazes me how many sign companies do not have a referal program in place. in my opinion this is a must. if you do not have a referal program in place you are missing a HUGE opportunity for high quality prospective clients.

I cant believe I didnt mention this. I have a referral program for our business cards. Are's is you refer 10 people to us for business cards you will receive 1000 business cards free. I have 2 people that have gotten this a couple of times.

 

[Pat Whatley]

This actually came up because I'm getting burned out on this business. I'm making good money, it's just the same old crap over and over. I'm letting things ride until January 1. By then I fully intend to have a new plan and take the shop in a new direction.

The simple, cheap, effective idea was more of a brainstorming idea than anything else. There's a time and a place for high-end marketing and a time and place for low-end.

 

[Jon Aston]

Pat:

Sorry. I was going to post something last evening (before you posted - couldn't quite find the right words) to apologize - and state that I was probably being a presumptuous ass. For all I know, you're a strategy whiz, have a killer plan, etc - and what's wrong with brainstorming on a tactical level with a bunch of your signs101 friends? Absolutely nothing.

For the record, I'm not (much of) a marketing snob. I'm all for creative, inexpensive, "guerrilla" tactics. My point is that they should fit a strategy.
I've just read so many "what works for you in marketing" and "does radio advertising work?" threads that totally miss the mark... and I can't stand lazy, directionless marketing. I mistakenly thought you were starting another one of those kinds of discussions - hence my surprise.

Best of luck with whatever new direction you take...

 

[Pat Whatley]

Apologize for what? The advice you offered is probably the best so far. I was just tossing this out there to see if somebody had discovered a little niche they were exploiting.

The new direction is because I've just paid off the loan to buy my shop (in only three years) and realize that I don't want to be sticker cutter/sticker sticker guy for another 20 years. I'm either going to go small, home based, and focus on what I really make money at or I'm going in the other direction and I'm going to look at opening two or three other locations.

So....anybody got any other good marketing ideas?

 

[ddarlak]

go small, work at home and enjoy your family. you open two or three locations you'll miss the best parts of them growing up.

 

[Pat Whatley]

I'll start another thread for the go big or go home discussion.

 

[ddarlak]

then i'll wait until that thread to give you quick, yet simple marketing ideas....

 

[Jillbeans]

I like Blaney's idea.
But if I did that here more than likely they would just take my donuts and be insulted that I tried to improve their nephew art, then let the nephew play with the little van.