ADVERTISING

Success in any field is dependent on customers. Getting customers is especially important when starting out. Advertising is the key to bringing in customers during the early stages. Even though word of mouth will be limited at the start, it can still help you. My first big job came to me because of a next-door neighbor who was familiar with my work. He told a friend of his who was opening a dry cleaning store about my skills and I got the job to build all the cabinets for the new store. Since most new businesses work with an almost non-existent advertising budget, this kind of help is invaluable.

There are many ways to get your message out without spending much money. You definitely need business cards. If you have a computer and printer, I suggest that you make your own and print only the quantity you need. Use these cards to introduce your business to everyone you know. You can give the cards to everyone you run into and mail the cards together with a brief letter about your business to every address you have. Send emails to everyone on your email list and tell them about your new business and encourage everyone to call you or email you about anyone who might use your services.

Print up flyers and take them to any location that will allow you to put them up. This may include grocery stores, restaurants, churches and Laundromats. In some communities there are small businesses that specialize in delivering flyers to bulletin boards in various locations. One of these services may be able to spread your flyers to 100 or more locations.

Create some nice postcards with your computer and printer and then mail them to nearby subdivisions. You can get the addresses from directories at the local library. Some of these directories will even describe the income levels of the subdivision. You can also visit subdivisions and other areas that seem to need your business. Walk the area taking down addresses and meet and talk with as many people as possible about your business. You may not get immediate response from these cards and visits but people tend to keep the information in a drawer and you will get a call from them a year or two later. It may not help much now but in the long term it will. If you live in a subdivision, walk the neighborhood taking down addresses. Mail every address a postcard that indicates you live right in the neighborhood.

The newspaper is a good place to advertise but it can be costly. Use the classifieds and place the largest ad you can afford but remember that consistency is better than large size. You would be better off running a small ad regularly than a large ad one time. Check out the weekly newspapers in your area. The advertising is usually cheaper and the ad remains available for a full week. This increases the odds that it will be seen.

Use a photo album if your work involves anything you make yourself. In this age of Internet access, it is also a good idea to have a web site to keep pictures of your work and information about your business. A simple web site can be made using a free program such as the Nvu program described in the chapter on web sites.

Establish a regular budget for advertising, no matter how small. Each month determine how best to spend that amount to help build your business. Don’t make it a haphazard thing. Advertising is critical to your success. Keep tabs on the success of your ads and stick with those that pull customers and drop those that don’t.