Handbill and coupon advertising are usually cheap forms of advertising, but service businesses pose a unique problem when it comes to marketing: most only serve one local area and owners can't afford to take out expensive ads.
The solution is to use these cheaper ads to your best advantage. They provide a more personal communication and that's what your goal is. When you sell a service, as opposed to a product, customers have to be able to trust you, and using local handbill and coupon advertising can be a winning marketing plan.
1. Consider the fact that handbill advertisement usually involves handing a flyer to someone in person. You can start a business relationship on the right foot by presenting yourself well.
2. Putting out coupon ads not only advertises your name and business, but offers a discount to customers to get them in the door. Once you have a chance to win them over, sweep them off their feet and you have a repeat customer.
3. Online coupon advertisements can be used to target a specific market or, if you can provide services to more than just your local area, the whole world.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Do some legwork using handbill advertising
Handbills are any kind of literature that is handed out (thus, the term "handbill"). These can be quarter sheet flyers, tri-fold brochures and even door hangers. Door hangers are sturdy strips of paper with perforated tops you can punch out to hang the ad on people's doors. It can be hard work to go from house to house, but you're guaranteed that your intended customers will see your ad.
I recommend: Get flyers made up quickly using
Next Day Flyers. Give door hangers a try with custom printed door hangers in three different sizes from
SOS Products.
Try out coupon book advertising in your local market
Coupon books are great tools for getting your name out there. Even if you're already established, anyone looking for a deal is going to pick up one of these coupon books. Most of these books are reasonably priced, but you should try to shop around to get the best bang for your buck.
I recommend: Sign up to advertise with the
Entertainment Book from Entertainment Publications; this is a great book displaying ads from local businesses. Try a different kind of coupon book:
Valpak Cooperative Direct Mail. You've seen the blue packets that come in your mail; they have numerous coupons contained inside, mostly for local businesses. Valpak is a large company but can still keep their prices affordable.
Give your company great exposure by using online coupon advertising
If you have a service that can be marketed nationwide, or even worldwide, putting ads online is one of your best bets. Nowadays, people find what they need on the Internet and if your ad is strategically placed on a website they're viewing, you may end up having a potential customer visiting your website.
I recommend: Check out the options offered at
BidVertiser.com; you design your ad and only pay when someone clicks on it. If you've got some decent cash flow, check out banner ads from
AdReady.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- Some coupon advertising companies may be willing to barter with you. That's the great thing about owning a service business. Try to negotiate a one month trial ad in, say, a local coupon book, in exchange for a comparable value of services from you.
- A word of warning if you want to do online advertising: stay away from pop-up ads, as well as pop-unders. These types of ads generally annoy people and the user closes them very quickly.
The official source of Handbill and Coupon Advertising is
the Handbill and Coupon Advertising page at Business.com
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