[Malrex]

Howdy gang--

I wrote awhile ago about starting my own business and got alot of helpful replies.....well, I'm doing it! I'm getting everything squared away and I'm trying to figure out a good way for my company (which is me, a 1 man show) to advertise.

I really wanted to make some nice door hangers (I love yours Stonehenge), but I'm a little hesitant to do so for my first year or, for my first few months. My main reason is because I would like to have some pictures of my work on the door hangers, but I haven't done any work in the area (moved to PA recently.)

I have business cards, but I'm not sure if putting up everywhere I can in places of business will generate anything or enough.

I'm leaning towards the newspaper at this point.

I'm getting a little nervous because I feel like I missed the boat with Spring quickly approaching, but I've been working on our new house and time has seemed to got away from me.

My question is, what advice can you give to a newbie's first year for advertising?

[Stonehenge]

Stick to the cheap papers - I know some people here (cutntrim I believe is one) swear by the community papers. I'm not a fan of any papers - seemed like a big money pit to me.

If you did work elsewhere, I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to use that. So what that it wasn't done in PA.

Get yourself a website. If you sign up for Yahoo PPC advertising you can get a 5 page site for free. Even a lot of internet ISPs give you free web space to create a site included with your dial-up or cable account (it might be something like hometown.aol.com/~yourname, but for right now, that's good enough).

The doorhangers can be very inexpensive, but yeah, you'd better get on it pretty quick. We just got hit with a big blast of snow, so it's put a slowdown on spring fever around me, but it'll fire up again in a few weeks, I'm sure.

And apparently, Yahoo groups seem to work pretty well.

[Cochran]

Lots of word of mouth! Tell everybody what you do, offer them business cards (I never hand out just 1 business card, unless I can sense it's a fruitless effort)--for themselves as well as friends, neighbors, etc. We moved to our current location a year ago (this week, in fact!) and have yet to run an ad in a newspaper or anything similar, yet we've been non-stop busy.

We've knocked on alot of doors, told many people what we do, I've contacted area homebuilders and asked if they furnish landscape/irrigation and if not, would they pass my name/number along to the future homeowner. Yard signs in yards you do design/install. One of our biggest customers was generated when I went to register our vehicles/trailers in our new county. I paid with a check from the landscape account, and a friend of the cashier's was looking for a landscaper!

I have a 4 month daughter and my new client generating scheme is to take her to some of the newer developing neighborhoods and put her in her stroller and go for a stroll. I have plenty business cards in hand and say hi to everybody.

[Malrex]

I suppose you're right Stonehenge about pics...If people asked and were interested in them I would want to be able to show them.

I've been working on a website...ahh hell, check it out if you want! It still needs alot of work, but its a start.

www.outdoorinspirationlandscaping.com

Good idea on the community papers, I'll look into that.

You know Cochran...I don't have any kids, but I do have a cute dog...perhaps I'll take him for a walk in some neighborhoods .

[Malrex]

I've been reading here that stuffing mailboxes is a no no...however, I am wondering about newspaper boxes. Would I just risk a call from the newspaper? or is that against the law as well?

[bricknblock]

actually putting cards/flyers inside the mailbox is against a federal law, but it should be fine to stick your ads to the flags on the mailbox, or any outside part of the mailbox....as far as the newspaper boxes, depends on where you're at, usually not a big deal, the worst that will happen is you'll get a phone call from the newspaper telling you to stop....u should also probably try to hit the neighborhoods during the time of day when the mailman and newspapers have already made it through there, it will help you avoid the conflict

[GLAN]

Flyers, door hangers.......any you can do now quick to your name and number out there.

Find a sign shop and get magnetic signs for your truck

[bricknblock]

unless you're a bad driver like me....I have no signs on my truck, would like to, but need to improve my driving habits first

[secondnature]

Malrex,

like the featurer where by running the cursor over the photo you get befores and afters![

Awesome!!

QUOTE]Originally posted by Malrex
I suppose you're right Stonehenge about pics...If people asked and were interested in them I would want to be able to show them.

I've been working on a website...ahh hell, check it out if you want! It still needs alot of work, but its a start.

www.outdoorinspirationlandscaping.com

Good idea on the community papers, I'll look into that.

You know Cochran...I don't have any kids, but I do have a cute dog...perhaps I'll take him for a walk in some neighborhoods . [/quote]

[NCSULandscaper]

the only advertising that i do now is still in the local newspaper in a business ad section in the classified section. We get roughly 40% of our new business from that, and thats almost $100k per year just on this ad that costs $135/month. The other business comes from referalls now, which the referral rate climbs every year the more work we do


also invest in a good website, that way you can easily send all new customers, potential customers and old customers to a central location and show them what you are capable of. Any flyers you do all you need is to put your website address on it and not clutter the flyers up with lists of services etc. The website gives them the details, you just have to get them to the website.

[mrusk]

Two Words: Direct Mail