i sent out about 390 mailings to targeted customers picked straight from my local phone book..real nice 1/2 page glossy colorful with simple to read and not alot of text...i really believe the mail man threw them in the garbage ...i got nothing from them....at keast thats what i have figured...

as far as the most successful thing i have found is a sponsored link on google using a good amount of keywords in the search...i would say that 80 percent of my business finds me on the web...the other 20 percent is repeat or word of mouth...

the phone book has also proved to be a waste of hard earned cash...

and of course good old fashioned pressing some skin and getting out of the car and talking to people you would assume could use you in some way....helps also but is real hard to focus on where to go...

Todd, most my business has been from my web page.
I've been addvetising in the free town papers that are local around us. no calls, but when I did a GO GREEN show, over 60 people came up and said that they've seen my add in the paper. so I know there seeing it, but NO one calls!

Plus xmas is around the corner, I get "how much for this?" calls all the time, there waiting for money to come in I guess...

work is slow for us, I'm looking at a part time job till spring...

I find that driving around and meeting people face to face is the best so far. (Besides the web site)
Most of the people that I have handed flyers & cards to, shake their hand and talk for a bit, call or give the card to people that use us.
I’m going out again before Christmas for a tour around the area, last time I hit auto and boats, this year construction and equipment guys. Plus a stop in to see the one’s that I saw last year to let them know that I still have them in mind.
Drummed up good business last year doing this.

I also tried the free local paper. $30. a week. Not too much from it. We found that putting a vidio on youtube increases your search engine presence. I find the same as you Todd. Mostly internet searches and word of mouth. I do get some calls from the phone book. I just pay for a bold listing. You gotta be in there. You never know when the next big repeat customer will find you there.

I'm not surprised about the mailings. They work for pizza and carpet cleaning. I think the odds of somone wanting blasting when you happen to send them a mailing is very small. My wife and I walked a couple of developments last year and put flyers on more than a hundred homes for basement crack repair. I don't think we got one call from it, just good exersice. But when they know they are ready they check the internet and phone listings.

I have had great success in advertising in a car magazine. and all our boat work come from 1 boat lifting company.

Greg

Can magazines give local advertising prices? I just figured they mail them to anyware. I'll have to call a few.
I have one main boat dealer for most of my boat work so far too.

Advertising

Best form of advertising for me has been going to local car shows with a stripped car. We basically took a running 67 belvedere, stripped the outside, drive to local carshows and put our business cards in the windshield, walk around and pass out flyers. Cheap and easy, most of the shows we go to are free or less than 50 bucks. My 2 cents.

Good Idea SS !

I'd strip half for a before and after affect

SS Stripping said:

Best form of advertising for me has been going to local car shows with a stripped car. We basically took a running 67 belvedere, stripped the outside, drive to local carshows and put our business cards in the windshield, walk around and pass out flyers. Cheap and easy, most of the shows we go to are free or less than 50 bucks. My 2 cents.

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We have done both, just like to show a finished product. Everyone seems to strip 1/2 a car, just like to be different!! On this car we did half with plastic media and half with glass bead to show the differences.

Nice, I did that with a motorcycle tank for a GO Green show. got lots of atention. half soda / half glass.

I also stripped some aluminum beer 1/2 done with soda and gave them to friends at local business to put out. Stuck a card on it to.

good feed back from that too. (Serwin-Williams dealer did good till the rep guy through the BEER can out. I should have used a soda can)

SS Stripping said:

We have done both, just like to show a finished product. Everyone seems to strip 1/2 a car, just like to be different!! On this car we did half with plastic media and half with glass bead to show the differences.

Click to expand...