Ways to Advertise

Ways to Advertise 

Small local businesses who target their local community often overlook some very simple easy and cost effective ways of advertising. These low-cost methods are not generally so suitable for big corporations with big budgets, but these ideas can be very effective (and very inexpensive) for small businesses and self-employed people targeting the local area with small advertising budgets.

Here is a quick list of these local advertising ideas, which with a little imagination and selective effort can be developed into a very effective local advertising campaign, providing a continuous pipeline of new business:

• Posters in windows and on notice boards, and in staff rooms of local businesses.
• A promotional stall at a convenient store or a famous store.
• A stall or leafleting presence at a local relevant gathering or event. (School, College parties)
• Using leaflets or business cards in dispensers where local people sit and wait or queue or gather, for example: at the doctor's clinic, dentists, vets, tourist information office, outpatients departments, library, day care centers, post offices, newsagents, hairdressers, salons, takeaways, cafes, hotels, restaurants, golf clubs, fitness centres, etc.
• Regularly giving news and interesting pictures about your work to your local newspaper (see PR below), or perhaps even writing a regular column relating to your specialism in the local free newspaper or magazine.
• Offering existing customers an incentive (gift of some sort, or money off your next supply) for introducing a friend as a new customer for you.
• Door-to-door leaflet distribution through the postal service or other suitable service.
• Local trade directories - typically monthly publications distributed to the local community.
• Targeting special offers at local big employers, through their PR and/or HR/social activities.

While most of these methods are for small companies and local campaigns, a few can certainly be adapted and used effectively by big organizations with surprisingly good and cost-effective results.