Any Creative Marketing Ideas?

[SignSgin]

We currently do yellowpages (expensive), mailers, and handing out cards / brochures. Anybody have any new creative ideas to drum up business in this wonderful economy?

[Salsa Signman]

We currently do yellowpages (expensive), mailers, and handing out cards / brochures. Anybody have any new creative ideas to drum up business in this wonderful economy?

Drive around town with a digital camera and take night shots of signs that are not lighting properly. Do it by grids so you can thoroughly cover an area. Download photos and edit so you don't waste a lot of black ink. Staple your business card on them neatly. Go hand the photos out with your business card attached and offer to help them repair their signs. Make sure to ask for the manager or owner. If they are not in give it to the clerk and get their name. Most will want an estimate. Tell them you will need to talk it over with your technician and get back with them (even if you are the tech.) So this way they will be inclined to give up the phone number or email of the owner or manager. This is a way to get their email and contact info so you can fax or email the estimate and then you have a way to contact them later if they don't go for the repair on the first offer. You will not get all of the repairs however you will get a good number. We have many repeat customers that we found using this method. Sometimes you will be asked to quote on other sign work while handing out the photos. Sometimes we all get complacent sitting in our chairs waiting on the deals to walk in the door. In this economy you just have to hump it!

[Donco]

Nothing beats meeting a person face to face and introducing yourself and a quick description of what your company can provide them as a customer.

following up with them in a week or two really helps. We seem to generate some business that way, and it isn't always with the person you first meet. Somethimes they pass are company info on to someone else who needs our services.