Best places to put flyers?

D

DefBringer

New member
I'm really against messing with people's cars in parking lots (under wiper), so I'd prefer to put them someplace else.



Problem is, I just don't know in what manner I should disperse my flyers. Is door-to-door (not knocking on door, but just putting in the door handle) a good idea? I live in a fairly well-to-do area and I am certain I can get some of them to bite, I just want to make sure I have a wide base with some repeat customers not limited to just my neck of the woods.
 
I hate coming out of the mall or supermarket and finding flyers under my wiper especially if it is raining. I usually do not read these flyers. However, flyers placed on my door I will usally read.
 
I put them on doors in nice neighborhoods. Make sure you honor 'no soliciting' signs. On every rainy day when I was starting out, I put out flyers. You get a few calls per 100 so you have to put out a lot.



I haven't had to put any out since 1996 (and actually got a call from one of the ones I put out in 2001!) but they really helped in the early days.
 
Go visit with a local repair shop. I struck a deal with the largest one in my town that they refer detail customers to me and I refer repair customers to them. Just make sure it is a reputable shop!
 
Here are some ideas that work well for us:



Posting your flyer on bulletin bulletin boards. Many places have them.



Talk to the General Manager of a grocery store or any place that has a lot of daily traffic. Ask if you can set up a kiosk drawing for a free detail. People will grab a brochure or flyer, fill out a slip of paper with name, number and address put it in a box. At the end of the day you will have a box of potential customers to contact by phone and mail. (doing one free detail for a box full of potential customers is worth it for me).



In my area we have a huge market of fleet vehicles. Any business with a fleet of vehicles is a great target. Simply call the business owner or shop manager and sell your service to them. Offer a fleet discount. These vehicles are moving billboards for them and they should look their best. Many of them can not fit through a carwash because of the ladder or pipe racks on them.

(They may not be pretty but they sure deliver the goods $$$).



MOST IMPORTANTLY, keep a customer database and contact these people every three months or so. Always follow up with a thank you call or mailing. Send out reminder notices or gift certificate offers around the holidays. (Repeat customers are your best customers)





These are just a few tactics that work well for us and are little to no cost to execute. I have just scraped the surface on marketing ideas. Use your imagination, be creative, project a professional image, Know your target market.



carzzz
 
ye if possible make a database, with name and surname, telephone number, make and model of car, whether they seemed enthusiastic, etc...its a bit of work, but every 6 months you can phone them up and say, hey Mr. X hows the mercdes goin? stillin shinin all black? listen i have a new offer on such and such, are you interested.



you'll retain customers, and people like being know ''personally'' instead of just another customer...just an idea i thought up
 
another good way of gettin customers is finding Car Clubs, although many of them prefer to wash their cars themselves, you can get in touch with the club president and maybe see if you can offer yo services, or some form of clinic..



You could try and get free advertising, by doin somethin different, for example, tell radio stations and newspapers that you are going to give 10% of each detail to a charity or something, they'll interview you, get you a space on air time or in the paper, and its good publicity
 
What's up? From experience in my opion flyers don't work. In my first season I put out a stack and the results were poor. The only thing I did was waste my time and money. As you said you are targeting the "well to do" clients, the last thing they are going to do is read a flyer stuck in their door. In alot of cases it's a nanny or a helper that is resonsable for retrieving the mail. If they give it to the home owners, it means they (the helper) will be told o give you a call, and trust me like any other job out there why do they want to do any more work then they already have to. Your flyer end up in the trash. Also if you want to market this market they are not looking for flyers you made and photocopied, they expect some nice work. Nice work means they were expensive, and the results will probably still suck. If you want some advice pm me and I can help you out.



Clint
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top