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Post by mountainma on Jan 6, 2023 10:06:57 GMT -6
I recently found out that in my state if you sell ANYTHING, legally you are required to have a business license or you can be fined for operating a business without a license. So, since I do alterations and craft fairs, etc. I went ahead and got the license and am planning to start advertising more to bring in more business.
I already have my business cards on local bulletin boards at the fabric store and groceries. My friends, family, and satisfied customers help with word-of-mouth. Now I'm thinking to advertise more seriously.
My options are a locally published, high-quality magazine and/or paper placemats for a busy local restaurant. The placemat advertising would be $300 for 6 months, and everyone who eats at the restaurant will see the ad, along with the other ads on the placemat. Mine would be the only "seamstress" add.
The magazine has a wide audience, but one must actually read the magazine to see the ads. The advantage is I can pay a monthly fee and pick which months I want to advertise. Both options cost the same but with the magazine, I wouldn't have to pay for six months at a time.
Which would you pick? Do you have any other suggestions for advertising?
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Post by eyeofthestorm on Jan 6, 2023 13:14:29 GMT -6
I have been dealing with advertising, off and on, and with different types of business, for a long time. If I HAD to choose between those two, I would need two more pieces of information: - What is the topic of the magazine? Does the magazine appeal to the type of people who would use your services? If so, I lean toward the magazine.
- How many placemats are used in a month (and then, in six months)? How many issues of the magazine are printed? Is it a subscription based magazine? Is it free? If it's not a subscription and not free, how many copies SELL each month (not how many are printed)? Think about it this way. If one person in 100 who SEES your ad contacts you for work, and they only SELL 100 magazine issues in a month, then you will probably get 1 new business contact. (1% is a very, very high conversion rate for advertising, and probably not realistic when you're first starting out.)
I would choose the option that had the lowest cost for the highest guaranteed exposure. That said... I would actually not start with either of those. - I would set up a Google business page. This takes a couple of weeks to get verified (they will actually send you a postcard and you will need to enter a code so they know you are real). (My understanding is that you do NOT have to list your address once your listing goes live.) Next, get people that you have done work for to leave reviews on Google for you. And "update" the page regularly. Just change out the pictures with items you have made and are for sale, or clothing items that have been altered. Google is now what the Yellow Pages used to be. This is free. - For the record, there is still a lot of support in the marketing community for F@cebook pages. I can't tell you that *I* think it's a good idea. You have to decide yourself. While I have a page set up and its active, I try to shy away from it. I think that F@cebook fosters a toxic environment. I am not saying that anything bad will happen. I've run multiple FB pages and groups in the past 12 years and did not personally have a problem with any of them (mine or those I managed for others). But I've observed too many situations that I would not want to deal with if I can avoid them. One more thought - when you move forward with either print ad, be sure to include something so that you can tell those ads are sending customers to you. For example, add a coupon code (5% off, free potholder, whatever, something inexpensive you can afford). If you don't, you will have a difficult time measuring how effective the ad was.
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Post by ginakay57 on Jan 6, 2023 13:42:24 GMT -6
Sandra has made some good points. The issue I would have with the magazine is that, as she said, it depends on the audience. If it’s a craft magazine i.e. sewing, quilting, then a lot of the readers probably already know how to do alterations. Also, if it’s subscriptions then it’ll be reaching the same audience each month but then those could spread the word by mouth.
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Post by mountainma on Jan 7, 2023 12:58:00 GMT -6
Thanks for all the info!
The magazine is free and is based on living/touring our area. It covers at least 2 counties and is a very high-quality publication with about 50 pages. Most of the local, more prominent small businesses advertise in it. The magazine has all the library and school news, high school sports photos and info, etc, so all the parents and grandparents read it. It also showcases what's new for tourists who come to our area to hike, kayak the river, or visit a local brewery.
I've decided to go with the magazine for now, because it's just a monthly fee and I can see how much extra business I pick up during the month after it's published.
As for the placemats, they would reach most if not more, of the same audience as the magazine. I like the idea of using a small coupon if I go that route.
I did not know about google and doing reviews. That's a great idea!
As for f@cebook, I've gotten a couple of new customers that way, not from ads, but just word of mouth. The one time I did mention it on a yardsale type page, I had the customer flake out after she realized I was not going to be hoodwinked into doing a job free, and including a free delivery of 50 miles one-way trip. I think a lot of people are just scam artists on social media, trying to get something for nothing or play on people's kindness.
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Post by mountainma on Apr 26, 2023 7:51:44 GMT -6
So far I've gotten a couple of new customers from the magazine advertising, and both plan to be repeat customers in the future. I'm glad I went with the magazine. I had some beautiful new business cards made up that match the magazine ad.
This week I got a call for a wedding gown alteration. I altered the girl's prom gown a few years ago and now she wants me to work on her wedding dress. That's exciting! A little scary too!
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Post by ginakay57 on Apr 26, 2023 13:18:13 GMT -6
Another benefit of the magazine is that many people donate their magazines to doctors waiting rooms, thrift stores etc so possible new customers.
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Post by eyeofthestorm on Apr 26, 2023 14:11:51 GMT -6
So far I've gotten a couple of new customers from the magazine advertising, and both plan to be repeat customers in the future. I'm glad I went with the magazine. I had some beautiful new business cards made up that match the magazine ad. This week I got a call for a wedding gown alteration. I altered the girl's prom gown a few years ago and now she wants me to work on her wedding dress. That's exciting! A little scary too! That's so exciting!
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Post by mountainma on Apr 26, 2023 14:44:51 GMT -6
Another benefit of the magazine is that many people donate their magazines to doctors waiting rooms, thrift stores etc so possible new customers. I hadn't even thought of this! Since the magazine is free, it's offered at several business locations in the area. I wouldn't be surprised if it made it's way into the doctor's offices as well.
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Post by mountainma on Aug 21, 2023 13:24:26 GMT -6
I am shocked at how much my business is picking up with alterations! So far I've advertised in the local magazine, put my business cards on bulletin boards at the fabric store and grocery stores, and at the post office. Then there's word of mouth, which is considerable. I am starting to get more work and expanding fast! Praise the Lord! The flip side is all the paperwork and tax stuff. There's so much more to it than I thought there would be. I need to find a software program that will help me keep track of it all. Dh and I plan to meet with some financial experts to figure it all out, as I want to make sure to keep proper records, etc.
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Post by michelle on Aug 22, 2023 6:54:47 GMT -6
I'm glad that the business is expanding, and good luck getting everything figured out.
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