Promotional Material

Hi,

I am running a computer on-site service business for home and small
business clients. I was wondering what kinds of promotional materials
are more effective than others.

I got a catalog that sells pens, mugs, mouse pad, etc with company's
info printed on them. But not sure what I should go for. Love to hear
you guys' experience.

Thanks in advance!

Terry

In article <csce3h01cj5@enews2.newsguy.com>,
Terry <gobeyondgobeyond@rc.yahoo.akadns.net> wrote:

> I got a catalog that sells pens, mugs, mouse pad, etc with company's
> info printed on them. But not sure what I should go for. Love to hear
> you guys' experience.

Have you ever used a service based on reading their phone
number from an ad on a pencil, pen, mug, mouse pad, etc?
I find that most people that pick this stuff up just pick
it up to get something for free. They never intend to
actually use the service.

Leaving a mouse pad at a client site might be good for
follow-up service. The big question is how to get in
contact with a customer in the first place. Each business
has its own best way to advertise. Computer people that
I have talked with say that they are surprised at how
many calls they get from yellow pages ads.

-john-

--
================================================== ====================
John A. Weeks III 952-432-2708 john@johnweeks.com
Newave Communications http://www.johnweeks.com
================================================== ====================

> I am running a computer on-site service business for home and small
> business clients. I was wondering what kinds of promotional materials
> are more effective than others.
>
> I got a catalog that sells pens, mugs, mouse pad, etc with company's
> info printed on them. But not sure what I should go for. Love to hear
> you guys' experience.
>

I've had good luck using scratch pads. If you have a friend in the printing
business they might be able to work out a deal where they use their "trim"
to print your scratch pads. If not, you can have them done at any printer,
print on an 8.5 x 14" paper, assorted colors, cut the paper into 8 pads, and
have them padded in batches of 50 sheets. You can even do the padding
yourself to save money. Have "To Do List" printed on the top and your info
on the bottom inch of the pads. Everyone seems to enjoy getting scratch
pads, I've never seen anyone thro them out. You get exposure from the person
keeping them on their desk, and exposure to the person who gets the note.

Good luck,
Dave
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
USA Business Resources http://www.Network2020.com/go
USA Legal Resources http://www.Network2020.com/resources

<hinojo_b@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:cscucd057@enews3.newsguy.com...
>
> I've had good luck using scratch pads. If you have a friend in the
printing
> business they might be able to work out a deal where they use their "trim"
> to print your scratch pads. If not, you can have them done at any printer,
> print on an 8.5 x 14" paper, assorted colors, cut the paper into 8 pads,
and
> have them padded in batches of 50 sheets. You can even do the padding
> yourself to save money. Have "To Do List" printed on the top and your info
> on the bottom inch of the pads. Everyone seems to enjoy getting scratch
> pads, I've never seen anyone thro them out. You get exposure from the
person
> keeping them on their desk, and exposure to the person who gets the note.

You can also get Post-It note pads created this way from promotional
companies. Lots of people use those and they're a little more useful than
simple notepads.

--
McWebber
No email replies read
If someone tells you to forward an email to all your friends
please forget that I'm your friend.

John A. Weeks III wrote:
> In article <csce3h01cj5@enews2.newsguy.com>,
> Terry <gobeyondgobeyond@rc.yahoo.akadns.net> wrote:
>
>
>>I got a catalog that sells pens, mugs, mouse pad, etc with company's
>>info printed on them. But not sure what I should go for. Love to hear
>>you guys' experience.
>
>
> Have you ever used a service based on reading their phone
> number from an ad on a pencil, pen, mug, mouse pad, etc?
> I find that most people that pick this stuff up just pick
> it up to get something for free. They never intend to
> actually use the service.
>
> Leaving a mouse pad at a client site might be good for
> follow-up service. The big question is how to get in
> contact with a customer in the first place. Each business
> has its own best way to advertise. Computer people that
> I have talked with say that they are surprised at how
> many calls they get from yellow pages ads.
>
> -john-
>

I have a friend in the same business. He uses very little in the way of
promotional material. A good, solid design on his business cards, lots
of networking, and a postcard campaign in a couple of light
industrial/commercial areas in the city have worked for him.

Win
--
Win Day
Wild Rose Websites
"You dream it. We make it work."
-----------------------------------------------
Building affordable websites : http://www.wildrosewebsites.com
NEW! Website Design Kits : http://www.wildrosewebsites.com/services/kits.asp
-----------------------------------------------

Pens, mugs and such would be to expensive to pass around in large enough
numbers to make a difference. How about handing out pamphlets? They should
be of sufficient quality to look professional.


"Terry" <gobeyondgobeyond@rc.yahoo.akadns.net> wrote in message
news:csce3h01cj5@enews2.newsguy.com...
>
> Hi,
>
> I am running a computer on-site service business for home and small
> business clients. I was wondering what kinds of promotional materials
> are more effective than others.
>
> I got a catalog that sells pens, mugs, mouse pad, etc with company's
> info printed on them. But not sure what I should go for. Love to hear
> you guys' experience.
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Terry
>

"Terry" <gobeyondgobeyond@rc.yahoo.akadns.net> wrote in message
news:csce3h01cj5@enews2.newsguy.com...
>
> Hi,
>
> I am running a computer on-site service business for home and small
> business clients. I was wondering what kinds of promotional materials
> are more effective than others.
>
> I got a catalog that sells pens, mugs, mouse pad, etc with company's
> info printed on them. But not sure what I should go for. Love to hear
> you guys' experience.
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Terry
>

Terry,

Ultimately, that depends on whether or not you are trying to drive sales or
simply increase awareness of your business. Promotional collateral such as
pens, mugs, mouse pads, etc. are actually quite good at maintaining
awareness (i.e., once your clients know about you, these things help them
remember you). However, they are not very good for generating new sales.

For generating sales, yellow pages advertising still works nicely for local
markets, as does cold-calling and direct mail (with an attractive offer). If
you have a web site, you might want to try an integrated approach by mailing
postcards directing prospects to your web site...

--
______________________________________________
Alan H., MBA, MS
www.BPI-Consortium.com
MBAs and CPAs specializing in business advice online
______________________________________________