Promotion - The Old Skool Way

[MagicMusic]

I had a window repaired yesterday and I got talking to the guy about how he promotes his business.

He reckons that an ad in the local mag accounts for about 70% of his business.

The claimed that the rest is made up from more traditional methods such as posters in shop windows and banners at significant roundabouts.

He said that he wasn't interested in the web and that it would be "one more thing to worry about that I don't need".

Now, obviously that is quite an extreme opinion but what do you guys think about advertising in shops and the like.

I have thought about putting up signs / banners at some of the busier local roundabouts as this is some thing that I have seen other local businesses do. I'm not sure about how much business would be gained in the short term but I believe it would at least raise the profile of the company .

What do you guy's think, worth it or not?

EDIT: Part of the motivation for this is caused by people I speak to. Anyone over a certain age has asked me "ooh have you put flyers out" or "you should stick some posters up". This causes me to think that there is a percentage of my target audience that I'm missing completely.

[thex-faders]

We started out doing a lot of gigs in halls etc mainly as so when speaking to venue owner asked if we could put a poster up and they never said no which gave us a lot of business. And also went to the high street and asked to give cards / posters to relevant busines... ie the balloon shop as they did marquee hire etc as well as this also helped get the name out there and improve enquiries.

Our town has a local directory of businesses in the area which we are thinking about using, and local football club do decent deals in their programs for a page spread etc which as all options we are considering when we want to increase our workload... wont be for a while though until we finish uni!

[rob1963]

I have three thoughts about this idea.

1) Is it legal to put banners on roundabouts advertising your business?

2) How many professional discos advertise on roundabouts?

3) How many people have booked a disco from a banner they saw on a roundabout?

[DJWilson]

I have three thoughts about this idea.

1) Is it legal to put banners on roundabouts advertising your business?



The council or whoever owns the rounadbout sells advertising space so its legal.

[MagicMusic]

I have three thoughts about this idea.

1) Is it legal to put banners on roundabouts advertising your business?

2) How many professional discos advertise on roundabouts?

3) How many people have booked a disco from a banner they saw on a roundabout?

I don't know that's why I'm asking!

Regarding the professionalism of it I don't think that is a consideration at all. The businesses that do it round here are very high brow and they don't seem to have a problem with it.

In my local area it is possible to pay for advertising on some roundabouts.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

The businesses that do it round here are very high brow and they don't seem to have a problem with it.



I would say that a contradiction in terms. Surely a high brow company would be advertising on a roundabout?

[thex-faders]

I would wonder what to put on it? As putting a phone number or website contact etc would be pretty pointless as its gone in what 3 / 4 seconds on a roundabout?

Think posters etc would be best option

[wensleydale]

I'd say putting posters in shop windows and on roundabouts is more hassle than a website.

[MagicMusic]

I would say that a contradiction in terms. Surely a high brow company would be advertising on a roundabout?

Not at all. I live in close proximity to a couple of very affluent areas and the local country club, hotel, stables, country manor, spa etc don't seem to have a problem with it.

I'm not talking about some random roundabout in the middle of the local ghetto. I should have explained that in the OP.

[BeerFunk]

Whenever I see posters at roundabouts, or on telephone poles next to the road, I must admit I'm guilty of assuming they were put there without permission from the local authorities. I would imagine that a lot of people would think that, and I think you'd only be appealing to the 'price-haggling' end of the market.

[MagicMusic]

Whenever I see posters at roundabouts, or on telephone poles next to the road, I must admit I'm guilty of assuming they were put there without permission from the local authorities. I would imagine that a lot of people would think that, and I think you'd only be appealing to the 'price-haggling' end of the market.

Fair point but I seem to be in that end of the market anyway unfortunately. That said, the roundabouts in question are located in the affluent areas mentioned before so I hoped that would make a difference.

I wonder about their benefit purely as a 'brand awareness' exercise as there's no effort involved I only need to email the relevant people the artwork.

Anyway it seems the roundabout idea is a non starter so what about advertising in shops etc.

I suppose I'm looking for ideas here, I have a website and I'm looking into wedding fairs. Work has started to come in via word of mouth now too but I was wondering how to 'up' the promotion of the business.

[rob1963]

If you have a website, my advice would be to start promoting that online.

[MagicMusic]

So do you think that traditional means such as print are redundant these days?

[rob1963]

So do you think that traditional means such as print are redundant these days?

Well...the internet recently took over as the most popular place for people to advertise their business and if the Yellow pages continues to get thinner at the current rate, it won't exist in a few years...so draw your own conclusions!

[MagicMusic]

I'm not talking exclusively about the Yellow Pages though. Also when I search for something on google I ignore all of the sponsored ads. I don't know exactly why - I just do and I know others who do too.

Where would you suggest advertising online? I have thought about banner type ads on certain websites where I think I could get a positive response. The prices seem reasonable.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Not at all. I live in close proximity to a couple of very affluent areas and the local country club, hotel, stables, country manor, spa etc don't seem to have a problem with it.




But do you think those people book entertainment or anything else for that matter from a sign on a roundabout?

[Pe7e]

I'm not talking exclusively about the Yellow Pages though. Also when I search for something on google I ignore all of the sponsored ads. I don't know exactly why - I just do and I know others who do too.

Where would you suggest advertising online? I have thought about banner type ads on certain websites where I think I could get a positive response. The prices seem reasonable.

If someone ignores your sponsored add, it doesn't matter, you only pay when they click through to your website. Banners (pay by impression) are a total waste of time and money, take my word for that. Google ad words (pay per click) do work when used carefully, and targeted to your potential clients, not the world at large.

[rob1963]

Where would you suggest advertising online?

Well, I use the sites shown below. Some are free & some are paid for. I've not included the ones purely for the county where I live, but a bit of Googling should find your local equivalents.

The most successful ones for me are also shown, but please note that different sites produce varying results depending on whether you have a premium advert and also on your area.

Hope this helps.

WWW.1VENUE.CO.UK
WWW.ALLTHINGSWEDDING.CO.UK
WWW.BIGEVENTNETWORK.CO.UK
WWW.BOOKYOURWEDDING.CO.UK
WWW.BROWNBOOK.NET
WWW.DISCOAGENCY.CO.UK (2nd best)
WWW.DISCO-DIRECTORY.COM (5th best)
WWW.DJDIRECT.BIZ
WWW.DJFORMYWEDDING.CO.UK (6th best)
WWW.EASYWEDDINGSEARCH.COM (4th best)
WWW.FREEINDEX.CO.UK
WWW.FRIENDLY-WEDDING-DIRECTORY.CO.UK
WWW.GET-WED.CO.UK
WWW.GUIDESFORBRIDES.CO.UK
WWW.HITCHED.CO.UK (Best site)
WWW.HOTFROG.CO.UK
WWW.IDEALWEDDINGPLAN.CO.UK
WWW.JAYWEDDINDS.CO.UK
WWW.LINK2WEDDINGS.COM
WWW.MAKEMYWEDDING.CO.UK
WWW.MOBILEDISCODIRECTORY.CO.UK
WWW.MRANDMRS.NET
WWW.NEEDADISCO.COM (10th best)
WWW.NET-WEDDINGS.CO.UK
WWW.PROMOBILE.ORG.UK/LINKS.PHP
WWW.PUREWEDDINGINDEX.CO.UK
WWW.THE1.CO.UK
WWW.THEWEDDING-GUIDE.NET
WWW.TOTALBRIDES.CO.UK
WWW.UK-DISCO.CO.UK
WWW.UK-MOBILE-DISCO.CO.UK
WWW.UK-PARTIES.CO.UK
WWW.UKWEDDINGBELLES.COM
WWW.UK-WEDDING-DIRECTORY.CO.UK
WWW.UKWEDDINGDIRECTORY.INFO
WWW.UK-WEDDING-PAGES.CO.UK
WWW.UKWEDDINGLIST.COM
WWW.UKWEDDINGSTORE.CO.UK
WWW.ULTIMATEBRIDAL.CO.UK (7th best)
WWW.WEDDINGDAZE.CO.UK
WWW.WEDDING-DIRECTORIES.COM (3rd best)
WWW.WEDDING-DIRECTORY.NET
WWW.WEDDING-YOURBIGDAY.CO.UK
WWW.WEDDINGPLANNER.CO.UK (9th best)
WWW.WEDDINGS-DIRECT.CO.UK
WWW.WEDDING.YOURBIGDAY.CO.UK
WWW.WEDDINGSERVICEPROVIDERS.CO.UK
WWW.WEDDINGSERVICES4U.CO.UK (8th best)
WWW.WEDDINGSHOWCASE.CO.UK
www.WEDDING-SUPPLIERS.NET
WWW.WEDSEEK.CO.UK
WWW.YOURWEDDING.UK.COM

[MagicMusic]

But do you think those people book entertainment or anything else for that matter from a sign on a roundabout?

I honestly don't know. I think it presumptuous to assume that they don't. The ads in question contain the council logo and are officially licensed, placed in affluent residential areas. The people who live there will see them many, many times not just when they're driving either. I only asked about it to canvass opinion.


If someone ignores your sponsored add, it doesn't matter, you only pay when they click through to your website. Banners (pay by impression) are a total waste of time and money, take my word for that. Google ad words (pay per click) do work when used carefully, and targeted to your potential clients, not the world at large.

I appreciate that information thank you but I was meaning from a customers perspective. What I mean by that is that, as a customer I dismiss the sponsored ads at the top of the page meaning that those companies don't get my business. Sometimes they do but generally I just got fed up clicking on the link to find out that the advertised company is completely unrelated to my search or in a different part of the country etc.

[MagicMusic]

Well, I use the sites shown below. Some are free & some are paid for. I've not included the ones purely for the county where I live, but a bit of Googling should find your local equivalents.

The most successful ones for me are also shown, but please note that different sites produce varying results depending on whether you have a premium advert and also on your area.

Hope this helps.


Thanks Rob.

[wensleydale]

Well, I use the sites shown below. Some are free & some are paid for. I've not included the ones purely for the county where I live, but a bit of Googling should find your local equivalents.

The most successful ones for me are also shown, but please note that different sites produce varying results depending on whether you have a premium advert and also on your area.

Hope this helps.
[/url]

Useful post Mr James.

[rob1963]

Useful post Mr James.

:thumbsup:

[simonp]

Useful post Mr James.

Steps back in amazement - but :agree:

[Corabar Entertainment]

Well, I use the sites shown below. Some are free & some are paid for. I've not included the ones purely for the county where I live, but a bit of Googling should find your local equivalents.

The most successful ones for me are also shown, but please note that different sites produce varying results depending on whether you have a premium advert and also on your area.

Hope this helps.

WWW.1VENUE.CO.UK
WWW.ALLTHINGSWEDDING.CO.UK
....
Rob: I'd suggest possibly updating your list.

I thought I'd have a look at a few of these sites: tried the first 2 and neither seem to exist at the moment (didn't get any further than that)

[rob1963]

Rob: I'd suggest possibly updating your list.

I thought I'd have a look at a few of these sites: tried the first 2 and neither seem to exist at the moment (didn't get any further than that)

Fair enough Angela.

To be honest, I didn't check every site before posting, and they come & go all the time, so it's inevitable that a small number no longer exist.

Having now checked the entire list, here is an updated version as requested with the ones that no longer exist removed, although none of the top 10 are effected, and they're the main ones I'd suggest people look at.

:)

WWW.BIGEVENTNETWORK.CO.UK
WWW.BOOKYOURWEDDING.CO.UK
WWW.BROWNBOOK.NET
WWW.DISCOAGENCY.CO.UK (2nd best)
WWW.DISCO-DIRECTORY.COM (5th best)
WWW.DJDIRECT.BIZ
WWW.DJFORMYWEDDING.CO.UK (6th best)
WWW.EASYWEDDINGSEARCH.COM (4th best)
WWW.FREEINDEX.CO.UK
WWW.FRIENDLY-WEDDING-DIRECTORY.CO.UK
WWW.GUIDESFORBRIDES.CO.UK
WWW.HITCHED.CO.UK (Best site)
WWW.IDEALWEDDINGPLAN.CO.UK
WWW.LINK2WEDDINGS.COM
WWW.MAKEMYWEDDING.CO.UK
WWW.MOBILEDISCODIRECTORY.CO.UK
WWW.MRANDMRS.NET
WWW.NEEDADISCO.COM (10th best)
WWW.NET-WEDDINGS.CO.UK
WWW.PUREWEDDINGINDEX.CO.UK
WWW.THE1.CO.UK
WWW.THEWEDDING-GUIDE.NET
WWW.TOTALBRIDES.CO.UK
WWW.UK-DISCO.CO.UK
WWW.UK-MOBILE-DISCO.CO.UK
WWW.UK-PARTIES.CO.UK
WWW.UKWEDDINGBELLES.COM
WWW.UK-WEDDING-DIRECTORY.CO.UK
WWW.UKWEDDINGDIRECTORY.INFO
WWW.UK-WEDDING-PAGES.CO.UK
WWW.UKWEDDINGLIST.COM
WWW.UKWEDDINGSTORE.CO.UK
WWW.ULTIMATEBRIDAL.CO.UK (7th best)
WWW.WEDDINGDAZE.CO.UK
WWW.WEDDING-DIRECTORIES.COM (3rd best)
WWW.WEDDING-DIRECTORY.NET
WWW.WEDDING-YOURBIGDAY.CO.UK
WWW.WEDDINGPLANNER.CO.UK (9th best)
WWW.WEDDINGS-DIRECT.CO.UK
WWW.WEDDINGSERVICEPROVIDERS.CO.UK
WWW.WEDDINGSERVICES4U.CO.UK (8th best)
WWW.WEDDINGSHOWCASE.CO.UK
WWW.WEDDING-SUPPLIERS.NET
WWW.WEDSEEK.CO.UK
WWW.YOURWEDDING.UK.COM

[ppentertainments]

But do you think those people book entertainment or anything else for that matter from a sign on a roundabout?
I actually know a photographer who also hires out limo's. His only form of advertisement comes from banners on roundabouts / signs in shop windows etc. He is not in the 'higher price league', but is no means cheap. I know he is very busy. Has people working for him and does roughly 300 wedding photo / video a year and round about 120 limo hires. He is now a LTD company due to income, has a very nice house and good income.

Controversial opinion - I think it probably more likely people round here would book someone from a roundabout banner than in other areas of the country.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

He is now a LTD company due to income

Not sure what that has to with income Chris? Anyone can incorporate.

[Starlight]

Not sure what that has to with income Chris? Anyone can incorporate.
Can any company become a limited company regardless how much they're earning :confused:

I go outside running frequently and pass a few roundabouts and I clocked a roundabout with a banner saying advertise here. Got me thinking, maybe they'd be charging hundreds of pounds a year? I don't see any problems in this kind of advertising.

Neil....

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Can any company become a limited company regardless how much they're earning :confused:



Yep.

[ppentertainments]

Not sure what that has to with income Chris? Anyone can incorporate.
Sorry, due to income he had to become VAT registered and was, in the long run, more benefical to become a LTD company.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Sorry, due to income he had to become VAT registered and was, in the long run, more benefical to become a LTD company.

Yeah, but you said he was limited due to income which isn't true!

[DazzyD]

Charlie (MagicMusic), do you have a business plan? If not, then why not? It will help you with this kind of thing.

If you do, then why not expand on this on form a Marketing Plan/Strategy? This will help you to target your advertising rather than "blind" marketing whereby you haven't got a clue if the people you are trying to reach will see your advertising.

First of all, why not go to your target market and ask them where they would look if they wanted to buy your services? You mentioned a posh golf club. Why not go direct to them and ask them where they go when they want a disco? This is called "Market Research" and the better you research your market the better position you will be in make an informed decision on how to target your advertising. Personally, I've never heard of any mobile DJ advertising on a roundabout and I'm pretty sure there's a good reason for that - ie people don't book mobile DJs from road-side advertising.

Rob - good list! Not the first time you've posted it but still very helpful!

[STEVE HANLEY]

Sticking posters up on traffic lights at busy junctions and roundabouts is illegal in Newcastle and Gateshead/North and South Tyneside. Also sticking fly posters up on boarded up shops or cordoned of building sites is also illegal.

The local nightclubs etc used to do this every week advertising what top named dj's etc were coming in the next few weeks.

It was extremely cheap and effective advertising and the clubs made a lot revenue as a result. However the local councils clamped down on this big time
and the fines the clubs were hit with were horendous. Putting some of them out of business.

Just a heads up to anyone thinking of doing this. Might want to check it out with your local council first.;)

[DazzyD]

Steve, I don't think the OP was endorsing illegal fly-posting.

I think it's the kind of advertising where there's a "This Roundabout is sponsored by <insert business name and tagline here>" banner on the roundabout kind of thing. This happens in Sunderland a fair bit. The roundabout at the Board Inn at Herrington is sponsored by a company for a start.

[STEVE HANLEY]

Yeah
I know the type you're refering to Darren I think there's a few on the Team Valley Trad Est in Gateshead

[MagicMusic]

Charlie (MagicMusic), do you have a business plan? If not, then why not? It will help you with this kind of thing.

If you do, then why not expand on this on form a Marketing Plan/Strategy? This will help you to target your advertising rather than "blind" marketing whereby you haven't got a clue if the people you are trying to reach will see your advertising.

First of all, why not go to your target market and ask them where they would look if they wanted to buy your services? You mentioned a posh golf club. Why not go direct to them and ask them where they go when they want a disco? This is called "Market Research" and the better you research your market the better position you will be in make an informed decision on how to target your advertising. Personally, I've never heard of any mobile DJ advertising on a roundabout and I'm pretty sure there's a good reason for that - ie people don't book mobile DJs from road-side advertising.

Rob - good list! Not the first time you've posted it but still very helpful!

Thanks for the suggestions, I do have business plan and I do follow it but must admit I haven't carried out in depth market research. The importance of both is not lost on me as I've had it drilled into me over the last four years in education.

Of the 50 or so people I did ask, the majority claimed that they would search online when looking to book a disco. Yellow pages was the second most popular answer.

The motivation behind my original post was that having recently discussed the business with some more people, all of a certain age and reasonably well off, they seem to think that I'm missing a trick and I wondered what fellow DJ's thought of that.



Part of the motivation for this is caused by people I speak to. Anyone over a certain age has asked me "ooh have you put flyers out" or "you should stick some posters up". This causes me to think that there is a percentage of my target audience that I'm missing completely.

Somehow it turned into a discussion about roundabouts :lol:

[DazzyD]

I don't bother with flyers, either. I don't think the return over outlay is good enough for them but that's just my experience. I'm sure they work for some people.

What I did do was make a list of all the venues within a ten mile radius of base (and I was very surprised at how many there were!). My plan was to personally visit each venue and have a chat with the manager/ess and also leave some business cards or put some on any noticeboards at the venue. I actually got through about a third of the venues on my list. This generated a lot of enquiries which it was then up to me to convert to sales and I did quite well from it. Another plus from this was that I got repeat work at venues so I got to know the venues and the staff and management teams. When you are familiar with a venue it makes setting up really easy!

But that's what I did a few years ago and I'm still reaping the rewards from the effort I made. It also helped build my reputation locally which is something money can't buy.

[Alex]

In my area, I've been looking at Billboard posters... and surprised at how cheap these actually are.

Look in your local area... make a note of the website or contact number and give them a call... You'll be surprised at how much you can get one for.

They will usually try to get you with the " Rate Card " ... if you have worked in advertising, you know what I mean....
The rate card is the card they usually try to stick to... but 9 times out of 10 if you can push it, you'll get it cheaper then the first few prices they give.

Billboards are large... and while you might not consider them effective as you probably just "glance" at them... subconciously you usually remember something from them!
(Anyone remember the wonderbra billboard advert... with the slogan " Hello Boys!" ... very effective)