How Should I Advertise During A Slow Season?

Services,

Past research in my company (Residential HVAC) suggests that our business slows during the months of August and September. My question is, will advertising encourage responses during our “slow season” or will it go unheard because people simply aren’t buying during this time?

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I would suggest offering a different service to your customers: year-round maintenance. Let’s say a typical service call costs $100 during the busy season. This new service would cost $75 (call it HVAC insurance) and avoid problems during the “high season”, peace of mind, etc.

So instead of telling the “same old story”, you’re telling about something new, something to separate you from your competition.

How Can I Attract People To Art Classes?

Clubs + Associations, Publicity, ,

I am working on a proposal for a not-for-profit community based arts education and exhibition center. I’m looking for some creative ways to reach the target audience, which is 50 years of age or greater, economically comfortable, sophisticated, with an interest in, but not necessarily experience in the creation of art and live in identified geographic areas. Has anyone worked with this segment of the population as it pertains to marketing art classes, and if so, what did you find worked best in reaching them? The center is looking to grow student enrollment by 15 percent per year.

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If you’re looking for new students, figure out WHY your target would want to create art: improve their business? family? creative outlet? new career? therapy? community? Each of these goals have different messages and would appeal to a different subset of your target.

Here are some general ideas:

  • student art shows in public places (community center, city hall, etc.)
  • take class into public place (town square) and let people walking by participate
  • involve your non-profit with your local chamber of commerce
  • co-market with other art non-profits in your area (opera, chamber music, art shows, etc.)
  • showcase your student’s works in a raffle

How Can I Market My New Massage Business?

Services, Starting Out,

I’m a massage therapist. I don’t have a business name — just my own name. Would a biz name help?

On a card, do I need to say more than “therapeutic massage”? I don’t really specialize. Mostly I’ll give the cards to people I meet, but a few I’ll leave with network friends (hairdresser etc).

Maybe “Convenient appointments at your home or office?”

Benefits: Less stress – better health?

Less stress = more productivity?

Here, massage is a word-of-mouth game in a super-saturated market. My position is: I’m not cheap, but I’m good. (Cheap) massage franchises are kicking private massage’s bottom.

Do you feel there is any benefit for adding something to the cards or having a collateral piece with health info — like office ergonomics or something?

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You don’t need a collateral piece. People choose health-related professionals based on word of mouth and not ads in the paper (unless it’s an emergency).

As a general masseuse, it’s hard to stand out with all the other general masseuses. Do you specialize in spa-type (feel good) massage? Releasing pain from overuse? People in chronic pain (or just weekend warriors)?

A business name wouldn’t hurt, but I wouldn’t expect it to matter much, either. A tagline would be, at this point in your career, probably too generic (unless you start to specialize).

What you need is to generate more referrals from people who you “touch”.

The recent Guerrilla Marketing Weekly Intelligence (from Guerrilla Marketing Association) wrote: “The way to ask for referrals is with complete honesty. Just say that referrals can be very valuable to your business and that you need the person’s help. Tell them that as referrals can benefit your business, you know that your business can benefit the customer’s associates and acquaintances. Then, ask for names — just a few names to make it easy on your prospect. Giving you three, four or five names is not that big a deal.”

How Can I Fill My Next Seminar?

Publicity

I have heard so much about the power of seminars to help sell. However I have had mixed results. Is there a company out there that can help me get people to my next seminar?

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Having the complete attention of people at a seminar is a powerful thing. Often more money is made selling “back of the room” than is made by selling the tickets themselves. That’s why seminars are often priced inexpensively.

The key to getting people to attend your seminar is clearly identifying WHO you’re trying to attract and WHAT problem they have that your seminar addresses. Targeting the right people with the right message is the key.

A marketing company would (hopefully) help you to identify the WHO and WHAT, and then use (existing) lists to contact people who’ve already expressed an interest in this material.

However, it’s something you can also do it yourself. Start small. Get testimonials. Get feedback and continue to improve your seminar’s value.

What Should Be On Our Business Cards?

Branding, Publicity,

We are in the process of re-branding our company, and I am looking for some guidance for what information should be included on the business card. We are a manufacturing company, and in deciding what information, other than standard protocol, to add to the card, such as UL logos, ISO certification, a descriptive qualifier, a minority certified company… it seems like it gets too busy. What are your thoughts?

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Who will you be handing the cards to? You might find it handy to have different cards for different audiences.

Besides the basic contact information (including email & web), please make sure that your company’s name and your name can easily be read at arm’s length.

A business card is simply one piece of your marketing message. It’s not a flyer. When I hand someone a card, I want them to contact me to continue our conversation.

How Can I Find Sponsors?

Clubs + Associations, Publicity,

I’m attempting to put together a White water jet boat racing team. I’m looking for a few sources that would be willing to sponsor the team and help us get into the water. Anybody have any ideas on how to get this ball rolling? I’ve never dealt with sponsors before and don’t know the first thing about it.

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Is your team local, regional, or national? Has your team members been on any winning teams?

Approach companies that have a similar “reach” to where you plan to race. You looking for sponsor companies that want to be associated with “fast”, “water”, “risk”, etc.

The company is trading you money in exchange for an advertisement using your boat (and perhaps clothing as well as use of your images in their ads). The more you win, the more positive exposure you’ll be providing (especially in the photos of the winning boat & team).

To get some ideas of potential sponsors, look at the companies that already sponsor your competition. Consider contacting those company’s competitors. You’ll be saying, “Your competitor is advertising here, why not you?”

How Can I Market High-End Custom Homes?

Products, ,

In this difficult market, competition of new home construction is extreme. My husband builds new homes in urban infill locations and there is a lot of inventory out there. I’m planning 8-10 months out (when our latest project will be finished) and need advice on how to get the “right” realtors & buyers into our home. I work for an independent real estate company and find that I have a hard time getting the heavy hitter agents through our doors. Any suggestions for some proactive planning?

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Instead of waiting until the home is done and then waiting to sell it – presell them (or at least, pre-advertise them). For example, imagine a series of postcards (or magazine ad, or emails, or website photos, etc.) which shows the artist’s rendering of the house with the actual home (as completed) overlayed. Potential customers will be able to see what it will look like, and that’s it’s in progress (also a thermometer-like display at the jobsite itself for passer-bys).

Another suggestion: do surveys of potential realtors / buyers. Find out what’s selling, what’s being asked for, and market yourself as meeting the need (and then some).

Thanks for your quick response. I will definitely think about doing the pre-completion marketing campaign you suggested.

As for the survey, I’m not sure how well agents will respond to that? I held a broker open today where we sent out 1500 fliers and no other agents, other than who we knew, showed up. Any out of the box ideas to get the realtors in the door? I feel that our product is superior to the competition but I just need to get the #’s paying attention to it.

Realtors are the middle-men/women. You really want buyers. You might even consider selling homes FSBO, and saving the usual agent fees (instead hiring a lawyer or realtor — depending on the laws in your state — to do the paperwork).

If you want agents to come, you need to market to them. They see homes every day. They generally are content with the facts (sq footage, lot size, #beds, #baths, etc.) and a picture or two. What would make your husband’s house stand out for them? You could dangle a huge agent fee (say 7-8%) as incentive. Or, you could talk to the agents to find out what’s going on. Again, you need to survey your audience (in this case, agents) to find out what they need to make a quick/easy sale.