Have you guys try this?

Tim Smith

New Member
Last year - I scouted different neighborhoods.

It against the law to attach flyers to the mailboxes & I didn't want to walk door to door to hang them - so I did the following:

Went to the local newspaper office and bought some plastic newspaper wraps. Rolled my flyers up and stuff then in the plastic wraps. I bought a bunch of small toys (example - jacks, small rubber balls, decorative rocks, small nicknaks) and put them in the plastic for weight (so I can throw in the driveway from my truck window) and for a surprise. Got a lot of positive feedback from customers with kid. I can throw 100 flyers in less than two hours.

Also last summer - I got three of the neighborhoods kids - put their bikes in the back of my truck - took them to this wonderful neighborhood with lots of decks and mold - Told them, I would be back to pick them up in a hour - they delivered 150 flyers. I paid the $10 a piece and bought them a blizard at DQ.


Anyone done things like this?
What do you do?
 

Dan S

New Member
sounds like a good idea..... throwing flyers but I wonder if there are any laws about that ? I wonder if they can get you for littering? thats a 300.00 fine in my area. You know how people are .... Hey I saw so-and so throwing things out his window and next thing you know you got somebody that dont have a clue what you are doing and they take your plate # and turn you in..

Im not cutting down anything you are doing Im just thinking with a keyboard.
 

Tim Smith

New Member
The laws are different depending on the city, etc.

Its not against the law here - check on it before doing so. Something interesting - You can not throw the flyer withing 3ft of a mailbox in my area.

Just think - if its against the law where you live - why does the local news paper get to litter - they are a private owned business.
Something to think about?

Oh yeh - it worked great! especially in the neighborhoods with lots of kids.

I also bought a box of 3by5 cards that have sports trivia, history trivia, and cooking instructions & stuff them in the plastic with the small toy - something for the whole family.
 

Dan S

New Member
it's something worth thinking about...

maybe I'll give it a try

My thoughts are gezzzz what if a kid chokes on one of those "toys" .. I guess I dont have much faith in people the way the world is and all >>>> I know I need to stop thinking........

it is a good Idea !
what else do ya got up your sleeve?
 

Tim Smith

New Member
"What If" is in every decision.

Focus on how you can - not why you can't.




You do bring up a very good point - For today on, I will only put balls or thinks that are bigger and doesn't have different parts.




Maybe a disclosure "If your kids can choke on this - do not give it to them & if your drop the package, jump away quickly - you may trip over the package & please dispose of plastic asap because it can get caught in your pets throats. On the other hand, please do not pick this flyer up or its contents". ha ha
 

melsmobile

New Member
Tim ,

a few years ago , a lawn care business , through out 16 oz plastic cups with his logo on them , and a flyer inside the cup.

I ran a 30sec ad on local FM raido , for 30 ads it cost $560 , one aday monday thur friday for 6 weeks.

So for i have got my money back on the ad and a once a mouth account witch is only $120 a mouth, but hay that is a start, i will probley run it again for another 30 ads that will put me deep into spring time!

Mel
 

ron

New Member
pied piper of pressure washing.
in our area you need a canvessing permit for each town.
Ever tried the local pizza co and pay them to stick one on the pizza box? prob could'nt get a large chain to do it but the local guy's prob would for a price.
Stack of flyers and a couple of glue sticks.
 

Tim Smith

New Member
Melsmobile

The key to advertising is being consistant. Plant a seed, so when they do search, your company is familiar. Radio reaches a lot of people, but it doesn't target your customers. I would look more at mail-outs that target your market.

Example - If you clean houses - buy a target list of home owners of a certain value in the zip code that you do business.

With my home inspection business - I ran commercials and did a 5min segment on a local home show that came on tv every sunday morning. It didn't bring a lot of business, but it established creditbility within the community. I haven't done this for about two years and I still have people say "Your the home inspector on tv".

I also have billboards - Soon to stop - I don't believe that billboards targets a market for the price. I pay about $450 a month for a billboard. For that $450, I can reach customers that are in need of my services.


Ron

Great idea on the pizza boxes. I am going to try it. Who knows chains may allow you to do it.

I clean a local chain restuarant (patio, dumpster area) - I approach the manager last summer with this deal. They have 4 wooden benches on their patio. I restored the benches and applied ready seal to them for no cost - in return they allow me to put brass 2 by 4 inch plates on them - the plates read like the following:

restored by
TIDALWAVE
243-XXXX
Jackson, MO

This chain restuaunt is located across from the mall. There are always a ton of people out on the patio. Everytime I drive by and see the parking lot full, I just smile.


I could talk marketing for hours - sorry so long - its a passion.
 
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paul-uk

Guest
tim dont stop :)

i like the brass plate idea....i read your other thread about wood and the 4 step sell and i had a 4 step sell down on paper but did'nt have your first one....so now its a 5 step plan.

5. free yearly exterior maintenance plan.

which gets you eyball contact with your best customers and you can check all the add-ons you offer(decks, playsets,tables,fences,flatwork,sidings, gutters,roofs)and you could do this jan\feb when things are slow and by march you might have a good start to go at and leaves your competition dead in the water.

summer or winter when ever you park up flip a board under one wiper with "10% off please take a few" and put a handful of flyer's under the other one.

everyone likes to think they are getting a deal sop give them 10%
off you can still charge your normal price on most jobs who's to know...on the back of the flyers put all the school hols dates and national days on and on the bottom in bold putplease keep safe and they will :).....well its late zzzzzzzzzzzzzz ;)
 

Tim Smith

New Member
Great Idea

I have been working on a maintenace plan and marketing plan. I have researching statistics on preventative maintenace and its cost savings to the home owner. The annual free inspection is awesome - Come up with a checklist and present it to the customer at every estimate - make it in a coupon form, so that the customer keeps your name - if in flyer, the customer may throw it away thinking they will just look you up in the phone book.


g wiz information - Did you know if you replace your heating & air filter (cost of $ .33 a filter) once a month - you the home owner will save 20% on your elec/gas bill a year. I know this is not in the pressure washing industry, but I'm digging up information on the exterior maintenace.
 

cchs nc

New Member
In most places throwing stuff into driveways is not considered littering. Check your local Hand Bill statue.
 
O

OrangeCrest

Guest
Thanks cchs, nc for bringing up this old post...

That got some juices going... Has anyone tried getting those refrigerator magnets and placing their info on them and then some night just going thru town and placing them on the doors of businesses, so that when they open up in the morning, this is the first thing they see?

I think I'm going to try it, everyone seem to like magnets... Or at least my kids and wife do...

Got to thank some of these new guys for researching and bringing up an old topic that we may have forgotten about, or didn't see, welcome aboard cchs.
 

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