Any advice on local advertising

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Any advice on local advertising
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wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 08 12:55 pm Post subject: Any advice on local advertising
I have a name, a logo and I think I'm qualified (confirmation expected next week) so how do I get it out for people to see? Needs to target local people, and as my first lot of classes will be evenings, it's aimed largely at working girls (and it will mostly be girls) I can start on the staff notice boards at work, but need to reach a bit wider, I think.

goldy1

Joined: 17 Sep 2006
Posts: 729

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 08 12:57 pm Post subject:
local library usualy have notice boards so do supermarkets.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 08 12:58 pm Post subject:
Parish magazine type things. Torrington has a monthly freesheet called 'The Crier' which seems to work quite well. I'm not sure that local newspapers are much use. Could you try to get yourself interviewed on local radio?

Barefoot Andrew
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 21 Mar 2007
Posts: 22780
Location: In the 17th century

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 08 1:02 pm Post subject:

Try and get some freebie publicity by 'creating' a story about yourself that might interest the local press. They particularly like human interest angles - person behind business etc etc. If you write the story for them, and provide some photos, you're probably onto a winner.

Leaflet drops are a possibility - they needn't be hugely expensive per se (depending on format, print run etc) but they - like actual adverts in the press - yield a notoriously poor return. If you think a leaflet drop is going to be likely, be prepared for needing to do it more than once.

Similarly, if you decide to run press adverts, be prepared to run a sequence over a number of weeks and not just a one-off.

A.

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 08 1:22 pm Post subject:

Barefoot Andrew wrote:

good plan especially as the BBC is running a story today about how many physiotherapists can't find work once trained. The local rag might like a local resident with that one.

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35934
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 08 1:24 pm Post subject:

Leaflets (or business cards) in beauty salons and hairdressers, Post Offices and corner shops, health-food-type shops.

What Andrew said re local papers - you need an ongoing ad for it to be much good.

You get a one line entry in to the Yellow Pages for free - if you can call yourself "Wellington Womble Pilates Person", plus address/phone number, that is better than just "Ms W Womble" - and make sure you go in the best category for you.

And what about local doctor's or health-visitors, from a preventative-medicine kind of angle?

Edit: Am I going mad? Is it physio?

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 08 1:25 pm Post subject:
flyers to local businesses? Are there any freebie papers or newsletters that go out - if nothing else it might tell you where your potential clientel hang out ( new mother and baby club on a Tuesday?, drop some leaflets in then!)

marigold

Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 12458
Location: West Sussex

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 08 1:33 pm Post subject:

If you've got any big local employers they may have some kind of sports and social club which will advertise local businesses to staff in return for a discount. Ask if you can offer a "6 for the price of 5 special deal" (or whatever deal seems reasonable to you) to club members via the internal bulletin board . It's a good way of hoiking in groups of friends who can motivate each other. Make it clear whether it's an ongoing offer or a one-off for the first set of lessons. A smaller ongoing discount may be better to keep people coming.

hedgewitch

Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Posts: 5834
Location: Daft wench GHQ

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 08 1:38 pm Post subject:
Do you have any websites promoting your local area? They often have free or cheap listsings for services. Can you join a national or regional pilates teacher database that would be searchable online? There are a couple for yoga and they are often referred to in magazine articles about yoga as a good place to start looking for a teacher/classes in your own area.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 08 1:57 pm Post subject:

Mrs Fiddlesticks wrote:

Barefoot Andrew wrote:

good plan especially as the BBC is running a story today about how many physiotherapists can't find work once trained. The local rag might like a local resident with that one.

Are they really? It's old news, I'd have thought. Anyway, I could writ to the local rag - I expect the hospital would like it too!

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 08 2:01 pm Post subject:
here's the linky - https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7200080.stm

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 08 2:48 pm Post subject:

Thanks for loads of good ideas - I think the paper is a bit of a no-no, unless they have a courses section to list in. There are various parish things, which I might use in future, but I want people who work in Alyesbury to come after work, so I'm after local businesses really - I might design a letter about preventing back pain for them, although the council is probably the biggest one. Supermarkets are a great idea. Don't often go in them, but I expect these kinds of people do.

At the moment I want well people - It's hard to do classes with mixed abilities, so I'll do a GP mailshot for a later class, and probably for ante and post natal as well.

Chez, it's sort of physio - it's modified pilates for teaching by physios, but anyone can come - it doesn't have to be remedial. I want to start with anyone, and work on the remedial stuff later. I think there is probably more scope for a niche market there, especially with my background. I just want to get some practice teaching, and get some cash coming in, to pay off my bills, and dump some hours at work fast, and then I'll look into more ladies who lunch and GP refferals. I think that'll end up being my main business eventually though.

Himself wants me to advertise on traffic lights. I think it's a dreadful idea, personally, but he is usually quite good a this sort of thing!

boff

Joined: 23 Mar 2005
Posts: 354
Location: Still alive and kicking

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 08 3:44 pm Post subject:

hedgewitch wrote:

Do you have any websites promoting your local area? They often have free or cheap listsings for services.

Is there a dot gov dot uk site for your area ? ( .gov.uk)

Our local website really worked once we had a mention on there.

boff

Joined: 23 Mar 2005
Posts: 354
Location: Still alive and kicking

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 08 3:47 pm Post subject:

Barefoot Andrew wrote:

Try and get some freebie publicity by 'creating' a story about yourself that might interest the local press.

This REALLY works, I did it about 3 months ago with local radio.
They were glad of " An Expert" to interview.

boff

Joined: 23 Mar 2005
Posts: 354
Location: Still alive and kicking

Posted: Mon Jan 21, 08 3:50 pm Post subject:
and offering to do a short talk for the local WI can be useful as well. Even if they dont use you, you're bound be talked about.....

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