Advertising is the key element in a successful business opportunity. If you don’t have interested people to talk to or interested people looking at your product or service, then you are dead in the water. Now, I am involved in a business that is not dependent on the local economy, but it is still a great source for leads. I live in a population approximately 60-80,000 people. Not a huge place but decent sized. If you are in a smaller community, less than 5,000 people, you may want to focus on the next biggest town close to you.
First things first, when advertising a business opportunity, the best thing you could ever do is drive a nice car. People want to see how well you are doing, and a nice car means that you are doing very well. Now, I’m not talking about driving a brand new Nissan Sentra. I am speaking of a nice car. We drive around an H2. Now that always turns heads. Oh, and guess what? We have our website right across the top of the back window, CREATEFINANCIALWEALTH.COM. That Hummer has paid for itself over and over again. Another way to put ads on your car is on the license plate cover, magnets on the doors or bumpers, spare tire covers, or bumper stickers. I wouldn’t recommend putting bumper stickers on any car regardless of it’s shape, but the option is out there.
Fliers, business cards, pens, post cards, toothpicks holders, business card trays, and fake $100 dollar drop cards are all great things to leave at restaurants and businesses that you may visit during the day. I have had people hang on to one of my cards for several months, call me back and get started in my business. Now, the quality of the card has a direct correlation as to whether or not someone will want to hang onto it. It has to be nice folks. Put a high quality, professional grade picture of yourself on it. Look at a Realtors card to get a good idea of what I am talking about. Make it glossy and nice. Better yet, put an opportunity message on the back of it with an ad about your product or opportunity.
Billboards are a great way to market your business. People see those. Location is the main thing to consider and a good advertisement that catches the eye and is either funny or catchy, or both. It has to stick in someones mind, they are driving and may not be able to write it down. Another form of roadside signs is called a Bandit sign. This is a cardboard sign, stuck into the ground on a busy intersection, with an ad on it. These signs can either be handwritten or professionally printed. Study’s have actually shown that the yellow signs that are handwritten have had the best results. You can visit www.banditsigns.com for some examples.
Keep a stack of business cards, fliers, post cards, sticky notes with ads on them, in your car so that when you make the usual trip to the store you can place a few of these on some of the nicer cars as you walk into the store. Now, be smart here. You don’t want to flier every car. You have a product or opportunity that involves making money. Every bit of money you will ever make is currently in the hands of someone else. People with money drive nice cars and have the means to invest, purchase, or spend money in some manner that would benefit them and you. Pick the nice cars. Put the sticky notes onto the side mirror, not the windshield. It works better. A great place to get these kinds of products would be through www.vistaprint.com.
Newspaper ads have always been a very successful method of local advertising. The important thing to consider here is the audience you are targeting. If you are looking for entrepreneurs who are searching for an opportunity, place an ad in the “business opportunity” section. Usually the Sunday and Tuesday paper have the highest readership. Check with your local paper to be certain. Remember, newspaper readers are very loyal and may not respond to an ad until they have seen it more than once. When placing an ad, do it for at least 3 weeks. Visit www.newspapers.com for a list of countrywide newspapers.
Do a radio ad and have a professional do it if you suck! Now, be honest with yourself when it comes to your voice. If it not a very exciting voice, people will not listen to you. Honesty pays in this case….literally.
Now there is always the internet. Some options you have for local advertising are SEO (Search Engine Optimization), CPC advertising, classifieds, banner ads on local sites, the yellow pages online, etc….When advertising locally on the internet choose local words such as Pinetop Vacation Rental if you are living in Pinetop. You will get more targeted visitors and better conversion on your leads or purchases.
The most effective method of advertising that effects every avenue of marketing is always living your abundant and prosperous lifestyle out loud. People are more attracted to you if you are having fun, making money, and out and about! I have made more money while having fun then I ever did working. That may just be the type of business opportunity I am involved in, but I know it effects every business. Would you rather go to a restaurant that is nice, clean, and classy or would you go to the mobile home added onto four times with 6.5 foot ceilings? Of course you’d go to the nicer one. So, make yourself look enticing by living your life and having fun. People are attracted to lifestyle more than anything else. They will want what you have. I have had people ask for more information on my business just for walking through Wal-mart with my family during the middle of the day on a weekday. The reason was, the lady was always there with her kids and never there as a whole family. She wanted that in her life.
Truthfully, I hate going to Wal-mart…..but love being with my family. Sacrifices have to be made sometimes to do what you love.
So there you have it. We have generated tens of thousands of dollars this year from local advertising. It all works, it just takes consistency, well written ads, and the will to do it. Then again, there is always the most simple way to advertise…..just open your mouth!