advertising in a local paper, good idea?

R

ride5150

New member
Joined
Apr 20, 2011
Messages
281
Reaction score
0
my mobile business hasnt taken off as well as i had hoped, i did some fliers and not a single call yet. im thinking about putting an ad in a local newspaper.

have any of you guys gotten some business from newspaper/magazine ads?
 
How many flyers did you put out?

I think I'm going to try the newspaper as well!

Don't give up, it will be a slow start at first, but once you have some clients the word of mouth snowball begins!
 
I don't use the local paper for advertising but I would think its still a good idea. If you have any middle to high end companies (judged by employee income) I would send out like a 20 dollar off coupon through email. Honestly, my last month has been all a local computer company employees =)

Not only do they have desire to have great looking cars, its a joy working on the high end of things
 
That might work, but I don't think the paper is as popular as it used to be. One of the best forms seems to be posting on local forums (which I saw you are on H-T). But alot of those kinds of sites are cracking down on detailers posting up recent details to bring in customers unless you are a sponsors of the site (reasonably so).
 
I think flyers are not an efficent way to get business. 85% of car owners don't give a $hit about their cars and another 10% don't want to spend more than the $99 special to get their car cleaned so IMO why put fliers on their houses or cars? If you see someone with a really nice looking car introduce yourself, tell them what you do and give them a card. Has worked well for me. Car shows and cruse nights are a good place to meet car lovers as well, and of coarse a web site is king.

I have not advertised in local papers, but it would be interesting to find out if it would be sucessful or not. I would think no especially since to get a decent size ad it is expensive
 
I agree with MDetail that newspapers just are as popular. Readership and subscriptions are way down nationwide. People are now turning directly to the papers webpage (me included). I have placed an electronic add on a local radio stations page. The add is a banner type thing on their homepage. Clicking it directly links to my site. It costs 3 bucks a day (1k a year). It has only been up for two weeks but has already brought in three jobs.
 
MDetail said:
That might work, but I don't think the paper is as popular as it used to be. One of the best forms seems to be posting on local forums (which I saw you are on H-T). But alot of those kinds of sites are cracking down on detailers posting up recent details to bring in customers unless you are a sponsors of the site (reasonably so).
Click to expand...

haha yeah my thread already got closed on my350z.com, i have to find a sneakier way:P yeah i understand completely, no one likes soliciting.

WindyCity said:
I think flyers are not an efficent way to get business. 85% of car owners don't give a about their cars and another 10% don't want to spend more than the $99 special to get their car cleaned so IMO why put fliers on their houses or cars? If you see someone with a really nice looking car introduce yourself, tell them what you do and give them a card. Has worked well for me. Car shows and cruse nights are a good place to meet car lovers as well, and of coarse a web site is king.

I have not advertised in local papers, but it would be interesting to find out if it would be sucessful or not. I would think no especially since to get a decent size ad it is expensive
Click to expand...

yeah i think personally going and talking to potential clients is probably best, i jsut have to figure out how to do this without seeming like im trying to sell something, everyone hates the guy who just keeps haggling you looking to make a buck.

Porsche Pilot said:
I agree with MDetail that newspapers just are as popular. Readership and subscriptions are way down nationwide. People are now turning directly to the papers webpage (me included). I have placed an electronic add on a local radio stations page. The add is a banner type thing on their homepage. Clicking it directly links to my site. It costs 3 bucks a day (1k a year). It has only been up for two weeks but has already brought in three jobs.
Click to expand...

until i get a few more clients this really isnt an option for me, i really dont want to invest anymore into this until i get some more work:P seems like a good idea tho im glad its working for you
 
car meets might be a good idea, i gotta look in to that and maybe set up a stand.
 
Have you exhausted all the "free" forms of advertising? Facebook page, craigslist ads, flyers, donating a detail to a charity auction or car show, posting on local car forums and so on, are all free ways to gain business. I have gotten business from each one of those ideas. I've never spent a dime on advertising, and at this point I stay busy enough that I won't need to.

Good luck! :dblthumb2:
 
You need to do a ton of cold calling.
Just like you are doing.
It takes time though. 4-6 months plus you need to look at the economy things are tight with a ton of people still out of work

I would go to car shows also, drop off business cards.
 
Flannigan said:
Have you exhausted all the "free" forms of advertising? Facebook page, craigslist ads, flyers, donating a detail to a charity auction or car show, posting on local car forums and so on, are all free ways to gain business. I have gotten business from each one of those ideas. I've never spent a dime on advertising, and at this point I stay busy enough that I won't need to.

Good luck! :dblthumb2:
Click to expand...

thats a genius idea, going to a car meet and having a little "lotto." id walk around and ask people if they wanted to "enter a chance to win a free detail!" id sign them up, give them my business card and tell them to check my website the next day to see if they won.

id just do an exterior wash, glaze, and hand wax. and maybe a basic interior too? or maybe full? i gotta think about it.

i might just try that, sounds like it could be a little fun too:P
 
ride5150 said:
yeah i think personally going and talking to potential clients is probably best, i jsut have to figure out how to do this without seeming like im trying to sell something, everyone hates the guy who just keeps haggling you looking to make a buck.
Click to expand...

Just make it quick and not pushy.....introduce your self, compliment them on their car and say it looks like they like to take care of it. Tell them that you are a professional mobile detailer, give them a card and tell them to contact you if they need a professional detailing service.....
 
WindyCity said:
Just make it quick and not pushy.....introduce your self, compliment them on their car and say it looks like they like to take care of it. Tell them that you are a professional mobile detailer, give them a card and tell them to contact you if they need a professional detailing service.....
Click to expand...

good advice:P

your not the owner of windy city detailing by logan square are you? i see that place often haha
 
Thanks. Another thing I did at a car show is raffle off a 50% coupon and 10% coupon. So I called the person the won the 50% and let them know. Then I called everyone else that entered and told them they won 10% off. I think I ended up getting 15 jobs from that show, and only had to give most people a 10% discount. Well worth it imo.

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk
 
Flannigan said:
Thanks. Another thing I did at a car show is raffle off a 50% coupon and 10% coupon. So I called the person the won the 50% and let them know. Then I called everyone else that entered and told them they won 10% off. I think I ended up getting 15 jobs from that show, and only had to give most people a 10% discount. Well worth it imo.

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

WOW, you are truly a thinker man:P thats probably the best idea ive heard for advertising period. all those people were thinking "yes im saving 10%," while you were still making money and bringing in new customers haha.

i thank you greatly, where where these raffles? car meets?
 
WindyCity said:
Just make it quick and not pushy.....introduce your self, compliment them on their car and say it looks like they like to take care of it. Tell them that you are a professional mobile detailer, give them a card and tell them to contact you if they need a professional detailing service.....
Click to expand...

just to add to this keep in the front of your mind they have most of the time invested their time into it to make it perfect and think that their style of detailing is amazing so be cautious not to step on their toes as they may take that as an insult...
 
I would suggest you go straight too who you want to sell to...get your foot int he door with some and ask them to pass the word for a future discount. If there are certain bussiness offices you want to get into, offer them something usefull in there bussiness ex:realtors-help them understand how much a customer will be impressed not just by what they drive, but how clean they keep it. The net is also a powerful tool, get yourself on Twitter and Facebook and post results of your work. Word of mouth is the best form of advertising ever, do good work and let the customers brag for you!
 
I know this thread isnt about your website, but I did a quick check of your website and I might change a few things. I would put a actual gallery for your "gallery" instead of linking to your FB gallery. If your clientele are going to be older, I think some of them will be turned off by the whole FB thing. For the main picture in the header of the website I would use a car that you actually detailed. Nothing used to turn me off more than knowing that someone just pulled a picture of a clean car off the internet. Maybe have a place where you can show your detail work (previous work) like linked from a forum. Sometimes people like to read about the work you put into these cars, and a simple before and after doesn't do it justice. I know one of the guys that used to be popular on HT used to link to a local forum where he posted up his full days work
Presidential Automotive Detailing - Tampa, FL

Just some ideas to help get you up and going.
 
Flannigan said:
Thanks. Another thing I did at a car show is raffle off a 50% coupon and 10% coupon. So I called the person the won the 50% and let them know. Then I called everyone else that entered and told them they won 10% off. I think I ended up getting 15 jobs from that show, and only had to give most people a 10% discount. Well worth it imo.

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

So you landed 15 jobs based off of a lie? Is this something you do often?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top