# Tips & Tricks: Business Promotions



## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

What are your "tips and tricks" re: *Promoting A Business*
(What have you found to be the most effective promotion strategies)



*Gateway to all Tips & Tricks Topics*


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## donbee (Feb 7, 2009)

Having been born in the era of newspapers as the main source of advertising, one might think I was a little behind the curve.
However, I strongly believe that one MUST have a website if one is to be serious about being in business.

ddwwb


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

I agree re: website-that's my number one source of finding a business I am looking for.
And.. if you aren't convinced about using it for advertising it is a great resource for clients - you can easily show them projects you have created (etc) past/present so they can see the quality and style of your work.

Some woodworkers use their websites to show clients "stages" photos of their creations, showing them the project in development stages. What a great touch.


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## Sawkerf (Dec 31, 2009)

I've been hearing that web sites are becoming passe' - in part because of the difficulty of a search ranking a site high enough to be noticed. Facebook seems to be the new medium of choice.

I offer progress pictures to my customers, and some enjoy seeing them. Others aren't interested.


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## donbee (Feb 7, 2009)

If Facebook is in and websites are passe', I am indeed behind the curve.

But then, I faced up to that fact when I retired. If I don't keep current everyday, I drop behind.

ddwwb


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## Sawkerf (Dec 31, 2009)

Don -
I'm repeating what I've been told by the younger generation. I've never had a website and don't do any of the social media.


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## LeeJ (Jul 4, 2007)

I don't know about website having become "passe". I was reading a report just this morning, regarding Search Engine Optimization for websites. It claimes that there are 694,000 searches done *per second*, on Google alone!

I agree that businesses need to embrace technology as it becomes available, referring to twitter. But there is a time management consideration, and I personally don't have enough of it to post comments on twitter every time I do something.

Websites however, can be built in a fairly quick time span, and then updated occassionaly. But many business opt for a free web building program, then make themselves a website. According to the television commercials I see, you simply spend 20 minutes putting one of these free sites together, and in another 30 minutes a flood of people will be banging on your door, money in hand. When that doesn't happen, they decide the internet won't work for their type of business.

Putting up a free website, or even one of the many professional sites that aren't optimized, is pretty much as useful as putting an ad in the yellow pages. Not the standard yellow pages though. One that has no catagories, or even has the listings in alphabetical order. Except instead of the normal two or three inches thick, it would be two or three feet thick. (at least).

That type of site amounts to an online business card. You need to give someone the website address or they'll never find it.

An optimized site will bring lots of traffic. It takes time and/or money to get it done, but from then on it's working for you 24/7/365. For very little cost.

Lee


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## JonathanG (Jan 18, 2010)

Great post Lee, with good examples. I agree with what you've said.


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## CanadianWoodChuck (Sep 8, 2007)

I agree with the elctronic advertising, however I still feel word of mouth for quality workmanship brings good clients who are willing to pay the extra for custom pieces. When you deliver a piece to a customer be sure to leave business cards, because you know they are going to show off their new cabinet, table , whatever to their friends. Let them sell you and your product.
Bruce


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## JonathanG (Jan 18, 2010)

Bruce, Also a good point. I think this thread is going to show that there are multiple avenues that need to be covered to really market yourself effectively and drive your business to be successful. You can produce the best work that's ever been done, but if nobody knows it exists, it's not going to sell.


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## mmh (Mar 17, 2008)

A website is a must if you want to show current photos of your work and update information without having to have costly printed material to mail out, but it should not be your only avenue as many don't have time or interest in surfing the web. I make sure that my logo shows off my work, so a single look will tell you what I do and how I'm different. My business card has a large, clear photo of a favorite cane and I use this same photo for the car magnets for both of our vehicles. I also try to use this same photo for my icon on various forums and networking websites so that I will be recognized.

Don't waste the public's time or your money by having bad graphics advertise your wares or service. If they can't figure out what you're selling in 30 seconds or less, you've lost their interest. If it makes them ask what you sell, then at least you have their attention and they can call, visit your website, or talk to you in person.

I have had some response from a Yellow Pages listing, but this is for local interests and doesn't get the mass coverage that the website can deliver. Forums such as LJ's helps a great deal getting attention via search engines when you post your work here.

Since my product covers various interests such as wood working, arts & crafts, health care, geriatric care, pain rehab, etc., I can market in various areas that still pertain to my product. I've recently run an ad in a health magazine that is freely distributed to doctors offices, health services, libraries, etc., but have yet to see any results, as the ad ran in July and I suspect not many are visiting these offices, or they're holding on to the issue for future referrence.

I don't spend a lot of time and money on advertising but I'm always researching new and effective ways to be seen. My next project is a slide show on U-tube.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

many LumberJocks have posted that "word of mouth" is their best form of promoting.

Oh.. and of course one's "LumberJocks' Profile" can be used as the business website-providing potential clients a place to visit to see samples of work and work ethics.


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## LeeJ (Jul 4, 2007)

Hi Ms. Debbie;

Word of mouth has kept me in business for over thirty years. But, before it can help you have to ensure that you're presenting the right message to your existing clients, for them to pass your name along. Simple things, ones that would seem like common sense, need to be done right, every time. Not just when you feel like it.

Things like showing up for appointments on time. Keeping the jobsite clean. Returning phone calls. CONSISTANT quality in everything. Meeting deadlines. Keeping your word. It has always amazed me at just how much that impresses clients.

It's often not what so much what I do, but what my competition doesn't do. In a nut shell, following the golden rule. Treating clients like I would want to be treated if I were the client.

Lee


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## JohnGreco (Jan 13, 2010)

I have a Facebook fan page, but with so much personal data that FB gathers/stores/sells there is a growing number of people who will never be on FB. Although the fan pages are public-facing, this crowd simply will not go there. And that's perfectly fine, because a Facebook fan page is just 1 tool you should have in your online arsenal.

Just like in your shop, no 1 tool does it all. I have a Facebook fan page, a Twitter feed (actually 2: one personal, one professional), a LinkedIn profile, a blog, a monthly newsletter, and a website. I'm a professional, an artist and a business rolled into one so the expectations somebody might have of where to look to find me may differ, but I'm there.

My work is small enough to ship through the mail, and branding is extremely important. My logo is everywhere I am digitally as well as in print. Business cards, printed invoices/receipts, even shipping labels for my packages. I want the person in the backroom of the post office to wonder, "Who is this Greco Woodcrafting that keeps sending packages through here?"

But again, these are all tools. There is no single thing that is "The" piece of the puzzle you have been missing. They are all used together to help you succeed. I'm sure other people are doing great without doing any of these things, and that's terrific. They've just found different tools that work for them.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

a really good point about the logo everywhere--consistency of name used, logo, (etc) helps people recognize you and to pass on your name. 
Ex. ... if you want to use LumberJocks.com as your website information and you want to be known by your "name" then using a nickname may not be beneficial. There are some woodworkers on here, for example, that I can look at the work and say, "Oh that must be a Todd A. Clippinger… or a Roger Strautman".


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## rustfever (May 3, 2009)

Reputation, Reputation, Reputation.
First, become responsible and professional, then allow your customer to discover it!. Once they have discovered it, your reputation will proceed you.
I built my business that way 35 years ago. It was instantly successful. However it took 30 years of hard work for the reputation to convert to 'Money-in-the-Bank'.
There is no replacing personal values, skill, and tenacity. 
No web site will do it. No social site will do it. You must do it.


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## scrollgirl (May 28, 2010)

I agree with Lee and the others that say that we need a multitude of avenues to advertise and promote our business. There are so many ways to do so on the web and we could spend the better portion of every day just trying to keep them all up to date.

We need to choose a couple of key ways to advertise and not only keep our current customers up to date, but also to acquire new customers. Nothing is faster than the web for that kind of advertising. While print ads are also necessary and beneficial to customers, there is the time lag that comes into play, as sometimes there are months before the ads are published in print.

The key to all of this is organization. We need to organize our time and efforts and not just try things willy nilly here and there. Lee had a good point that there is only so much time for social networking. We need to have time to create and do our craft also. Picking what works for us may take some initial time and effort, but we need to realize what works for us and what doesn't and not spend time on things that aren't directly beneficial to our businesses.

Above all though, quality products and services will be the key. Word of mouth is the best way to expand our businesses and satisfied customers are the catalyst. We need to be sure to take the time to give great service and excellent products, which will ensure our business will be sustained.

Just my thoughts, Sheila


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## fge (Sep 8, 2008)

I think some things really go without saying, such as

• High quality
• Good customer service
• Ultimately word of mouth from doing consistent good work

A great product and word of mouth becomes worthless if you are hidden from the public. I would speculate 3 years of strong consistent hustling will start generating steady word of mouth if you provide consistent quality work. Having only been in business for 14 months now, very few out there know we exist even though we do splendid work. Right now we generate leads from

• Walk in traffic
• Craigslist (just because it is free)
• Other online classifieds
• Word of mouth
• Lead service (i stopped this, i did get decent ROI on the service, they were not following their own rules and I wished to try other avenues, mainly SEO and natural organic search results)
• Cold calling builder billboards/signs
• Shaking hands with architects (I just started doing this recently, awaiting some results)
• Driving around and visiting job sites (pretty decent ROI, I just picked up a set of drawings yesterday to bid)

My future advertising implements I am currently working on:

• Regular newsletter; helps with word of mouth because past customers have hard time forgetting you when they receive a quarterly newsletter.
• Bi-fold flyers to place in the hands of architects, designers and builders
• Online marketing; facebook, twitter, web site (that has effective SEO, GOAL IS 1ST PAGE OF GOOGLE ON POPULAR SEARCH TERMS), youtube/video type infomercials about what we love to do in custom cabinetry.

Things I am currently doing to achieve online marketing goals:

• I have had a web site since 2008, registered www.topqualitycabinets.net
• Site is done with templates that offer minimal flexibility
• Currently self teaching myself html/CSS/hopefully some Java script code, this should help me build a strong foundation for online marketing.
• Self teaching SEO techniques.
• Recently registered 6 more domain names, to include www.topqualitycabinets.com/.mobi/.biz/.info… and www.customcabinetssanantonio.net / .biz

My short term plan is:

• Hired www.footbridgemedia.com to write new HTML site for www.topqualitycabinets.net and perform SEO marketing along with other types of online marketing strategies they offer. They offer an extensive marketing plan for a flat rate of 150.00 per month with no set up fees or contract! I also found nothing but great reviews for them, mainly at www.contractortalk.com. I am hiring them at this time because I cannot afford to wait on my own learning curve, though I am anxious to learn on my own.

My long term online plan is:

• Learn html/css/java script and SEO techniques
• Write a new web site with DIY html code, address it to www.topqualitycabinets.com
• Attempt to get that address on the first page of google through proper SEO techniques.
• Then I will have two web sites on the first page of google, just being stingy I guess!
Obviously these are just goals and maybe lofty goals, but if I aim for the sky I guess I will not get mud in my eye!


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## Puzzleman (May 4, 2010)

I do about 20 - 24 large (at least 150,000 attendance) art & craft shows through out the Midwest From my visibility there, I hand out brochures about my products that include my website and 800 number on the bottom of every page.

I also send out a brochure with every order shipped out. Since a lot of my products go out as gifts, I am in front of many new customers every day.

I use SEO on my website that I do myself.

Constantly talking about my business to anyone who I meet that would be a potential customer while leaving them with a business card that opens up to show several of my products (like a mini catalog).

Give products away for fundraisers, donations and other venues to get my products where people will take a close look at them.

I do wholesale trade shows to get in front of potential new vendors and reconnect personally with current vendors.

I do web searches to find more potential vendors for some of my not quite so popular items.


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## Hyvel (Sep 15, 2011)

When you do have a website some key things to remember. People on the internet can be very impatient since there is a lot of competition out there readily available. But if you have managed to get a potential customers attention and they reach out to you with inquiries via email. 
Make every effort to be timely with your response as that will lend credibility to your business.

Also make sure to take plenty of photos of your work. To many times have I said to myself that if that was photographed better it would sell. I am semi professional photographer as well so I tend to look critically at any photo.

Those two simple things regardless of how simple your website might be will take you far.


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

There are lots of good ideas here. Lots of them. But I boiled this down to five simple things, and to be honest, I have pretty much a consistent two month backlog.
1. Website: Mine is an Intuit site for one simple reason. Pictures, pictures, pictures. People want to see your work. On that website I can adjust it every day if I like, I have unlimited pages, dozens of photos, and a Call To Action on every page. I keep my text to pretty much a minimum, make the pictures good quality, put up three ways to get me, and PICK AN UNCOMMON NAME. 
Tsunami Guitars went to the top of the Google list in less than three months, simply because when you put Tsunami with the word Guitars, it's an odd combination. Beta tags are not anywhere as effective as they used to be, but I also can put them in. Great website, as far as I am concerned, didn't need to learn code, and my total cost is $19.95 a month.
2. Facebook. Have a page where you put in additional pictures, and pictures of in-progress projects. No projects? No problem - build something and post pictures of it in progress. I've sold multiple guitars half built because someone liked it. I only have 101 followers, but Facebook tells me I get hundreds of looks every week. Fine with me! I do not pay for any advertising on Facebook.
3. Business cards that POP. I put them up everywhere I go. If I see a corkboard, I put a business card or two or three on it. You will be surprised.
4. Self advertise in forums, blogs, and approach magazines for possible articles. You would be surprised how many people hit my site simply because my URL is at the bottom of every post on Lumberjocks! And they tell others, and so on. If you cannot write, get a friend or relative to write an article for you. I've been in Fretboard Journal, my local newspaper, on TV twice on a show that features local craftsman and women, and I entered my work in local fairs, but I don't stay. Some people like the shows where they sell and are there personally, but for me it takes me out of the shop, and I feel that I can do it online and through word-of-mouth much more effectively without chewing up my time.
5. Answer e-mails quickly, and be a little more wordy than you have to be. People like information, and the more you give them, the better they like it. USE THE SPELL CHECKER. Read it back to yourself, if it reads right, your reader will understand it.
One last thing. DONATE a few things to your church, or whatever organization you might be attached to. Make sure they do tell people where it came from.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

here's an interesting discussion re: business cards and brochures.


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