In our high-tech world, we tend to think almost exclusively now that
all the marketing that counts is found on the internet, or in an app.
As I've said before, nothing substitutes for personal contacts, and networking.
There are plenty of low-tech ways to advertise your business, though. Community newspapers and magazines usually run ads from local businesses.
Some months ago, I suggested my friend Kristyne advertise her law practice in a little newspaper I read while waiting for my car to get washed. She reported to me later she had gotten several new clients off that one ad, and it wasn't expensive.
Those clients were happy with her legal services. They will keep her card, or her emails, and will recommend her to other clients wanting a will or estate planning. Word of mouth is a powerful thing.
Ever noticed the free publications outside of some businesses? Next time you see one, pick it up and look at it when you have a minute. People pick these up and throw them in the car or in their backpacks or purses, and read them while waiting in line, or picking up their child from school, or any other occasion when they need to wait.
Wait a minute, you may be thinking, what about my smartphone? I check that when I am waiting in line or in the car. Well, what if you have no WiFi connection? OR what if you are elderly and don't use the computer? OR what if you don't like to read articles online, but prefer a paper publication - there are a few Luddites (like me) out there.
Print is not dead. I don't think it ever will be. There is something satisfying about holding a book or magazine in your hand.
Here in Atlanta, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is not the only newspaper in town. There is The Champion in DeKalb County. There is the Marietta Daily Journal. There are college newspapers like The Signal - which prints 4,000 copies a week. Professors and people who work at the college also read the school newspaper, not just students.
I get free newspapers and magazines on my front porch sometimes, and I look at them while I eat lunch. One such small magazine here in Tucker is Up Close and Personal, which lands on my doorstep 4 times a year, and features profiles of local businesspeople. I just wrote a profile for them about my friend Kristyne. I've written articles about the books I've written, in past years. A lot of people read those little magazines.
Another thought is to buy ads in your child's school yearbook, or school newspaper.
So give some thought to advertising in smaller publications. The results may surprise you.
