Does anybody think flyers are effective?

[Ded-I]

I just started to use this method and hope it will work for me. I know this is not the best way to get the word out but for me it's the most affordable next to chat sites. Let me know if you use/used flyers as a form of advertisement.

[PF_Gavin]

Flyers could be a fine way of promoting your store, particularly if what you have in there has a particular appeal to the people in the area that you handing them out in.

Its all about targetting the right demographic. eg if you tink your store would appeal to college students, then go havd them out at a local college.

Cheers,

Gavin

[DocTrauma]

I use them in selected venues. I leave them in bathrooms on college campuses when I go to a game, or in bars or concerts above the urinal. It's particularly hard to track their effectiveness, but I have seen a jump in traffic from cities I visited and dropped a few off that way in the few days following...

[Ded-I]

Thanks for the replies and I wish much success for your stores.

[ricklondonwear]

I've used flyers over the years but with the cost of paper, and, these days, having to look super-professional, colorful, etc. to compete with everyone else creating them that way, I have found some more cost effective ways of getting the word out.

I discovered one yesterday. About seven months ago I joined myspace.com, joined a few groups, yakked, made some "friends" got a lot of spam, and forgot about it.

Yesterday, I was reading an article about how you can put out free bulletins to your friends and network, so, out of curiousity, thinking it would be maybe a few hundred, I checked to see how big my network was. 1,714,895

Now, here's the rub. You can't promote your business in the network. I had some important personal news to report which I did, and below my signature put my store name.

Took me maybe 3 minutes, no money, and almost 2 million people had access to it (many with similar interests as mine and my store). So that is oine alternative to flyers, with much better cpm's.

On the other hand you can "show your stuff" on a flyer" unlike a myspace bulletin.

But you can also buy ads on myspace and facebook to reach thousands in your groups for only about $10. I've used them effectively a few times.

Am still experimenting with different tools on the net and will report how well (or not) they work.

I hear a lot of people radio advertising these days with web businesses. Could be very cost effective, not sure.

[Cartesian Bear]

I'm currently at a gifted education mini-conference, and have a batch of flyers on the literature table.

I don't expect a lot of new business, but I'm hitting people who haven't seen my work before. Who knows, they may decide to get someone a holiday gift ...

I've saved a bit on paper and ink by printing 4 up on letter paper, so they are almost oversized business cards. They have my logo, URLs, and a collage of product images.

--Liz

[marshallbaker]

Where did you see advertising on myspace for only $10? I'd jump on that in a second.

[gp1628]

Ive recommended flyers for some shops and not others. It depends on the theme and area. Such as, "I heart Vacaville" (my town) or the local team or local organization obviously works for local advertisement. Carry them with you and do things as you go about your normal day.
Some ideas for flyers are:

1) speak to shopkeepers. some will let you drop off some for people to take

2) accidentally leaving one in a waiting area for dentists, doctors, etc. not a stack without asking, thats too rude

3) accidentally leaving one in a book on the subject at the library, or at the newspaper reading table

4) accidentally leave one in the shopping cart after you finish shopping

5) accidentally leave one on the seat of the city bus

Also if you have a small local newsletter then talk to them. In our area we have two that provide local community calendars, articles about people in our town, etc. They get dropped off for free at every house in town. If a local flyer works for you, then they would also. Rates can be very reasonable for including the flyer as an insert, or a full page ad.

Gandalf Parker

[aart]

I took a bunch of flyers to the local Universities and put them all over the place on their bulletin boards both outside in the student quads and inside certain buildings. I made them with the rip off tabs at the bottom. I've made a few sales from them just in the past few weeks. The trick, as mentioned, is to target certain demographics. I have 5 stores here at PF but only promoted Temple of Horus at the Anthropology/Archaeology department. But, because all my stores have links to all my other stores, I figured they will migrate once they are in one of them. You have to go back every now and again and put them up again. They get buried with all the other flyers. It's not something I plan on doing often, but maybe just around Christmas time. I think everything helps, eventually word of mouth gets around and you won't need flyers.

[icat]

Ive recommended flyers for some shops and not others. It depends on the theme and area. Such as, "I heart Vacaville" (my town) or the local team or local organization obviously works for local advertisement. Carry them with you and do things as you go about your normal day.
Some ideas for flyers are:

1) speak to shopkeepers. some will let you drop off some for people to take

2) accidentally leaving one in a waiting area for dentists, doctors, etc. not a stack without asking, thats too rude

3) accidentally leaving one in a book on the subject at the library, or at the newspaper reading table

4) accidentally leave one in the shopping cart after you finish shopping

5) accidentally leave one on the seat of the city bus

Also if you have a small local newsletter then talk to them. In our area we have two that provide local community calendars, articles about people in our town, etc. They get dropped off for free at every house in town. If a local flyer works for you, then they would also. Rates can be very reasonable for including the flyer as an insert, or a full page ad.

Gandalf Parker
I love your accidents. I have actually scribble my URL on library receipts left inside the books by other people.