What is the best way to promote a new business - mine is construction - all trades...?

Question

I have tried several newspapers without much luck - any suggestions???

Answer 1

There are 3 main areas you need to think about:
- Market: who are you talking to? Who are your best prospects - what do they have in common? If you read up on the topic of "positioning" you'll see that "all trades" is not so good - you should look into which specific markets are hot in your area - remodeling? granite countertops? and position yourself as a specialist.
- Message: what do you say to those people? this is critical, and it flows from your targeted market (what do they want? what do they hate about current suppliers? etc). If you read up on the idea of a USP - unique selling proposition, this is critical.
- Media: how you talk to prospects, such as newspaper ads, directmail, billboards, internet etc. There are thousands of choices here. The key is to use direct-response methods so that every ad you place has a response mechanism so you can tell how well the ad worked. In this way you can test media, messages, markets.

There's more, of course. I put some resources below, and no I don't get any money if you buy something.

Good luck,
Scott

Answer 2

Have you thought about pay per click programs? The two biggest, I think, are Yahoo! and Google

A few free resources – check out the sources box for links:

1) Create a blog pertaining to your field

2) Use Yahoo! Local & Yahoo! Groups – Be sure to read the TOS for each one!

3) Write articles pertaining to your field and/or expertise.

4) Advertise on Craiglist

Also, consider signing up for an affiliate program. These programs enable you to advertise on other's sites (your affiliates) and once a sale is made to you, your affiliates & the program are paid a commission.

I listed a few handy sites & articles relating to marketing, promotion & advertising. Here are some book titles that are relevant:

* The Complete Idiot's Guide ® to Marketing Basics by Sarah White
* The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries, Jack Trout
* Creative Advertising: Ideas and Techniques from the World's Best Campaigns by Mario Pricken
* Entrepreneur Magazine's Ultimate Small Business Marketing Guide: Over 1500 Great Marketing Tricks That Will Drive Your Business Through the Roof by James Stephenson
* 301 Do-It-Yourself Marketing Ideas: From America's Most Innovative Small Companies by Sam Decker

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

Answer 3

Go on line and search for www.thebluebook.com This is a Contractors Register, Inc. They have provided a menu that will cater to you vast array of services, as well as pin pointing areas, area of construction, names, address, lead sources, just very informative resources that can direct you in the right direction. I just discovered this myself, because by coincidence, I have an opportunity to expand on an already established company, for leads, sales, PR, Marketing etc. Good luck