Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing

John,
You've nailed me for beign too much of a "bean-counter" before - but as a CPA (and Marketing Consultant to CPAs) I would like to add that by purchasing "Advertisting" in a church bulletin, that would be a 100% deductible expense, versus a 50% deduction for the same "donation" in the collection plate.

Whether the investment in church bulletin advertising is a good one - that's worth trying and measuring.

Dave

I am intrigued at how you see using the church bulletin as a form of marketing. Do you look at it as direct marketing, co-branding, or sponsorship? I don't know many churches that would allow a company to advertise with a flyer in the bulletin. Now sponsoring or co-branding is an excellent approach and a whole uptapped field that is a win win on both sides.

Chuck,

Many churches actually pay for the printing of weekly bulletins by selling advertising space on the back.

There are companies that put these together
http://www.parishnow.com/
http://www.jppc.net/advertising.htm

Never leave you house. Join a local yahoo group or other forum and start posting your business. What is so great about online forums is people's ability to instantly respond with a click or phone call. All of your recommended places require a person to step out of their routine and make a call or remember to call at a later time. It's really only the people with time to kill who take a look at those boards. Online groups work so well because people have already set aside time to find your business.

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These are indeed the places where most people pass so the best for placing an advert. I think the subway and the buses (public transport) are also very good places to advertise something.

Don't neglect online-but-location-oriented venues, such as yelp.com. Also, ensure that your web marketing strategy accounts for searches of place names that might not appear in your address.

(I'm not affiliated, just a huge fan of location-based web services and happy user of Yelp.)

Advertising is Dead!

The current advertising model is mass media based and delivers messages through print ads, television and radio commercials, and recently the internet. The ads presume that all customers will want what the sponsor has, will understand the ad, and will respond to the call for action.

Now enters IPTV (Internet Protocol Television). Perhaps the simplest definition of IPTV would be television content, that instead of being delivered through traditional formats and wiring, is received by the viewer through the technologies used for computer networks. You will get this new content through cable, the telephone line, and satellite. Coming to your plasma TV soon, this new content will allow you to watch exactly want you want when you want to watch it.

This new delivery mechanism will create a new industry of “mini-producers” who will create very specific content for special people like you. You will be able to get content as specific as a golf talk show for left handed duffers living in Orange County, California who want to hook up with opposite sex golfers for fun and frolic. No smokers please. I am not kidding.

Since all of this new content will use the newest technologies, the viewer will leave tracks or digital fingerprints allowing the advertisers to perfectly pinpoint their messages to exactly the right customer: you.

Alas, the advertising industry will be saved!

John Bradley Jackson

I think one of the best ways to advertise your business in your town is on the vehicles of your local community drivers.

There is a Classifieds Website where you can post your request to advertise on vehicles (i.e ad-wrapped cars).

Go to http://www.worldcarwraps.com Classifieds

Good Luck

I'm trying a new advertising concept where it's a forum that people just advertise for free. Will have to see how it goes.

www.OurFreebies.com