How To Market When Computers and the Internet Aren't Your Thing

So you are still stricken with fear at the thought of sending an
email, posting a website or downloading...well, anything. It
doesn't mean you can't successfully market your business.

Not everybody is glued to the net, popular as that myth may be.
There are still plenty of us willing to dirty our hands picking
up a non-virtual flyer or flipping through a non-virtual
newspaper. We leave our houses and drive cars or walk, reading
non-virtual signs and advertisements.

Maybe it was the pile of science fiction books you read as a kid
that made you shun a future filled with diabolical gadgets and
gizmos. Maybe your computer lab teacher didn't love you enough.
Maybe you are simply the kind of person who wants to keep life as
uncomplicated as possible.

Whatever the reason for your tech-phobia, there is still plenty
of time for you old dogs to learn some new tricks. Meanwhile,
you'll have to do some marketing the old-fashioned way.

There are a gazillion ways to market absolutely free of
technology. You see them everywhere you go, in your non-virtual
world.

*Flyers, super cheap, super effective--Flyers are one of the
oldest forms of marketing. Samuel Adams alerted the Patriots to
the Boston Tea Party with flyers, and we all know how effective
that was.

Your flyers probably won't make history, but they will get you
noticed. One thing I love about flyers is that they give me
something to look at when I am waiting in a cafe or lobby.

I also love that flyers are tangible, an attribute that most
low-techies appreciate. I can tear off those little phone number
slips at the bottom and take them with me.

Flyers also provide a venue for human interaction, another thing
we low-techies are partial to. Hand people flyers on the street
and they can ask you questions directly. That gives you an
opportunity to sell them on your product or service, right then
and there.

When designing the layout of your flyer, put a bold, black
headline at the top that shouts your most important benefit. Use
light colored paper. Dark colors tend to make your text difficult
to read. Use 14 point type or larger to ensure people don't have
to squint to read your flyer.

*Effective Billboards--Cruising down the road, People are usually
doing anything but paying careful attention to their driving.
That is why billboards are such an effective way of reaching
potential customers.

Billboards are a great way to target certain routes to work,
residential communities, and vacationers on travel routes. Next
time you drive to Las Vegas or Reno, notice the number of
billboards along the route. On a long, straight stretch of
highway, drivers have nothing else to look at but your billboard.

Keep your billboard message simple. There is no way people will
understand detailed copy at 70 miles per hour. A headline,
graphic and two bullets are generally all you want to include.

Include a photo or graphic, something colorful, to help draw
attention to your billboard.

Make sure your phone number is easy to read and remember. List it
with letters instead of numbers. Most people can't drive on the
freeway and take down your number at the same time. They might
try, but you don't want to be responsible for what happens.

If you need to scrimp on advertising, get cheaper rates by buying
packages, multiple months, or negotiating your own billboard
location with a property owner.

*Advertise on your car--As cities sprawl and commutes become
longer and slower, advertising on your car becomes an effective
and extremely cheap way to get your name out.

Because we tend to drive along with the same group of cars for
significant distances, people can see your sign for 15 to 20
minutes. It's like a traveling infomercial.

You can use magnetic signs, window stickers, or have your message
painted on the side of your car, van, or truck.

An old media trick is to number your vehicles. If you have two
vans, number them 3 and 7. People will think you have a fleet.
Sometimes, the bigger people think your operation is, the more
they will trust you.

*Wear your advertising--They are called "wearables," all those
shirts and hats with your ads, logos and slogans printed on them.

Using wearables kills two birds with one stone: first, you create
a bond with the potential customer when you give them something
free. Second, those people will do your advertising for you by
wearing your free gift.

When you design a wearable, do something eye catching, something
that people will want to wear. I won't wear a T-shirt with just a
name and phone number in block letters. I will wear a T-shirt
that has a cool graphic on it.

A word to the wise--don't just offer XXL T-shirts and hats that
only men would want. Women control spending in America, so you
want to cater to them. Offer as many medium sized T-shirts as
XXXL T-shirts.