Suggestions on Marketing to local businesses?

Question

My husband and I are managers at a local self storage facility in San Diego and we are looking for creative, inexpensive ways to market to local businesses. We have exahausted passing out flyers and are looking for new ideas.

Thanks!

Answer 1

We have had several businesses order and use quite effectively custom post it notes printed with a coupon or small advertisement on them. When printed on some of the fluorescent paper stocks these ads get noticed. Here's a link:

http://www.imagemakergraphics.com/printi...

Answer 2

As a small business owner, it's always hard to compete with the "big fish" out their since we can't always shell out thousands to start a mega campaign.

There are a few more cheaper options you can try -

1. You've already tried handing out flyers, that is always a good idea to start out with. You can change the color of flyers and make then 4 per page (then cut them out later) and mass photocopy them at office depot or etc. cheaply. Also, you can try going to malls to do a mass distibute to stores and mall shoppers instead of going house to house.

2. You can always try the penny savers! It is a wonderful way to reach a lot of customers and they are not expensive! The best way to go about it is to do advertising every once in awhile. You don't want to bombard customers with your ads, but to give them a impression so that in the future, they will remember you and look for you.

3. Have paitience. Advertising is a extremely slow reward. you spend a lot of money upfront and then sit back to wait for a few of those customers to come in and inquire about your pricing.

4. You could also try to attend seminars in your nearby areas for small business owners and make friends with other business owners. together you can offer to share customer contact infos and then directly email customers that way too.

5. Lastly, google or ask around about Trade shows in your area. Go visit a trade show and talk to local business' as well as distributors. Look for small business owners with not enough inventory space or out of state distributors who would like to find a cheap storage alternative for their inventory every month or year when they come to do the Trade Shows.

I hope that helps!!

Answer 3

Looks like you need to network with apartment managers, furniture stores, and college campuses, too, not to mention others.  Your flyer needs to appear in these places.

I am finding myself networking with local directories on the internet.  This is another way.