[Frozenfox]

I'm looking for marketing ideas for how I can get out the message for a service that I've been providing.

The Service:
Transfering/converting/restoring media from one source to another. (example's below)

Target Market:
Medium to High scale income earners.

Solution:
How can I spread the word with little to no budget/finances?

A breakdown of the service is this: We pickup people entire CD collection and upload it to their MP3 player / iPod for them. Another example is: we restore old vinyl records to CD and DVD. For a better understanding [ click here ]

Any ideas would be a great help. Thanks!

[insomnia]

paper flyers, post them on the streets...ask family/friends, associates, etc.

[ConstructiveSolution]

You need to determine who is your target market. Visit the marketing bible.com for more ideas. Also target music stores with the same flyers, makesure your contact number is visible and repetative... Word of mouth is also a very good tool.

Encourage your present custoers to help you by doing an excellent job all the time, it will bring good returns better than any other marketing tool.

Hope this has helped

[mxer210]

Whenever I ask people for advertising ideas, they always give me the flyer idea, which I think is wasted effort because a) if i see some url at the barbershop, i probably wouldn't remember it when i get home, or I'll forget i ever saw it b)waste of time c) save the trees

Your service sounds like it needs to attach onto other businesses. I would partner with ipod/ipod accessory stores and have them offer that option at checkout when they purchase an ipod. Than just give the business a % of what you made. This will be initially free, and you only pay a percent of your profit, so you'd only pay when you make money. Also, you could partner with streamload.com and other services which offer storage online. Ex. If someone has 100 CD's and wants to upload them to streamload but doesn't have time, they can use your service.

[synergy]

I would suggest a Yahoo and Google Adwords campaign. Just go to their site and look into it.

Basically its a pay-per-click link. You decide which keywords or phrases (try cd conversion software, cd to mp3, etc..), how much you pay (the more you pay per click, the higher you go on the list) and your monthly limit (try 1cent a click, max. $20/month) Make sure you describe exactly what your doing so you don't get bum click throughs. I don't think area would be a big concern if its all shipped back and forth anyways.

That would be the cheapest, most effective way I could think of reaching interested people.


Mike

[gambit]

Frozenfox,

I've the same problem before and my solutions is to affiliates with other local businesses related to your services. For entertainment industry, I suggest to affiliates with Radio, Internet Radio, MP3s, Event organizer, musiscians and so on...

[Frozenfox]

Great ideas everyone!

I agree that the flyer / poster idea is tired and well used. I agree with mixer210's comment that I would never remember a url when I got home aswell. Also I think my business has saturated the flyer schtick with the high frequency of concerts that we host. And that seems to be the standard / traditional method that bands tend to use, and with the amount of concerts that we have booked .. I'm seeing flyers advertising my business everywhere. Somehow I'm wondering if that is going to come back to bite me in the A$$. So I've placed a disclaimer on my site stating that we do not promote the distruction or vandalism of private / public property.

Okay I think I've got some good bread and butter marketing ideas... now let's take it one step further: Can anyone come up with a marketing idea that is way out in left field? Something that no one has done. Or maybe something that was immensly successful but never repeated? No restrictions, but do reserve the right to be picky. *wink* This is not a thread to critize ideas.


I know that not all of the ideas may work but, what I'm hoping is, that it will get some creative juices going and we come up with some great ideas that other readers may be able to use. I'm not sure that this board has a "think tank" already but I sure could use the help and I would be glad to help others out. Am I crazy or you "guys" up for the challange?

[Eric Locken]

Nathan

I know the flyer idea has been flogged to death but why not a round flyer with a pic of a CD on one side and a record on the other.

Or send out a limited number of CD's with some useful information on them (Like a CD business card). The label could also have a pic of a record on it, logo etc.

[mxer210]

I think the best type of marketing like that is....

You take a piece of light green paper, about the size of a dollar bill. You fold it in half, and on the front, right half of the paper, you print the design of a 20 dollar bill. On the other side, you have your ad. YOu than fold these in half, and leave them on the street so that the front right half is facing up, and it looks like a $20 bill folded in half. People than pick it up, and realize its fake and see your ad. I've seen this done and I was fooled by it too.

[mxer210]

After a second thought, they might feel decieved adn not open to advertising.

[Karen]

Originally posted by mxer210
I think the best type of marketing like that is....

You take a piece of light green paper, about the size of a dollar bill. You fold it in half, and on the front, right half of the paper, you print the design of a 20 dollar bill. On the other side, you have your ad. YOu than fold these in half, and leave them on the street so that the front right half is facing up, and it looks like a $20 bill folded in half. People than pick it up, and realize its fake and see your ad. I've seen this done and I was fooled by it too.

This reminds me of this site...

http://www.millionbill.com/

Karen