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How to Advertise your Computer Business
Yellow Pages
The Yellow Pages is the one of the most expensive forms of advertising can be very effective, but only if you put a fair amount of money into it.
For example, the cheaper line ads are typically ineffective. However, more expensive business card sized ads can do wonders for your business. Most computer businesses I have talked to recommend that you get a professional designer to create your ad if you are going to try the Yellow Pages.
Due to the price of Yellow Pages ads, I recommend you hold off this form of advertising until you are at least in your second year of business.
Social Networking
Social Networking can be a great way to market your business for free.
Make sure everyone you know is aware of what you do for a living. Most family and friends know someone who needs some computer help.
Here are two great ways to expand your social network:
- Being SocialIn every day life no matter where you are, start talking to people as much as you can. Most importantly, ask them what they do for a living. People love talking about themselves and you can use this to your advantage. Ask them questions to find out if they match the mould of your ideal client. Keep it light and simple without the salesman sleaze and ask questions as if you are quizzing them, ask them because you are interested in what they do. For example:
You: “So, what do you do for a living?”
Them: “Oh, I run my own business.. etc.. etc..”
You: “wow, that’s great! Have many employees?”
Them: “Yeah, we have 10 full time employees”
You: “wow, sounds like quite a successful business”At this time you can take a guess whether they have any computers and if they will need a computer technician. Now, just listen for those magic words.
Them: “What do you do?”
You: “Oh, I am a (insert computer position here), we deal with (insert what your business does here)”Now, because of your questioning earlier about something they are interested in (themselves), they know you are interested in what they do and that you are a reasonable person. Now the two of you have talked you are no longer a stranger.
Them: “Really? We are currently looking for a tech guy to come in every so often and help us with some computer problems”.
At this stage you can give them a business card or a phone number and turn this into some paying work thanks to investing a few minutes of your time asking about what others do for a living.
- Referral MarketingLocal business groups such as BNI have a chapter in nearly every suburb or small town. BNI is a business networking organization where members meet up once a week and share ideas, contacts and most importantly, business referrals.
The financial investment to join is small at around $250 USD (trust me, you will make it back quickly) and the time investment is around 1-2 hours a week which is usually early in the morning at around 7am.
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In the U.S., it is illegal to put flyers in or on mailboxes.:
Here is the answer from the United States Code at 18 USC §1725:
“Whoever knowingly and willfully deposits any mailable matter such as statements of ccounts, circulars, sale bills, or other like matter,
on which no postage has been paid, in any letter box established, approved, or accepted by the Postal Service for the receipt or
delivery of mail matter on any mail route with intent to avoid payment of lawful postage thereon, shall for each such offense be fined under this title.” (CFR TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 83 > Sec. 1725.)
Rich, is that America wide or only applies to certain states?
that is country wide.
Really great article, thanks for writing it! I started a computer repair service company a few months ago and we are definitely having some trouble building new business up. We’ve advertised in the Yellow Book which has been ok, but nowhere near enough business as we need. We did try a local paper by purchasing a bigger ad, and got 0 calls from it. We’ll be doing some door hangar advertising next, hoping that helps! I do like the idea of the smaller line ads in the paper though, and will probably be giving that a shot.
One thing you didn’t mention was press releases…did you have any experience with that?
Dave, I havent tried it with my Computer Repair business but I use them frequently for Technibble. I found that you need to send your release to ALOT of locations/emails for it to be effective. Only about 5% will pick you up, but those 5% can be worth it.
As for your advertising with bigger ads, you might be interested in this:
https://www.technibble.com/advertising-bigger-is-not-always-better/
[…] are still many cheap ways to advertise your business mentioned in one of our past articles “how to advertise your computer business“. Print This Post Del.icio.us Article By […]
Yeah I’ve tried the mailbox drop before. Got a strongly worded letter from the USPS.
Great information. Thank you, love your whole site…
My question is, for flyers, is it better to use my own name or use my company name that I have set-up? Which will return more results?
This is an interesting read. I wish I came across it before committing to yellowpages.com, I would have gone with the printed Yellow Pages ad instead. But I will see how that turns out when the ad starts appearing online. At least the package I bought will give me first page results on Yellowpages.com and their partner yellow page directories like yahoo yellow pages, mapquest etc…
Do you think this will work at all? I live in a fairly heavily populated area, at least a few 100,000 people within my service area. My business is on site Mac, Windows and network repairs. It needs to generate 35+ hours per week as I have no employees and have no shop.
I have been struggling to get hits on adwords because of the price I can not afford the front page adwords hit. Craigslist gets some calls but those people expect repairs to cost practically nothing.
At least most of my customers have more than one computer in the house. So they can check online if there main computer fails.
if you time it right , by this I mean follow a few blocks behind the mail carrier, you can get away with it for a long time, because most times its the carrier that finds your flyer in the mailbox. but if you distribute right behind the mail carrier most times your flyer will get picked up before the next day! ;-) but as soon as you get a call, STOP! they don’t play the three strikes your out game.
iPhone and other smartphones still work to search on google. Keep that in mind. Make sure your company is listed on google.com/local/add
That is free advertisement that can be very effective
Good post, Thanks for sharing your advice.
To circumvent the mailbox drop, just put it in the door frame. It’s inconvenient for you, but you’re not breaking the USPS law! Here in PR, the post office ignores it. It’s so difficult since everything from a pizza parlor to tax preparers do mail drops, they can’t keep up!
The “going behind the mail carrier” idea is good. You could leave a couple of flyers in a library (or other such place). You might get a couple of clients that way. Just ask.
i get 5000 flyers for £100. the labour to get them delivered is about £250.
for my £350. its very hard to work out what i get back, but i can bill at least £350 in labour within the week.
we perform all computer shop services, but specalist in laptop repair
Since i started my business I had to try different ways to advertise it and due a low budget I had to print my own flyers in black and white and then buying a small space with 10 words limited in a local newspaper named “La Subasta” located in the Houston, TX area for $26.00 dollars weekly but now since 2 months ago I see that the service calls are going down due the crisis I think so I am still looking for the best advertising way for a low budget business all my services are in the Computer Repair area so if you know a good way to advertise and get more customers in this hard crisis.
As an Aussie, I find it amazing that the USPS is allowed to prevent people using flyers in letterboxes!! My marketing campaign would be ruined if that was illegal here.
Just about to start really marketing my services. Wish me luck!
hi ur computer is repair dont worry call me only in bangalore my no. 9538547985 desktop or laptop
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RSCET (Research & Studies in communication Education & Technology Cooperative Ltd) Govt. Regd. [A computer solution to all unregd computer Institute) (Mission Computer Literacy to every nuk and corner of India)
RSCET (Research & Studies in communication Education & Technology Cooperative Ltd) Govt. Regd. [A computer solution to all unregd computer Institute) (Mission Computer Literacy to every nuk and corner of India)
Contact No.918803599156