Newsagents etc

Using press and magazine advertising, brochures, mailings - old hat or still cost-effective?
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Windy
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Newsagents etc

Post by Windy »

I've just laminated 3 A4 fliers and placed them around the town (Newsagents - £8 for 4 weeks , Hairdresser - Free, Shopping Arcade - Free).

I am now expecting to be overrun with enquiries :lol: - I'll let you know if anything happens!
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

Be interested to hear. We've put a number of our leaflets in various places in Kirkby Stephen, which has quite a number of passing tourists, including a petrol station where the leaflets have gone fairly quickly. Not convinced we've had any bookings as a result, though!
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Topcat
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Post by Topcat »

I've had one booking from a newsagent's window. It was a lot of work, traipsing round all the local villages, but worth it even just for one booking.
TC
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Ben McNevis
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Post by Ben McNevis »

Windy, as you've remained silent since, I presume they've done nothing?

I noticed that Wilkinsons have a postcards board where advertising is free, so I've put one there. I think the concept is great particularly for late offers. But places like Wilkinsons and supermarkets are less than ideal because those boards are located after the checkout where people aren't going to hang around.

I don't frequent hair salons. Is it easy to find places that take advertising cards? To work, they have to be places where people linger. Dentists would be ideal but I've never seen that kind of advertising at the dentist.
Cheers, Ben
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golfing girl
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Post by golfing girl »

Hi Windy. When we first started out over 10 years ago we advertised in local shops etc and had a lot of interest but as the years have rolled by it became evident that the effort of visiting shops etc brought so little response it was just not worth it. Maybe with a different cottage it might be a different story..who knows?
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Windy
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Post by Windy »

Not even a whisper from any of the ads :cry:
golfing girl
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Post by golfing girl »

Never mind Windy you never know.
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Windy
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Post by Windy »

LOL :-) I think I can be fairly certain that i won't get any enquiries from them now as the have all disappeared
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

What's your theory Windy - the competition removed them, or is there a time limit on displaying them?
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Windy
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Post by Windy »

The barbers got redecorated, the arcade has people who rip your ad down to make room for their own and the newsagent ad ran out of time.

It was worth a punt but ultimately a waste of time really.
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apexblue
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Post by apexblue »

We became chums with the local pub landlord, antique shop and fish & chip shop and put up ads but the best response we had were our ad in newsagents in our area of Cheshire.
It is better to remain quiet and have one think you are stupid, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt....

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Topcat
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Post by Topcat »

A few years ago I made cards and spent two days driving around North Essex and South Suffolk, placing them in newsagents and post offices. I had one enquiry, who didn't book in the end but their daughter and family did. I suppose it sort of paid off but I don't think I'd go to all that trouble again.

TC
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kendalcottages
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Post by kendalcottages »

Hi Windy

Offline marketing?? Shudder the thought... so you actually had to leave your computer to do this... I don't like the sound of that. ;)

I'm interested, when you say "you placed them around town", by that did you mean Lytham or Windermere? I'm guessing you meant the former, but just wondering if there's any merit up here... or maybe everywhere's just too saturated with that kind of stuff (plus there's the problem that people are already up here, so it's really only any good for their next visit...)
Kendal Holiday Cottages Ltd., Kendal, Cumbria - between the Lake District & the Yorkshire Dales.
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Ben McNevis
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Post by Ben McNevis »

plus there's the problem that people are already up here, so it's really only any good for their next visit..
Yes but, I have a feeling that local advertising could be quite effective because locals sometimes have guests that they can't accommodate (e.g. weddings, funerals etc) so it's the locals who arrange the accommodation. Just a thought and no evidence to back it up, except that we did once have wedding guests staying in our cottage where the arrangements were made by the household of the bride who was local to the cottage. However, in this case, it wasn't a result of advertising, it was a relation of a friend who knew that we had the cottage there.
Cheers, Ben
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Windy
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Post by Windy »

This was actually in Lytham but it would work equally well (or badly) in Booths in Windermere etc I think - people on holiday thinking about the next one ... Particularly in our area where people do tend to take multiple short breaks.

I share your disquiet about having to do things in the real world KC. It's scary out there.
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