Launch announcement

[Rachhs]

Hi All

I am thinking of sending out a launch announcement to local companies to say that I am here and started trading etc. Before I spend (waste?) any money on this I thought I would run this by you to see if you have any experience of doing this - does it raise awareness or does it get thrown away? Is there a better format - ie a flyer, photo whatever.

My gut feeling is that this may not be worth it - but thought I'd get some advice.

Rachelx

[sparklyscotty]

Actually I would be interested in feedback to this question too; there are many businesses in the area that I would like to approach, and before I do it might be an idea to send out a launch postcard.
-Angel-

[Eagle]

Rachel - your site's naked!

;)

[Rachhs]

Why do you say my site is naked?

Busymummy of off-line for a while, but
worklifebalanceenterprise.co.uk is definitely up and running.

Rachelx

[Ozzy]

Hi Rachel,
I initial "feeling" is that an announcement saying "Hi local businesses, I'm here" sounds like a good idea but I do think that any flyers and the likes will get binned. The theory is good but how to implement it I'm afraid I dont know.

[emma, 27]

I would get in contact with local businesses, those who would most benefit from your services and get an email address.

Those who don't reply to an email, you can call to see if they would be interested. Offer potential customers a mailing which could tell them a little more about you - or a postcard. Then follow up with a meeting to discuss further.

You could also go and visit - with a chance of meeting people directly, even if you can leave a business card or arrange a meeting.

Any of the above would get your company noticed, a flyer will end up in the bin.

Hope this helps

Emma

[maddyminx]

Hi Rachel,

From experience and for me personally, flyers haven't been overly successful unless you're sending them to an existing client that hasn't used your services for a while.

Im afraid im a big fan of cold calling (they can only say no! lol) - if you dont like the idea of calling by phone or turning up on the doorstep, you could give email a try. :)

Good luck.

Maddy
x

[Johill]

My feeling is that for a business like yours, you are going to have to
a) build relationships with people locally
b) warm people up / educate them to understand the benefits of your service.

Rather than waste any money on flyers, I would prioritise networking locally - going along to any and every event ... You could also try
writing an article for the local paper - something easy to read like a short Top Tips article. You could relate it to something specific to promote your new parent coach service - like how to juggle priorities at half term or how to help your child through their exams ...... Do any of the schools near you have a newsletter / PTA mailing list that would promote an article like this?

When you say - 'a launch announcement to local companies' it sounds quite general. As you are offering a quality, personal service, it might be better to tailor your marketing very specifically to a smaller number of people.

How about sending individually personalised letters to the Directors / HR people at a number of local companies - highlighting your free 30 min consultation. Experiment with 30 letters, then follow up with a phone call to gauge their response, ask them questions, gather feedback - and then you can use this to hone your letter for the next 30 etc. It sounds time consuming - but I think this will be more effective than a general flyer which may well end up in the bin.

Good Luck!

Jo