I am hoping to get my company fully launched by Sept 1st and I was thinking of some ideas for local companies to be able to utilize me. Some of the things I came up with are sending out flyers explaining my company, posting ads on free sites or taking an ad in our local newspaper.

My question is this: has anyone tried to do this before and what seemed to have worked the best for you?

I want to get off on the right foot, but am floundering a bit on how to even start.

Thanks!

I had the same questions about marketing, especially the ad in the local newpaper. One point of interest that a professional marketer told me to look for is if the same companies are advertising week after week or month after month.

The idea is this: if the marketing campaign with the local newspaper is working, the ad will stay in the paper longer. If it is not working, then the ad will disappear within a few weeks. Newspaper ads can become pretty expensive, so I would be careful in that regard, especially when you are a startup.

Do you have a niche? A target market you would enjoy working with? If so, see what those types of businesses look to for their information. Example: If you are targeting churches, you may want to join a networking group of church organizations, or visit your local christian bookstore to see if they allow fliers or business cards to be posted in their lobby.

Just this past Monday, I sent out 100 sales letters to churches in my area, letting them know the benefits of partnering with my company. I have worked as a church secretary in the past, and most churches are run just like businesses, only their success is deemed by attendance, not profit (although tithe money helps).

If you are looking to market locally, check out your Chamber of Commerce. Sometimes they can be expensive to join, but ultimately, the cost is negligible compared to the potential profit created by that many contacts.

Thanks for you input. I greatly appreciate all of it.

Stacy

Anytime. I'm pretty new too, but have been researching the VA business and talking to other VAs for the last few months.

I think you'll find as you read through the threads in this section that most of the members have done each of those things - and then some!

It seems that 'what works' for one niche or industry doesn't necessarily pan out for another - or perhaps it's VA by VA in terms of presentation, etc. Follow up is also really crucial - so many people send out the materials but never follow through with the leads they've contacted...the end result of the equation really is relative to how much of your own time and effort you put into *making* the marketing pay off.

Let us know how each of these approaches works for you!

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Thanks, I certainly will let you guys know what I decide to use and how it works for me.

Stacy

Stacy,

Network and get out and talk to people. Once you get your first client, ask them for a testimonial you can post on your website. Also ask them to refer you. I offer a free hour of service for each referral I get and my business has grown tenfold in the last year by word of mouth alone.

Creating a niche is also very helpful. Get your name and business out there all you can. If you haven't yet, join LinkedIn, start a blog and write daily.

Sue Canfield
Awesome Assistant

Thanks, that is a great suggestion. I actually already belong to LinkedIn and will work on your other suggestions.

Stacy

Personally I think that networking is the way to go especially in the beginning, it is the best way of getting you name out, and that is what advertising is all about. Hand out business cards, give them to friends and family leave them at the supermarket, hairdressers (if you are allowed too, of course) you never know where your clients are going to come from.

Advertising can become very expensive very quickly as has been pointed out before, but if you could get an interesting article circulated to you local papers or online this can be very effective in getting you name out there plus it does not cost all that much.

Good luck with the launch, it is a great goal to set yourself.

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Vicky
www.c-vas.eu

I started out by registering on every free web directory I could find and then put a small ad in the local paper. That brought lots of small jobs, but also one biggie that was great. The online directory also brought me my first regular client who still uses me six months later. Even though we are virtual, I find that most of contacts still will look in their local area for assistance unless they are given my details via word of mouth. I have now stopped my local paper ad and am doing Yellow Pages Business Directory online and will be in the print book from October. That is VERY expensive compared to what I wanted to do, but I justified it on the basis that it is only a couple of days work a month, so I can afford it. I got many calls the first few weeks and it seems to have died off, but I did get quite a few jobs. I am only locked in to the online one for 6 months and the print one will obviously be the year. The salesman told me that the calls will pick up again when the new book somes out. Make sure that your email signature has your website and contact details and is attached to every email you send. It will start people asking questions about your business and may lead to work too!

Good luck and keep us informed on how it goes!

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Marie Chandler - your virtual assistant
www.officesupportonline.com.au