Marketing ideas, input welcome
I've been researching the industry for about six months now, following WHT closely, and searching for that perfect host.
I don't have much initial money, and I'm going to be targeting my local market exclusively. One major benefit I have is hosting is a fairly new market in my town, and I think I can create a lot of buzz by starting this company. I've been thinking alot about the best way to go about this, and I would like some input for people with more experience in marketing.
(1) Create a list using my local yellowpages, and the businesses I'm aware of, and send them a one page letter Highlighting what I plan to offer, and why it's important for businesses these days to have a web presence.
(2) Again Create a list using my local yellowpages, but this time a smaller list of what I consider to be "prime" targets for hosting. I would put together a 5-10 page colored booklet showing the pros of a website, what I can offer, how they can set up a webpage, how I can help them set up a web page, prices, etc. This would kind of be a small presentation in a book. One thing I should note, I do not have enough money to have this "published" so it would be printed, and then I would put it in a presentation duo tang (ie, clear cover so you can see my cover page, black back page).
(3) Actually going into local businesses and asking to chat with the manager about the benefits of a website, and what I can offer.
My first fear with all of these plans is that I get brushed off as spam. Is there something I can do that will get me a better chance of these companies actually reading what I send them?
My only other fear about this, is that I don't want people to think my company is unprofessional if I send them a 5-10 page document in a duo tang. Is that too unprofessional to bother?
Thank you in advance, all tips and criticism welcome,
-Kirk