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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Mason, Ohio
    Posts
    22

    Best way to market

    Ok..
    So I have been trying to tink of the best way to makret around my area. So Far I have business cards and some flyers that give the basic run down of my company (they look pretty sharp too)

    I have done all the printing and such myself to try and cut down on the cost. The thing im concerned about is that a lot of places do not want you simply walking in and soliciting. Anybody have some methods that are decently low budget?

    I know there are the standard ones like Phone book, news paper, but from the people I have talked to, i just dont get a feel that these yield a high turnover. The area isn;t very tech savy but the business around here could definitly use web services.

    Any Ideas?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Mississippi
    Posts
    558

    Re: Best way to market

    Originally posted by SpectraPro
    The area isn;t very tech savy but the business around here could definitly use web services.

    Any Ideas?
    Why do they need your services... If you can get them to ask themselves that question and you can answer it, the media really wont matter. Just because it didnt work for one person deffinatly doesnt mean it wont work for you.

    You may also want to look at your pricing model. Are you really going to beable to provide 24/7 tech support to non "tech savy" customers. who are generaly pretty demanding.

    4 people * 42hrs / week * $10/hr (just for the sake of the math, could be +/- this) * 4 weeks = $6720 /month thats alot of $5 / month plans (1344 to be exact)

    With targeting businesses 24/7 support really wont be nearly as needed as not many business men have problems with their email at 4am.

    I kinda focused in on the support but what Im really trying to get at is even if you get the customers to come to the site, what will make them want to buy from you and will you beable to provide the services you offer...

  3. #3
    you quoted a portion of his post completely out of context, and answeres it thus. he was asking for help on local solicitation, how to get in the door and be more personable than a phone conversation, without seeming too aggressive at the same time. a question we all try to answer ourselves.

  4. #4
    he never metioned anything about 24 hour support? Why do you make your entire post about it. but on to the post

    The best way to get non tech savy customers is going to have to be web design. If they aren't tech savy then they aren't going to just want web hosting, becasue at this point they will have no use for it, if they don't have a web site to host on. So what you might want to do is offer websites (templates, but web desgin is better) so that they can actually have a use for the ewb hosting.
    TitanTutorials.com, Making Flash Tutorials Affordable Again, Always Up For Custom Jobs

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Vancouver
    Posts
    200
    This is off of what zildjian2000 said...

    Go to local businesses, think up a website idea that they can use to better their business (more than just contact information). An example may including an ordering system, reservation system, menu showcasing, etc. Then, walk into a business and ask for the manager. Propose your idea to the manager. If they accept, you've got business, if they don't, then nothing is lost. Alternatively, you may want to phone them instead, and schedule a meeting in person. Through this system, you can gain more than just hosting customers, but design/programming customers as well.

    Generally when contacting the person, try to be as unobtrusive as possible, and don't treat them like morons. It is true that not everybody may know as much about computers as you, but they would still like to be talked to with some amount of respect. After proposing your idea, leave your business card behind, give them some time to think about it. Be firm, but not foreful.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Mississippi
    Posts
    558
    Originally posted by zildjian2000
    he never metioned anything about 24 hour support? Why do you make your entire post about it. but on to the post

    The best way to get non tech savy customers is going to have to be web design. If they aren't tech savy then they aren't going to just want web hosting, becasue at this point they will have no use for it, if they don't have a web site to host on. So what you might want to do is offer websites (templates, but web desgin is better) so that they can actually have a use for the ewb hosting.
    The entire post wasnt about tech support but if you read the last paragraph it sums up what I was trying to point out. Also the 24/7 support is pretty much on every page of his site..My point was he may beable to get 100s of business to his site but what makes them want to buy from his company. The website is the best advertising material imo, especially when one considers the possible ROI...

    Quote Originally Posted by xanthion
    you quoted a portion of his post completely out of context, and answeres it thus. he was asking for help on local solicitation, how to get in the door and be more personable than a phone conversation, without seeming too aggressive at the same time. a question we all try to answer ourselves.
    I started to write about just that quote itself and kind of expanded on more than just that quote...

    Soliciting and advertising are not one and the same. Same result, generally different way of achiving that result

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Posts
    1,585
    Why do they need your services... If you can get them to ask themselves that question and you can answer it, the media really wont matter. Just because it didnt work for one person deffinatly doesnt mean it wont work for you.

    You may also want to look at your pricing model. Are you really going to beable to provide 24/7 tech support to non "tech savy" customers. who are generaly pretty demanding.

    4 people * 42hrs / week * $10/hr (just for the sake of the math, could be +/- this) * 4 weeks = $6720 /month thats alot of $5 / month plans (1344 to be exact)

    With targeting businesses 24/7 support really wont be nearly as needed as not many business men have problems with their email at 4am.

    I kinda focused in on the support but what Im really trying to get at is even if you get the customers to come to the site, what will make them want to buy from you and will you beable to provide the services you offer...
    Most small web hosts wouldn't start off with 4 staff working EVERY day, so this would lower the cost to just $1680 a month, or 336 hosting accounts. Plus, you must add in other expenses such as servers, phone lines, office space, etc.

    Note: This is on-topic to an extent.... Haddy expanded on the thread starters topic.

  8. #8
    some good tips here, thnx

  9. #9
    If you have the budget, get some freebies prepared with your business details/site address etc. on such as mouse pads, t-shirts, coffee mugs, pen/pencils, notepads and give them away to local businesses in person or via a sales rep. That should also give you the chance to put the word in about your services as well.

    Good Luck !
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  10. #10
    I agree with hostpromoter, maybe offering "gift cards"(or business cards) with your logo on them, that includes a coupon on it for a free month of hosting.

  11. #11

    Re: Best way to market

    Originally posted by SpectraPro
    Ok..
    So I have been trying to tink of the best way to makret around my area. So Far I have business cards and some flyers that give the basic run down of my company (they look pretty sharp too)

    I have done all the printing and such myself to try and cut down on the cost. The thing im concerned about is that a lot of places do not want you simply walking in and soliciting. Anybody have some methods that are decently low budget?

    I know there are the standard ones like Phone book, news paper, but from the people I have talked to, i just dont get a feel that these yield a high turnover. The area isn;t very tech savy but the business around here could definitly use web services.

    Any Ideas?
    There are 2 subgroups within this group you need to consider:

    1. They already have a website
    - Higher chances of getting them to sign up since they already need your product
    - Barrier to entry if they are buying the hosting from their designer

    2. They don't have a site
    - you can offer a website builder packaged with your hosting
    - or if not, you'll have a tough time trying to sell them hosting

    Trick: Try partnering with freelance designers in your area!
    Web Hosting Stuff - Over 10,000+ Hosting Companies Listed
    http://www.webhostingstuff.com

  12. #12
    Very Interesting. It is all the above plus word of mouth that works best.
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