Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Running a Web Hosting Business : Hosting Local promotion

[shann]

HI ALl,

I would like to make do local promotion for my Hosting Offfers. Would you please tell few wasy to do.

1. I am thinking to make flyers.
2. phone calls


whatelse I can do?


please give some input.


thanks in advance.
shan

[DMH DaZ]

You could put advertisements in the newspaper, or prehaps even in computer magazines

DaZ

[okihost]

I would suggest not doing the phone calls .. unwanted phone calls = phone SPAM.. other options are going to a computer show and getting a table.. They can be gotten for pretty cheap, another option is to go to circuit city/compUSA and put flyers on cars or pay some kid 5 bucks and hour to do it.. Not sure if the last option is really legal but if anyone said anything I would just stop.. Other good options are local newspapers and classified papers some ad's can be gotten for under 10 bucks in these type of papers.

[Kaumil]

Phone calling works if you ask for the proper person to talk to. Don't make a telemarketing pitch.

[cfwebworks]

We got into the local market by partnering with a local media company ( http://adpak.org ) to provide digital services. This really is a great partnership. Their local sales people go out and sell for us and in return they get a % of the sale.

We've done this for a year now.

[WildCard]

Seems they are just local to NC, from adpak.org:

The Ad-Pak is published every Wednesday with a distribution exceeding 47,000. Primary coverage is New Hanover County with additional coverage in Brunswick and Pender Counties.

The Tri-County Ad-Pak is published every other Wednesday. The Tri-County Ad-Pak distributes 9,000 papers in Brunswick, Columbus, and Horry Counties.

[cfwebworks]

The Ad-Pak is a local paper, just as you described above. That one local paper has really rooted us in the local community. Now we have local sales out there working for us via the adpak, while my staff focuses on web sales and getting the work done.

Shan, you have the right idea. Go after the local market very aggressively. Let it build a base your business, then tackle the web.

Just my 2 cents from experience.

[WildCard]

I was thinking of targetting small communities in my metro area by 'war-dialing' out. Remember in the movie War-games (80's movie with Matthew Broderick), he inputted an area code and prefix of the area he wanted scanned.

I would like to have a recorded message do that, just run through the list of numbers in that area given what area codes and prefixes I tell it to dial - just advertise the biz and if they hang up move onto the next call.

I was kind of hoping to do it during the day when people are at work so the message would go on their voice mail or answering machine.

Anyone ever pull something like that? Or do you think the negative effect would make it not worth it?

-WC-

[net-trend]

Wildcard,

Ever watched the Simpsons episode wehre homer had a wardialer running scamming for a dollar?

It's even more annoying than a telemarketer.

[WildCard]

Nah, didn't see it. But it sounds funny.

As for annoying, that's why I wanted it out there in the day - because then it would be on the voice mail and easy enough for people to cancel it out without listening to the whole thing.

-WC-

[flashgear]

newspapaer's -- specially IT related editions ... are a good place to start advertising .. since Newspaper's has the maximum reach LOCALLY .

[rusko]

wildcard,

check the laws in your state and municipality, as well as your local telco regulations. in 99% of cases wardialing is in violation of one (or more) of the above and will:
get you put in jail
get you sodomized by cops/your cellmate bubba
get you tried under the computer crimes act in a federal court
get you tried for wire fraud
get your phone line disconnected

in no particular order, can be combined with other offers you need to purchase a list of *valid and active* phone numbers if you want to use this technique.

cheers,
paul

[edited: spelling always gets me =]

[greatbeast]

Originally posted by WildCard
I was thinking of targetting small communities in my metro area by 'war-dialing' out. Remember in the movie War-games (80's movie with Matthew Broderick), he inputted an area code and prefix of the area he wanted scanned.

I would like to have a recorded message do that, just run through the list of numbers in that area given what area codes and prefixes I tell it to dial - just advertise the biz and if they hang up move onto the next call.

I was kind of hoping to do it during the day when people are at work so the message would go on their voice mail or answering machine.

Anyone ever pull something like that? Or do you think the negative effect would make it not worth it?

-WC-

I think using a "phone spam" method would COST you customers. Even if I were looking for webhosting, I would deliberately go with ANYONE else than the person who called with a recording.

(I hate those machines, I can't stand em)

[WildCard]

hmm, I didn't realize that that may be illegal.

I anticipated the possibility of it having a negative impact on some of the receipients of a call, but like spam - if you cheaply succeed at winning business from that 1% of the targetted contacts - it may payoff.

-WC-

[okihost]

Originally posted by rusko
get you sodomized by cops/your cellmate bubba

[edited: spelling always gets me =]

Bubba HATES SPAM..

Either way sooner or later you will get in trouble for it.. Prob just end up getting a fine but the fine will most likely be more than you have made in customers.. Do it again and then maybe you will end up behind bars..