# Marketing ideas



## etched in stone (Apr 10, 2007)

I was wondering if anyone has advice to build my clientele? How do you find new clients??? Craigslist, just handing cards out to business owners, etc??? Thanks!


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## tigertiger (Nov 11, 2008)

make flyers and hand them out.. market yourself at local restaurants..bars..etc.. Networking by handing out business cards.. Myspace.. Facebook.. Twitter.


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## tigertiger (Nov 11, 2008)

Also, I have had really good MKTG luck with handing out BUTTONS 1" Buttons.. (modbuttons.com) is where I got mine done!!!


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## HGE (Mar 3, 2009)

I think local Chambers are the best place to start. Become a member, get their contact list and start beating the streets. I also have started direct mailing to the chamber members as well. They are starting to come in here and there. I believe the best thing is to make your presence known as much as possible but your market and area can depict how that is done. Where I am word of mouth is key, it has brought me more customers then most other forms of advertising I have done. I tend to want more advertising power/draw but still have more success from making a trip to their business. I have never done cold calls (phone) and refuse to, I just think of how I feel when some one calls when I am busy. Yet I have no problem showing up to a business with out an appointment, I tend to try to go at times people are more receptive. I.e. after lunch on Fridays is my favorite time, people are looking forward to the weekend and are mostly in a good mood. Never on Monday morning people are pissy! E-mail is best for Mondays….
Just a few standard ideas…Good Luck


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## HGE (Mar 3, 2009)

Oh, I also just got an ad on a taxi that frequents the downtown area that I serve most. No idea if that will provide any hits or not just got it done this week. Mainly for me it is just reinstating the “presence” that I like to impose on my unknowing future clients. Taking over the world one-embroidery/printing job at a time!!! MuuuHaHaaHaaaaa < best evil laugh ever!!! 
GL Again!


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## etched in stone (Apr 10, 2007)

Thank you so much for your ideas. These sound like great (and cheap) ideas. I really don't have the funds to do alot of expensive advertising right now. I CAN afford buttons and cards though. I guess I do need to hit the streets. I heard in a movie (can't remember which one at the moment) one of the characters mentioned that you don't propose to your girlfriend over the phone, why wouldn't you ask for (business) in person??? (Oh yeah...."We Are Marshall"-good flick). Bad paraphrasing by the way...


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## GraduateClothing (Feb 22, 2009)

WEAR YOUR CLOTHES! I get asked so many times who designed my shirt or what store i got it from and i just hand out my business card


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## BoomerSooner (Mar 26, 2008)

The best, and most cost effective is still the "beat the streets" method. Get on the phone and talk to people. Selling your printing/design service is a very non-intrusive offering. Most people are at least willing to talk to you about what they are doing or what they have done in the past.

I found, when I first started, that the best way I could build new business was to offer a little extra on the customer service front. I hand delivered all my orders, and always follow up with a phone call a couple of days later. Like any good marketing book will tell you, keep your clients in a database, and touch base with them regularly. If they buy from you once, they can become a lifelong customer.


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## dennisohara (Mar 29, 2009)

Start with your current customers. Referrals are best. Offer current customers who send you new business 10% off their next order as an incentive. If you have a storefront, you should try to capture the email addresses of everyone who walks in, by doing a giveaway or drawing of some kind. It doesn't have to be something worth a lot of money (movie passes, ice cream coupon, etc), but people will respond. Good luck!


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## HellaCaj (May 1, 2009)

Well you really have to go in with an open mind. Who does and doesn't need your shirts? What type of shirts do you make? Everyone wants to be an Affliction/Ed Hardy/TapOut tshirt maker. The money is in building reputable clientele and going where the money is.

Think about it. Summer's coming and organizations need shirts! YMCA, churches, adult sports leagues, summer camps, even schools need massed produced items for the upcoming school year. When I was in school, every sport team, club and organization had their own t-shirt.

When I go, I go corporate. I don't have the patience to sell one tee at $15 a pop. I want to sell 100 at $7-$10 each with a 50% upfront deposit so organizations can fundraise and I can secure their order for the next event/school year.


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## BWC07 (May 5, 2009)

My thought for marketing ideas is to tell the story about your company. Stories sell ! My company just design a website for a t-shirt company and the page that is getting the most hits aside from the product pages is "our story".


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