Where to advertise?

highguyuk

highguyuk

Well-Known Forumite
I'm after some suggestions on where to advertise a regular craft event locally...As always, advertising budget is minimal. Target audience is adults, likely in the 30-65+ age range. Not gender specific. Established group running circa 2 years.

There is the option to advertise in the Newsletter, but I question how effective that is nowadays. Without spending hundreds on a 1/4 or 1/2 page advert, do people read the smaller adverts? Even then, the smaller adverts cost a fair bit.

Leaflets/posters in the local area at the usual places such as Co-ops, Post Offices etc.

Social media - Twitter/Facebook. But unless local people are following the right pages, will they see without spending money on advertising through the sites (which is an option).

Just wondered if anyone had any bright/new ideas?
 
Frontal

Frontal

Well-Known Forumite
Social media (fb/twitter), and send out leaflets/emails to crafting hobby groups or in relevant shops (ie craft shops).
It depends on what exact sorts of crafts you are getting really.

Certainly, on forums such as this in the event's page.
Nowadays with e-marketing, because it's all so cheap, it's often about targetting every angle you can online - but certainly having a presence on social media is the way forward with marketing in general - if an event doesn't have a FB page, chance are I will maybe go once and forget.
 
hop

hop

Well-Known Forumite
What sort of craft though ?

Wood craft / whittling is a different segmentation from making something like a patchwork quilt.

Without any details any suggestions are pointless.
 
Floss

Floss

Well-Known Forumite
highguyuk said:
I'm after some suggestions on where to advertise a regular craft event locally...As always, advertising budget is minimal. Target audience is adults, likely in the 30-65+ age range. Not gender specific. Established group running circa 2 years.

There is the option to advertise in the Newsletter, but I question how effective that is nowadays. Without spending hundreds on a 1/4 or 1/2 page advert, do people read the smaller adverts? Even then, the smaller adverts cost a fair bit.

Leaflets/posters in the local area at the usual places such as Co-ops, Post Offices etc.

Social media - Twitter/Facebook. But unless local people are following the right pages, will they see without spending money on advertising through the sites (which is an option).

Just wondered if anyone had any bright/new ideas?
Click to expand...

Just out of interest you mention it's an established group, so are you looking for additional members and if you already have a set location couldn't you advertise it in that area ?
 
Bob

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
Set up a page on Facebook that you can regularly update, invite all your friends and encourage others to do the same, I believe you can book ad's on Facebook to pop up at the side, whilst selecting a target audience, I'm not sure how much these cost but it might be worth looking in to.

Could you team up with a charity, Katharine House for example advertise supported events on their website.

Local radio will advertise events online as well, I believe these are free.

You can't beat notices in shop widows and posters dotted around to get people attention for a relatively low cost solution.

The Newsletter have a 'what's on' page, don't quote me on it but I believe it's free.

If you (or anyone else you can persuade to help) regularly park in public car parks, posters in the car windows could also be a good free option.

Good luck!
 
John Marwood

John Marwood

I ♥ cryptic crosswords
Hire a plane and do a leaflet drop

Make the leaflets original in the shape of torpedoes with caps in the nose cone for effect

See the shouty jet fighter scream
 
Admin

Admin

You there; behave!
Staff member
It might not be applicable to your particular request, @highguyuk, but I had an interesting email yesterday which this reminded me of so I thought I'd mention it in here for anyone who might be interested in advertising in Stafford. :)

A local company who recently took out a banner advert on The Forum contacted me to let me know how their advert was performing. Last month, they had 87 referrals from us, which is nearly 3 referrals every day. I have never advertised in a local paper so am unsure of how effective it is, but I doubt it generates that kind of interest, and I dare say it costs quite a bit more!

They went on to say "Got to be the best value advertising i could ever put my money in. And its great to be able to see it work." This was completely out of the blue, unsolicited feedback, which I was chuffed to receive; it's lovely to think that Stafford Forum can help to promote local business so effectively. :)

With regards to your specific request though, @highguyuk, I think the suggestions in the posts above to use Facebook would be the easiest way to get the most exposure and generate initial interest. As others have said, creating a Facebook page / group is a good start, and you can pay a small amount to have this promoted to local, like-minded people who may decide to "like" your page and share it with others. :up:
 
Wormella

Wormella

Well-Known Forumite
I've had a lot of good responses using Twitter & Facebook for social events (although there needs to be some good will to keeping them updated - which is always tricky)

There's some good groups and pages that are useful:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/402722853103391/

https://www.facebook.com/Whats-On-Stafford-UK-124220691257073/
https://www.facebook.com/currentspottedstafford/
https://www.facebook.com/BLAStafford
https://www.facebook.com/thestafforddirectory/
https://www.facebook.com/SmallPieceOfStafford/
https://www.facebook.com/Feelgood-Stafford-Magazine-1482648208640582/
 
Floss

Floss

Well-Known Forumite
Bob said:
Set up a page on Facebook that you can regularly update, invite all your friends and encourage others to do the same, I believe you can book ad's on Facebook to pop up at the side, whilst selecting a target audience, I'm not sure how much these cost but it might be worth looking in to.

Could you team up with a charity, Katharine House for example advertise supported events on their website.


If you (or anyone else you can persuade to help) regularly park in public car parks, posters in the car windows could also be a good free option.

Good luck!
Click to expand...


Katherine house don't tend to hook up with anyone, I know someone who tried, they say if they do it with one they'd have to do it with others.

Please don't do the leaflet drop onto cars this is my pet hate to return to my car to find it covered in litter, it won't even get read like the litter that drops through my letter box. :)
 
Bob

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
Floss said:
Please don't do the leaflet drop onto cars this is my pet hate to return to my car to find it covered in litter, it won't even get read like the litter that drops through my letter box. :)
Click to expand...

I hate that as well, I meant to put a poster in a car window so people walking past could see it rather than bombarding the town centre with junk mail.
 
proactive

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
I barked quite aggressively at a cretin who was about to lift up my windscreen wiper to put a leaflet under it the other day.
 
highguyuk

highguyuk

Well-Known Forumite
For some reason, the site wouldn't let me post in this thread when I tried previously! (EDIT, I've found out why. I had to disable AdBlock?)

Thanks for all your suggestions. I wanted to keep it away from the specifics of our purpose, so that it could be used a general reference in future.

In summary, we have Facebook/Twitter etc. all set up and advertising etc. @Wormella, those groups are great, will definitely be using them in future! Won't be going with the car wiper approach, but it is a valid suggestion. @Floss , it is an established group just looking for additional members, advertising will be concentrated in the local area but Stafford isn't that large that you can't get from one end to the other. @Admin ... maybe I'll bite with the forum advertising... maybe.... :)
 
Wormella

Wormella

Well-Known Forumite
I forgot to mention the stafford Streetlife site too - it's good for posting stuff and sometimes gets good responses
 
wmrcomputers

wmrcomputers

Stafford PC & laptop repair specialist
@highguyuk I couldn't post in this thread previously so I'm trying again now
Edit: Failed at first so now trying with AdBlock Plus disabled....

Well figured out! It must be related to the thread mentioning "advertising" as I've never had this issue on any other threads of the forum with ABP enabled. Glad that you figured out the problem for us :)
 
Admin

Admin

You there; behave!
Staff member
wmrcomputers said:
@highguyuk I couldn't post in this thread previously so I'm trying again now
Edit: Failed at first so now trying with AdBlock Plus disabled....

Well figured out! It must be related to the thread mentioning "advertising" as I've never had this issue on any other threads of the forum with ABP enabled. Glad that you figured out the problem for us :)
Click to expand...
Ah, thanks for figuring that out, @wmrcomputers! I didn't want people to think I had implemented something that was interfering with AdBlock, as that isn't the case. I never would have thought it was thread-topic related.
 
wmrcomputers

wmrcomputers

Stafford PC & laptop repair specialist
It was all @highguyuk that figured it out. It was purely because he mentioned adblock plus (which I knew I had) that it all came together but I would still have been stumped if it wasn't for him. :)
 
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