Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

so what is your question? how to get ads? or?
when you call potential local businesses, make sure you give them the numbers - "your ad will reach at least 500 people a week (if a family of 4 that's 2000/wk)! over 2000 (8000 family) a month and more than 24000 a year! etc etc for just as little as... you can't find a better advertising tool than this. And it is all local! the people you need. the people who need you.

Identify businesses that may somehow connect with people who like to eat pizza: house cleaning, ice cream stores, gyms, car washes, etc. This will help avoid the feeling of "randomness" of the ads, and help you to make a stronger pitch to prospective advertisers.

I think you asked this under the username "Paul" before, and closed the question pretty fast. Here is the answer I posted then:

If you are a member of your local chamber of commerce, put a notification of this service out in their communication (email, flyer insert in the newsletter, etc). Also, get the distribution list from the chamber (as a member you should have automatic access), and send your own email to them making the offer.

Go to the chamber breakfasts and networking opportunities, too - a lot at first, then you can ratchet back as you get to be known. Tell people about it, give them a sample, print the sample with an offer they can use to advertise with you (10% off for chamber members", etc).

Use a bit of your own mailings and flyers to advertise this offer, too - take a small space and make a notice that gives quick facts about the benefits of doing this: how many customers can they reach? What neighborhoods? Can you give them a quick ballpark figure that isn't set in stone for imprint costs "Businesses: imprint on our pizza boxes and reach 12,000 households per month for less than $100" (of course I'm reaching, not knowing what your figures would actually be...)

Those facts and figures - what will benefit the businesses you are trying to reach - should be included in your mailings and the chamber of commerce notices, too.

Making a pitch is a little difficult whithout being able to show people what the sucess rate might be. Do you have any statistics that show how effective this is for advertisers. People are going to want to know their potential Return On Investment. I would actually think that it will probably not be that great as this type of advertising is not very targeted.

No if the delivery guy put a different notice on depeding on whether the purchaser had kids, lived in a particular part of town, lived in a particular kind of house, etc it might be more effective. Targeted marketing is where it is at.

Mike