free advertising pays off

[mom-from-missouri]

Several times I have placed an ad in our local weekly newspapers for my small business (I teach CPR, First Aid and other classes). Spent $28 to $33 for each of the ads. Zilch--not a single call.

I put ads on craigslist.org, in the facebook marketplace and on the local facebook swap shops for my area on Monday, and on a blog I have for my CPR classes. (this is now early Saturday morning) and I have booked--from my free ads just this week alone:

2 classes in a nursing home
1 boy scout badge class
1 Parents As Teacher Class
won a contract for local community college linemans training votech course
2 doctors offices
2 daycares
1 school contract (teaching 6 teachers every month so that they don't all expire at once)
1 class of Girl Scout leaders
1 class of Boy Scout leaders
4 indivduals who need it before summer for workign in camps and for life guarding

Several of these classes are 4 hour ones, some are 8 hour ones, and a few are 2 day classes.

And, several wanted quotes and said they would get back to me. My competetor is complaining he has no business. My price is half of his price and I had to reword my ads from some of the swap shops as I am booked for most of March, and have a few scheduled for April and May now. So, I changed my ads to read book now for your April and May classes.

Paid nothing for my ads and wham....Ads I paid for zilch... but, note they free ones are online, so I wonder, are that many more people going to the internet now as opposed to print media?????

Save a life, Learn CPR!!

[disneysteve]

Paid nothing for my ads and wham....Ads I paid for zilch... but, note they free ones are online, so I wonder, are that many more people going to the internet now as opposed to print media?????

That's great! Congrats.

And yes, print media is pretty much dead as far as advertising is concerned. We've realized this at our synagogue. We used to spend hundreds each year to advertise in local papers and all of our research consistently showed that 99% of people showing up heard about us in one of two ways: word of mouth from current congregants and online searches/our website. We've almost entirely stopped print advertising.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

So glad that is working for you! The last time I looked in classifieds (or did you have a block ad?) in a major newspaper it was mainly apparent work scams, a very few rentals, and high price real estate. I do casually look at online ads, as well as when I am specifically seeking some service or item.