Being in several different businesses over the years, I can confidently say that getting your name out there is paramount to your success. Unfortunately, underestimating the importance of a good marketing campaign is one trap that many new entrepreneurs fall into. You can have the greatest service or product in the world, but you need to get your name out there and convince people to buy.

I’ve been going to our local fair grounds for the last couple years during the annual “Wedding Showcase”. I would usually rent a space, set up a table, have my brochures setting out for people to grab, and be there to answer any questions that one might ask. This year, I took the next step and prepared my information in handy advertising pamphlets and passed them out in a bag with my logo on it. The bag also had a few samples of my work. But here is what I think really set me apart from other vendors there. The building that the showcase is in is a rather big building. And I’ve now learned that a trick to getting clients is to be easily noticed. So I purchased advertising blimp from http://www.usablimp.com and hung it high above my station. I asked a few people during out conversations, what it was that made them come back to see me and they said “I could see you balloon that said you were a photographer.” I really believe that my advertising blimp helped get me noticed and I may have never thought of it had I not read your blog and learned that there are many different ways to advertise.

So, I write this comment in hopes that it may give other small business owners ideas of their own. I have already received more calls about my photography services than I did in the last 2 years combined… The blimp that I purchased has my logo on it, and is very durable. It works great in dark buildings as well (just like the one I was in) because it has internal lighting. So thank you!!

Yours truly

Lori A. Metcalf