Thursday, March 31, 2005

A Creative Way to get Free Advertising 2

TownOnline.com - Woburn Advocate - Arts & Lifestyle

A Creative Way to get FREE Advertising

Many people think that you have to spend thousands of dollars on advertisements to get heaps of business. Not so. If you are creative you can get it for free in major newspapers and commercial tv!

A good example of this is Kevin Byrnes from Fischer Body Refinishing. For the cost of labour and materials, Fischer Body Refinishing has got terrific advertisements in the Detroit News. His work has also created wonderful good will, lots of word of mouth advertising, and even more advertising when they received a plaque for their good deed. People are talking about him, and Im sure he has plenty of customers who ask him to do work, but has to turn them away. See the story at http://www.detnews.com/2005/oakland/0503/31/B04-134588.htm

I'm not saying that you have to go out and do what Byrnes did. What I am trying to get at is this. Advertising does not have to be paid for. Secondly, advertising does not only come in the form of print! Like Byrnes, it can come in the form of word of mouth advertising.

Doing a good deed may be one way you can get free advertising and have customers throw their money at you. What other ways do you think you can get free advertising? Be creative when you ask yourself this question. Apply it and take action. Soon you will have customers lining up at your door, just like Byrnes has.

Monday, March 28, 2005

Are you keeping in touch with your customers?

Here are some ideas for staying in touch:
1. Sponsor some kind of information-based event. A workshop, seminar, luncheon with a guest speaker, etc. Anything that would be of interest to your customers and prospects.
2. Send a postcard announcing a "private sale" with special discounts or added services exclusively for your customers.
3. If you work with businesses, send them information that will help them become more successful along with a personal note... "I thought you might benefit from this."
4. Send a postcard with problem-solving tips on it for easy, quick reference.

By collecting the names, addresses, and phone numbers of your customers and prospects, you will be in a position to increase the profits earned from each customer anywhere from 35 - 200%.

Friday, March 25, 2005

Do you know which direction you are headed?

Did you know that 90% of businesses are flying by the seat of their pants, with no direction for tomorrow, no idea how much they're going to make in the next 365 days, and no written plan whatsoever.

“Your business will never succeed on a large scale basis unless you commit to writing a plan that guides you to success.”

If you're without a plan right now, grab a piece of paper and a pencil and lets get started. Your plan must include the following:
1) A specific, clear, precise dollar objective for each year for each of your products or services.
2) A specific dollar amount for each month for each of your products or services.
3) An objective evaluation of all of the different marketing alternatives that will help you reach your monthly and yearly goals.
4) An exact indication of which marketing alternatives you have decided to use, in what ways, and how often, and how much these alternatives will cost you in money, time and materials.
5) Techniques to use that will help you keep track of your customers and prospects.
6) Techniques to use to help you sell the "back-end" to a new customer.

These questions are here to provide you with a starting point. So come on and get something in writing. You will never know how to get there, if you are not sure where you are going.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Your Questions Answered

Hi all,

Just thought I would let you know that if you have any marketing questions regarding airbrushing, email them to me at roger@makemoneyairbrushing.com and I will try my best to help. Being in Australia, there may be a little time difference, but I will get back to you.

Thank you again to all those people who have said that they have got something out of this information.

Keep coming back here as I will try and post every couple of days information to help you make money with airbrushing.

Marketing is vital to making money from Airbrushing

Have you ever wondered how a very average airbrush artist (if not, a really bad one) sells his/her product to customers like hotcakes? Have you ever thought, “Who would want to buy his/her work? He/she is not as good as me”. Right? We have all, one time or another have said, “If they can sell their work, then I will make a fortune”! Wrong. Even being the best airbrush artist in your area is not a good enough reason why you will make money.

So what is it then? What is the secret to making money from Airbrushing? The secret to making money is this;

REMEMBER THAT YOU NEED TO BE A MARKETER WHO, JUST SO HAPPENS, TO BE AN AIRBRUSH ARTIST!

If you remember this, and work at improving your business skills, then making money is going to be easier for.

Keep coming back here to get information on how you can use simpe marketing strategies to make money with Airbrushing.

Friday, March 18, 2005

Airbrush Money Tip : Focus on your customers

Did you know that one of the main reasons airbrush artists don't succeed is because they do not focus on their customers needs and wants. Does this seem too obvious? Look through the telephone directory. Pick them up right now and glance through them. Answer this question: Are most of the ads telling you what benefits you get, if you become a customer? Or are the ads telling you about the businesses, where they are, how wonderful they are, what they do, how great their quality is, how great their service is, and all about them? 95% of the ads are totally focused on the business and not on what the business can do for YOU, the potential customer!

When marketing and selling, always focus on the needs and wants of the customers. If you are not doing that, make sure you start today.

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Who Is Your Target Market - The Airbrush Artist

A target market is a group of people that you will spend your time and money on to sell your product and service to. For instance, your target market might be adults who love to wear outrageous and fanciful t-shirts. Or it could be college students who love to be different from the rest. Another could be children who love to dress up and have their face painted. All these are different target markets.

What is your target market?
You need to work out what market you want to target. You also need to know everything there is to know about your potential customer. How old are they, what are their interests, how much income do they earn, what do they like, where do they live, what do they watch, what hobbies do they have? You also need to look at what location they are in. Are they close to you or will I go to them? These are important questions that you can ask yourself. By working out your target market, you will find that it will be easier to sell to them and therefore, make money.

Friday, March 11, 2005

Keep a mailing list of customers

Keep a mailing list of your customersThe most important part of being in business is to keep a mailing of your customers. A customer database is a list of customers that are at your fingertips that you can sell your product to. It is always important to keep adding to this.

The more customers in your database, the more successful your business is going to be.

Thursday, March 10, 2005

Do you have what it takes to make money from Airbrushing?

Before you begin, you need to see if making money from Airbrushing is right for you. For some people it is, while for others it is not. To find out if it is for you, you have to ask yourself “Will I truly do everything I can to make money from Airbrushing?” Another question to ask is “Am I fit for making money from Airbrushing”?

To help you answer this, ask yourself;

How much do I enjoy Airbrushing?
Is it a little, or is it more than you could ever imagine? Are you extremely passionate about airbrushing? Do you dream about it?

If it is just another one of those hobbies that is the “flavor of the month”, STOP READING NOW! DO NOT INVEST THE TIME TO LEARN WAYS OF MAKING MONEY WITH AIRBRUSHING!!! The reason is that all you will do is waste your time, and more importantly, your hard earned money.

Monday, March 07, 2005

Quick Tip - Keep an eye out on sales at Hobby Stores

Watch for sales at hobby stores or going-out-of business discounts at local hobby shops. You can get some great stuff for cheap. Remember, a sale is only a good deal if you can use the materials. For instance, there is no need to stock up on pink paint if there is no demand for it by your customers.

Saturday, March 05, 2005

How to make Money from Airbrushing? TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION NOW!

Many people say they can make money from airbrushing, but do nothing about it. Do you know what they are called? Their call Gunna's!! Gunna's as in, "Im Gunna do this!" or "Im Gunna do that!" "or "Im gunna start doing it tomorrow!". How many Gunna's do you know? Are you a Gunna?

If you do not take action, you will never make money from Airbrushing. It is simple as that. Many airbrush artists say “If I wanted to sell my work, I would make a fortune” but do nothing about it. Why is it then that when we see an average airbrush artist making money, we say "he/she's not as good as me, I can't believe he/she is making money"! What is the difference between you and them? The successful airbrush artists are taking action and have a desperation to succeed.

It is easy to say that you can make money, but what are you doing this very moment to make money from Airbrushing? Have the desperation and take action today. You never know, tomorrow may never come!

Friday, March 04, 2005

Do you need some help marketing your product?

I thought I would let you know that you are most welcome to post your questions here for me to answer. I know that there are a number of you, who may have some questions that you want to ask about selling your product. Don't worry if you think they are irrelevant or stupid. I'm a beliver that if you don't ask, you don't learn.

So if you want some advice, email or leave a post, and I will get back to you. Sometimes it is good to throw around some ideas with someone. Remember, 1+1 =3! Yes, discussing ideas with someone can create a better solution.

Thursday, March 03, 2005

How to get cheap, but effective advertising!

Cheap advertising can be yours, but you have to look for it. Sometimes you have to be creative. For example, a good way to get advertising is to sponsor a school or community service event. You can give them some designs, or for a small donation, the organization will provide you with a print ad that goes out in the publicity materials to all participants. This way, you might be able to get a print ad for $25-$50, which is a considerable deal when you consider what advertising rates in newspapers run. You may even be able to get a stall for that donation.

I find that it is easier to give away product and services, than to give away cash. For instance, it would be better to give away a "GIFT VOUCHER worth $100!!!". The reason is that, the cost to you in labor, materials, supplies ect. may only add up to $20-$30. This is far better than giving $100 in cash.

Wednesday, March 02, 2005

Do I Need Business Cards?

When you are starting out, you may or may not want them. I believe that if you want to make money money from airbrushing, you will need to have a professional appearence. Therefore, I would suggest you get some business cards made up. You can choose a design, or submit one of your own. Personally, I think having your own design displayed on a business card is going to make more impact on a potential customer. Don't you agree that having a "design" that you created on the background of a business card is going to make more impact? You will have customers attention.

So where to go to get them made up? Have a look for them on line. One place to get them made up is www.overnightprints.com You can get 100 business cards made up for $14.95 plus shipping. There is a 24 hour turnaround which is great if you need them fast. They give you the option of choosing from a design, or you can upload your own design.

Other online stores include http://www.4colorprint.com/

Another place for business cards is your local printers. Before you place orders, make sure you find out the minimum quantities you need to order, the price, how many colors are available in a design, can you submit your own design and the turnaround.

Remember, it's a personal taste whether to have a business card made up. If you want to make money, you have got to look professional. For a little outlay, you can put in the hand of your potential customer, one of your designs for him to look at, over and over again.

Other considerations may be to get postcards made up. Another way to get your customer looking at your designs everday is to get fridge magnets made up. The more you are in the customers mind, the more money you will be able to make over time.

Budget your time or see your hard earned profits disappear.

You must be disciplined with your time when you are taking the step to make money from airbrushing. If not, it could have a big effect on whether you are profitable or not. ALways budget how much time you have to complete a project. As deadlines are important in airbrushing, you may need to find ways of improving your time management skills. It could be as simple as taking action on a project today, or setting a date which you are to complete it by. How much you will make will depend on how happy the customer is. If the customers are getting their finished product on time (even a day or two earlier), the happier they are going to be. Don't let procrastination rule your life or your ability to make extra income.

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

What Has Boy Scouts Got To Do With Making Money?

Ah yes, Boy Scouts you must be wondering? If you have never joined Scouts, then the motto which was drilled into you was to "BE PREPARED" . You know, to make money, you need to be prepared. That could be the difference between making no money and that of alot. So to prepare you for making money from airbrushing, I have a few questions which you need to think about before you start selling your services and products. I hope these questions can help you "BE PREPARED".

Will I do everything it takes to make it successful?
I find that many airbrushers who want to make money, rely mostly on their "name" and "past work". They feel that their "skills" are enough to make them money. You can't be a poor airbrusher, but it take more than that to make money. Ever wondered how an average airbrusher can be incredibly successful? They know that is it more than just airbrushing.

You will need to do basic book work, be prepared to advertise your services and even market your products at trade shows. These are just some of the things you may need to do. Do not get intimidated if you have never done some of these tasks before; they are relatively easy to learn.

Do I have a problem asking for money?
If so, make sure you have someone who will be glad to call and collect on balances. Sometimes it's easier to have a friend, spouse or partner call up for payment. Another way you can get around this is to ask for at least 50 percent of the project's cost up front (if not the whole amount). Learn from those airbrushers who have learnt the hard way. What did they do? Well, they gave the finished product back without getting the balance paid in full. Once the customer has the finished product, it may be very hard to get them to pay you. Dont get scared though of this happening all the time. 99 percent of the people you deal with will be good, honest people. "BE PREPARED" for it!

One of the easiest tactics you can also do to ensure customer satisfaction is to treat them like a best friend. How to treat them like a best friend? By making sure every customer you deal with is made special. You want your friends to come back, why any different with a customer. Remember, a happy customer will keep coming back and spend their money with you.

Do I worry what other people think?
If you do, then making money from Airbrushing may not be for you. People will criticize you and assume you are just wasting your time. It's going to come from your aquaintances, maybe even your friends. Sometimes from your own spouse! Do not, however, let other people dissuade you from pursuing your passion; they may just be jealous that they cannot follow their dreams! You owe it to yourself to do what makes you happy, so don't let other people's comments get you down. It takes a great deal of courage to give it a go.

Remember, the motto of Scouts; "Be prepared. Be prepared. Be prepared."