Barry S. Lee

Get the best. Always pay the least.

   How to advertise cheaply and still get more bang for your buck is the basic theme of this blog.

Its message is directed to entrepreneurs and existing owners of small to medium size businesses who find it "impossible" to attract customers using a meager budget.


CONTACT INFORMATION:   EMAIL: leebar143@gmail.com        PHONE: 516-510-3803         MAILING ADDRESS: Barry Lee, 22501 Chase #15212, Aliso Viejo, CA  92656

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Men's best successes come after their disappointments. Henry Ward Beecher

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1. Just to make certain that we're on the same page.

If you're here at this blog of mine because you were led to believe that I can show you ways to promote yourself or your business without having to pay big...

2. Avoid job hunting disappointments by creating your

own business.

As both an unemployed worker for several years and a self employed business owner seeking customers, I have the same gripes as everyone else. So let's...

3. For the beginner in business, jump-start your visibility (any way you can).

Big business or small, everybody's in the same boat getting the word out about their new enterprise. Showing yourself off is key, not rely on insiders to...

4. There's always a way to do serious advertising without spending a fortune.

The disappointments you face when you initially launch your site on the internet or open the doors of your brick and mortar store can be disheartenibg...

5. Why you are in definite need of a website.

If you're among the reluctant few who still have no internet presence, you know you're losing business to competitors who do, and you are probably...

6. Smart way to use van signage to expand your business potential.

When times are tough, learning about new ways to make a few extra bucks or expand your clientele is always welcome. For you folks out there who are...

7. A bad economy is usually a good time to advertise.

I'm a creature of habit, so when I went out to dinner recently to discuss a new business venture with my brother it was at a restaurant I frequent regularly...

8. Can your company afford to advertise on television?

It's been said that there's no business like show business. If you're among the many small to medium size business or service owners who agree, you...

9. A few words about designing your logo and stationery.

It's time to have some serious fun. I say "serious" because what you do now will define the feeling your entire business projects to others, For want of a...

10. Don't try to fool the public with your advertising because the joke will be on you.

You're excited about running your new ad and you're equally certain that this one's going to be a winner. Maybe some of your facts are a bit fudged, but you...

10. Start building your list for an email campaign.

Getting the word out to potential customers can be done quickly with a well thought out email campaign, but doing it yourself is a big responsibility, since it's...

12. Adding content to your email campaign for maximum effect.

You can do a really fine job of contacting people by email right from your current email provider, or you can utilize a service designed primarily for that...

13. Bartering could be a very big step in the right direction.

Bartering comes naturally. You give me some of those for some of these and we'll callit even. Although you can't survive running your business...

14. A really creative idea often begins with a sense of humor.

Out-of-the-box thinking most likely starts with a sense of humor, being able to see things that make you laugh inside. Taking serious subjects and...

15. Where does one begin planning a video for a website?

Planning a video is like I would picture writing a novel. You walk around, sit around, and no matter what else you do around, your thoughts are all...

17. Average testimonials I receive about once a month.

Sometimes affirmation for a job well done through positive testimonials make business owners feel good about what they do. In my case, negative...

18. I can only offer you the advice; Your acceptance is optional.

The decision to build a site and launch it online is a big step for many. But the whole experience can be a pleasant one if you plan it out with someone...

18. When choosing a name for your website, you can pay now or pay dearly later.

Money doesn't count, especially when it comes to domain names. Although you can buy an average domain name for about 10 bucks, most people...

19. How to overcome the uneasiness of asking for the money due you.

Nobody ever questions the terms of payment to their cable company, HMO, or a lawyer who asks for a retainer. But when it comes to certain creative...

2. Here's something I tried in an effort to stir up business, and it worked.

Business sometimes slows down because clients and potential clients are caught up in everything surrounding a major holiday, or it's generally...

21. Local publications often give you more bang for your small business buck.

The pandemic was a way of showing us how sensitive to change our businesses really are. So learning about an option that will serve to retain...

22. When opportunity calls be confident enough to answer.

Like every other business owner during the pandemic. Long Islander Jim Frazzita experienced an economic void the moment a quarantine...

6. Local hand delivery continues as the remarkable low tech solution to successful advertising results.

Some things just never seem to change. Who would've thought that hand delivery would make a resurgence of sorts in the year 2020, just when...

17. Banners are an important element in your powerful advertising arsenal.

As businesses continue to suffer from one compromising social event or another, such as a global pandemic, it becomes quite evident that...

7. Put more bang into your buckslip.

Most people don't even know what a buckslip is. If you ever received a mailing from a utility, usually an invoice, with an accompanying 3.5" x 8.5" (or...

8. Can register tape advertising register profits for you?

Partnering with supermarkets and national advertisers can bring a steady payoff to local businesses who want to take advantage of...

19. If you have a great business with very little money, you should ride along with me.

As you may have noticed, I've adorned the header on each of my pages with a quote of inspiration from a notable human being. But the most ntable of all,...

23. The television advertising every local business can afford.

I used to buy affordable TV time for my smaller clients on local cable television, but even when the cable company let me select the geographic areas...

24. Paying $30 a year for business rent sounds like a steal of a deal.

It's in a popular neighborhood surrounded by a large variety of businesses, big and small and easy to get to from anywhere. In fact, it's the biggest mall on...

20. Being an optimist is different than being a dreamer.

Dreamers often hinder their own opportunities for success by creating an illusion based on the premise that everything eventually will get better on its own...

3. I honestly don't know what to make of this.

From all my years in advertising I understand the motivation of buyers well enough to create successful advertising campaigns that draw them...

16. Why it's important to advertise your website on Craigslist.

I'm always amazed with the reactions I get when I suggest to a new client that they include advertising on Craigslist as part of their marketing effort...

25. Taking a realistic look at where you're going from here.

Any season is a season of introspection and strategic planning. Thinking ahead to your economic well-being by laying down some robust goals...

11. How to go about packaging your product.

Packaging can be a complicated and tricky undertaking that's not for the faint of heart. By the same token, it can be one of the most exciting and...

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26. You've got to read this if you live with a canine

companion.

If you reside anywhere in the New York tri-state area (New York, Connecticut, New Jersey) with an unruly, downright unmanageable canine companion that you...

27. Thank You for making the decision to accept my

free offers.

If you can realize that within you lies the power to end the devastating effects of this economy, then you can take your first step in learning how only you hold the key...

Smart way to use van signage to expand your business potential.

When times are tough, learning about new ways to make a few extra bucks or expand your clientele is always welcome. For you folks out there who are painters, plumbers, electricians and handymen, or any other business person who requires the use of a van or truck, adding signage to your vehicle has far greater potential for opportunities than you might have imagined.


For instance, your vehicle is a rolling advertisement of what you do, and while you’re parked at a job site, it’s like a business card on wheels, or as I like to describe it: your “storefront”.  In a past article, I suggested that you and your colleagues exchange stacks of business cards or flyers to hand your respective customers so when they request a service that you do not perform, you’re able to offer your recommendation of a trusted resource. That personal recommendation could be used as a means of providing you with a referral commission or you could merely use the process as a mutual exchange of leads without compensation.  You could use a stamp on the back that says, referred by: to show your friend who gave the recommendation and to remind your customer where they got it. However you choose to do it, here’s the way your van can be part of the mix.

I got great feedback from tradespeople for this one.

You can leave a blank space in your signage where another person or several other individual tradespeople can fill by supplying magnetic signs of a pre-established size. So for instance, if you’re a plumber, you could set aside an area on your truck for an electrician, and/or a handyman or painter to affix their signs. By the same token, you will have magnetic signs affixed to each of their three vans.  Now, whenever anyone is on a job site, all four businesses are being advertised. This instills more confidence in you by your customer, because now you have a way of referring all the services they might possibly need and you’ll also feel secure that you are being advertised at three other locations while tending to your own job. This reciprocity can provide the exposure everyone needs to get their name out and multiplies each business entity’s chances of acquiring new work.

Keep this in mind.

Whether your primary “front office” is located in your vehicle, or you have a brick and mortar storefront on Main Street, you can use this basic strategy to share resources with trusted colleagues and expand your universe for greater advertising exposure or maximum access to recommendations. Anyway you look at it, there obviously are many ways to turn the status quo into a win-win networking opportunity for all involved.  It's just a matter of thinking out of the box. Barry  

Local hand delivery continues as the remarkable low tech solution to successful advertising results.

Some things just never seem to change. Who would've thought that hand delivery would make a resurgence of sorts in the year 2020, just when most people were avoiding the challenges of the pandemic and shifting their attention to online shopping.

For all you pizza restaurants out there with mouth-watering take out menus, and specialty places from a variety of other ethnic and food categories, this article is for you. If your business is located in a densely populated area and you want to get the word out about what you have to offer, hand delivering your menu or message right to your customer's door might be just what your savvy accountant would recommend you do to boost sales.

Some things just never lose their value.

Yes, hand delivery is part of the current, reasonably-cost preferences for all local businesses who want to reach their neighboring community with timely updates of what they have in store. That includes specials from local pharmacies, local tradespeople, local real estate offices, computer repair, cleaning enterprises, mechanics, car dealers, and eveything else you can think of at the local level.

The list is an endless variety.

Whether it's a take-out flyer, a door hanger, a postcard, a circular, or even a product sample, imagine the impact it creates when the homeowner or apartment tenant opens their door to find it. Hand delivery doesn't just randomly happen, it's a planned and well coordinated effort that's closer to pinpointing the timing of the message than most any other forms of delivery.

I cannot think of any business product or service that wouldn't benefit from a message delivered right to every customer's residence. I do understand that people working remotely and those that are shut in because of quarantines are able to surf the net looking for take-out specials and great deals. But you know even that becomes a chore when you run out of ideas and sources because in that instance, boredom becomes the great motivator. So consider these scenarios: You're wondering what you might feed the family for dinner this evening when you open your door to find a full color offering from the local Chinese restaurant you've been meaning to try, along with several other equally tantalizing menus from a local pizzeria, a local sandwich shop, and a soup vendor. And in that mix is a message from a local Carpet Cleaning company with a too good to pass up special on 3 rooms of carpet with disinfecting service. Some of the hand delivery companies I'm familiar with will even help plan your delivery campaign with what they have learned from their experience will get results. They'll also professionally design and print your message, supplying you with all area counts to assist in your overall planning.


Time to give it some serious thought.


The next time you're considering an economical reach-out strategy to your local customer base, consider hand delivery. Those companies also provide “sign wavers”, the folks who stand on the side of the road pointing you to an establishment that's offering something extraordinary at the moment. Like I always say, there's something about good old fashioned ways of doing things that continue to bring 'em in. And Citywide, a current client is no exception. Barry

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