Marketing Materials

Time to update all our market materials for the shop as we are moving locations. Just wondering what others are using, results they are getting, and size of shop. Options we are looking at:

Business cards (check)
Brochures (check)
Website (check)
Business vehicle lettering
T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets (for us and employees to wear during the day)
sample part packages (for customers more than 2hrs away)
Trade show display.
Other ideas???

I know getting in front of people and talking works the best, but I like to have something to leave them that will trigger a phone call or email later.

You are leaving out important info required for an opinion..

What type of shop/business?
What type of customers?
Type of vehicle and how do you use it?
Trade show plans, if any?

The best thing to leave with a potential customer..... A good, professional impression and a card with your photo on it.

General machine shop. Lathe and Mill. Manual and CNC. What sets us apart is covered in the content of the materials.
Prototype, repair parts, lower volume production, fastener modifications.
Customers reflect the above services. OEM, distributors, design/engineering firms.
Vehicle is just a 1/2 ton pickup. Use it for everything.
Trade shows would be more like local job fairs, and small business fairs.

For custom embroidery work, I highly reccomend this lady.
She is cheaper than anyone I have found, AND does quality work with a timely delivery.
I would say there is no affiliation, just a happy customer.
That would be a lie!!!! This lady is my mother. She works out of her garage. It is just her and my stepfather whom is confined to a wheelchair, and really gets a kick out of running her "cnc embroidey machine" I am proud of my mother and the job she has done. She has come a long ways in a short time with her cad skills. We have a lot in common with her and my cad ventures.
The black and red ball caps on that site was her first attempt at making her own design. They are caps for the company I work for. I designed the logo, and as the lettering is all twisted amongst one another, she could not simply use provided fonts. I am a little biased, but I think she has done a fantastic job for me. She is very timely, and will work with you in order to get your design just right. I really liked the dragon on the red bag. You can't see it very well, but if you could, you'd be as impessed as I with the detail!!!

One very happy customer with undoubted afilliations!!

Doug - Yes, it is the perfect opportunity to hit the pavement again and I'm looking forward to it. Most buyers around here are looking to get something and I figure if your gonna do it do it well. As a former buyer myself you needed to sell me on you and the business. Half-ass card and brochure put me off. Then again I was meeting with sales guys, not shop owners/operators. I have found people like talking to person that will probably be running their parts.

Bluechipper - shameless, just shameless.

Scratch pads.......4.25 x 7 x 50 sheets....is some sort of 'standard size' I think. You can give 'em a card and they'll loose it in an hour.....

I give them a card and then a scratch pad and tell them "here's my card, and here's 50 more for when the card gets buried or lost on the desk".....gets a chuckle and .....works.

dk

Re: Tradeshow Booth

We just started getting our booth together - came across these guys:
http://www.eztube.com/applications/applications.html

Cool Tinker Toy type system. As a shop you may want to source, cut, paint the tubing yourself and just buy connectors.

Our booth is a grid of 17" squares - we can mix/match panels of different material, color, images, etc. Simple system of a back wall with a couple 'wings' on the ends to keep it from falling over.

Not a bad system for a DIYer. Parts should be here next week.

Metal business cards are pretty interesting: http://www.metalcards.com/metalcards/index.html

Pads and sticky note cubes may keep your name out there on the desktop for a short while: http://www.showyourlogo.com/custom-note-pads.htm

We once sent red telephones to a number of customers who we knew had a competitor's unit (that didn't work worth a darned). We included a note that said if you need a good piece of equipment that works, give us a call.