Advertising -- what works?

BossDog

BossDog

KnifeDogs.com & USAknifemaker.com Owner
Staff member
What advertising have you found works well?

What advertising is very low (or no) cost but still brings in some customers?
 
I don't get many orders through my website, but almost all come because of it. People find out about my knives somehow or another and then look there to see for themselves. That seals the deal more than anything else I usually do. I can't emphasize enough though how much it matters that your website be a good one that is both visually appealing and well organized. It matters more that it's good than that it's there, because people will leave an unappealing website before they even look through it, which kinda defeats the purpose. Other than that, word of mouth is tried and true, and is at the core of any good advertising strategy in my limited experience.
 
Websites are pretty inexpensive and a great way to showcase what you do but only if people know about them. Create a website and then work the forums, facebook and get people to visit.

Doing the shows and passing out business cards has generated a great deal of my business. Never miss an opportunity to give out business cards. You never know who they will be passed on to.
 
A wise old successful businessman once told me that he was positive that one half of all his advertising dollars were totally wasted.

His problem, he said, was he did not know which half.

My own view is your customers being satisfied. Which you are already doing.

Jim
 
The cheapest, and in my opinion the most effective, is word or mouth. I believe that if you treat not just customers, but everyone, as you would want to be treated, you establish a good reputation...which I think goes further than anything you can spend advertising dollars on. The down side is that it takes time.

Next in line would be websites. Where else can you get a higher "bang to buck" ratio? I get approx. 6,000 visitors a month to my site, and as a result, I would estimate that approx. 70%+ of my sales are due to the website. I need to explain that it's not about the products that are for sale on my site, but I believe it's more about how I present myself, and my knives on the site. When I first considered a website, I looked around for someone to build it for me...I was sorely disappointed. Ever web designer I visited or spoke with was a broken record...it was always SELL!!! SELL!!! SELL!!! Nothing else mattered to them, and that's not how I wanted to be portrayed. So I took the time and effort to teach myself how to build and maintain my own website. I think it was worth every second.

Following closely behind websites for a great "bang to buck" ratio are forums such a this one. I'm convinced that on most forums there are as many, or more "lurkers", than there are participating members...so whatever you write or offer on a forum is likely seen by many more then people you think.

Another good avenue for knifemakers is to get your knives into the hands of a couple of different purveyors. While our individual websites may or may not get traffic, an established purveyor's site will get literally thousands of visitors PER DAY. I think it's very important for the individual maker to make wise choices, and not just look for any purveyor that will accept your knives. Ask a LOT of questions, get things spelled out, and ask the purveyor what other makers knives he/she handles, then call some of those makers and ask questions BEFORE you send any knives. Getting to know these folks, and working with them, can be very rewarding both from a personal and business aspect.
Most Purveyors are great folks, and I think that most are valuable assets to the knife world. But, and this is strictly my opinion, there are a couple out there that I think you should be watchful of. Do your homework!

Magazine/printed ads can be effective, but with the costs, the bang to buck ratio goes way down. I think you have to evaluate what you make, and then direct that type advertising to the right publications. While I love all the Cutlery Magazines, I think for the most part, advertising in them is a loosing game, or at the very least the cost effectiveness is WAY down there. Sometimes looking outside the box is your best bet if your going to advertise in periodicals.

Don't every overlook the opportunity to get yourself and your knives into print for free! Last year Montana Magazine, which is a free quarterly publication, that is stocked at all the tourist stops in the state, and in all the airports, did an article on me, and from it, I got several higher end orders, and sold just about everything I had on the website at the time, and never spent a penny on advertising.

Finally, pick yourself some knife shows, and go! Chances are that anyone interested in your knives knows a lot about them....but they may not know much about you. Although it's wonderful to go to shows and sell all the knives you take, I tend to think of shows as a place for clients and potential clients to get to know the person behind the knives. A few years ago at Blade, I had a well known collector come up to the table and purchase the most expensive knife I had.....he told me that he had been hanging out across the isle, listening to how I was talking with/dealing with people who stopped by. He told me that he had heard people ask the same question "50 times", and that each time I had taken the time to answer, each time with as much enthusiasm as the first. You never know who is watching! :)

Gosh! I just looked back and realized that I got pretty long winded on that one! I'll stop now. :eek:
 
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I think Ed put forth some very good advise. The only other idea I would contribute is to have some of your work photographed by one of the professional photographers that specializes in the knife industry and as part of their service submit the photos along with specs on the knife to different knife publications. If it gets published it is great advertising plus you can use the photos in a portfolio to place on your table at shows and on your websites.
 
Yeah Ed, you got long winded but you didn't waste any words or any one's time. It was all valuable information and well thought out. That kind of post is what we all need, those who are starting and need your help and those who are well established and benefit from your sharing. Thank you.
 
I also think Ed is right but also will include peer pressure. How many times have you seen someone in the sale section buy a knife and immediately 10 other people have to have one. They have never used it or held one in their hands just have to have one.
 
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EdCaffreyMS said:
So I took the time and effort to teach myself how to build and maintain my own website. I think it was worth every second.

Following closely behind websites for a great "bang to buck" ratio are forums such a this one. I'm convinced that on most forums there are as many, or more "lurkers", than there are participating members...so whatever you write or offer on a forum is likely seen by many more then people you think.
Click to expand...
2thumbs
I found that most people are deathly afraid of even attempting to build a webpage.
HTML might seem complex to most.
It's not really that hard and it's actually kinda fun making your own webpage.

A good place to start would be getting a www.blogspot.com(aka] Blogger) "blog" like Ed has
It's FREE....you just have to sign up for a Google account:bud:
You could literally have your blog up and running in under an hour
And you don't even need to know HTML coding..It's all "automatic" (kinda) on Blogger
Then all you gotta do is make periodic posts
Doesn't have to be everyday
Just enough so the search engine bots crawlers keep crawling your page........


That is the 1st step
The next step is to get a site where you can SELL your knives online
That is a little harder to create
But, as Ed said...It just takes a little time and trial and error with the HTML coding side of it.

Then the blog is kind of an "introduction" of yourself to the internet audience
If they are interested in your knives
There should be ample links in your blog to direct them to your SELLING site

If anyone needs help setting up a Blogger blog===>
Send me a PM...I'll be happy to help if I can:cool:
I believe Travis also builds knife webpages too:)

ED=====>
I'm curious how many of those 6,000 hits a month hits "come from" your blogspot page?
6K hits a month is great!!:)
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Other than that, word of mouth is tried and true, and is at the core of any good advertising strategy in my limited experience.
Click to expand...
It's ALL about The Buzz!!
Marketing buzz or simply buzz is a term used in word-of-mouth marketing. The interaction of consumers and users of a product or service serve to amplify the original marketing message.

Some describe buzz as a form of hype among consumers, a vague but positive association, excitement, or anticipation about a product or service. Positive "buzz" is often a goal of viral marketing, public relations, and of advertising on Web 2.0 media. The term refers both to the execution of the marketing technique, and the resulting goodwill that is created. Examples of products with strong marketing buzz upon introduction were Harry Potter, the Volkswagen New Beetle, Pokémon, Beanie Babies, and the Blair Witch Project.

It is possible for firms to track the marketing buzz of their products online using buzz monitoring. For some companies it is important to understand the buzz surrounding a product before committing to the market.
Click to expand...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing_buzz

A good book on this subject (and marketing in 2010/Internet Age, in general) is===>
godin.jpg

Notice how the author has a BLOG?
Kinda ironic....hehhehehe
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/all_marketers_are_liars/

If you want to explore marketing in general
I recommend this book===>
31KQZM13DAL.jpg

399 used from $4.45
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Marketing-Philip-Kotler/dp/0131469185/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269309861&sr=1-2"]http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Marketing-Philip-Kotler/dp/0131469185/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269309861&sr=1-2[/ame]



You should also familiarize yourself the IMPORTANT concept of product differentiation
That is the key to marketing..IMHO
You gotta make your knives, somehow, someway, different from the dude at the table next to you at Blade, right?
"What do you mean he uses meteorite in his bolsters!!??" :eek:
In economics, successful product differentiation leads to monopolistic competition and is inconsistent with the conditions for perfect competition, which include the requirement that the products of competing firms should be perfect substitutes.
Click to expand...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_differentiation
monopolistic competition = more money in your wallet:D

Although, ALL MARKETERS ARE LIARS!! hehehehehehehh ;)
 
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I have been in the business of selling for 30 years working for a large retail concern. One of the very best I have seen at marketing is Frito Lay. Few come close. They have 3 basic products but you'd think they have a million. They have corn chips, potato chips and doritos. They come out with new flavors and sizes every other month. Then they rotate in something new and rotate something else out for awhile. Later on they bring back something old and call it classic. There must be something to learn from all that.
 
Something that I didn't mention, that has shown very good success for me is advertising on your vehicle. I've had just plain white lettering on my truck topper for years, but after wrecking it over the winter, I decided to go with something a little more high class (and more pricey!). I'm having it installed on Monday morning, and hope it does even better for me than the old white lettering did....

EdCaffrey-window_mock-proof.jpg


This is a mock up that the sign outfit did for me.....it looks so good that it makes the rest of my truck look bad! :)
 
I have magnetic signs on boths sides and the rear of my car. I have had a couple of people ask for a business card when they saw them but I can't say that they have resulted in any real sales.

I did have a guy in a parking lot give me a bunch of 450 year old white oak when he saw that I was a knifemaker. 2thumbs
 
The vehicle advertising has worked fairly well for me in the past. It seem like I get a lot of calls from out of state folks....especially when I drive the truck on long trips. I kept track last year, and took 13 orders and sold 4 knives off my website from people calling because they had seen my truck. The puppy in the picture is gona take a pretty nice hunter to pay off, so I sure hope it brings in some business! :)
 
Interesting. Personally, I've never contacted anyone for anything based on a vehicle ad, just because I'm too busy and/or lazy to write down the info when I'm tooling down the road.

I have talked to a few drinking/eating establishment owners/servers who've encouraged me to bring in flyers and/or business cards for them to display. The advantages being, they know who the people who like to spend money on hunting/fishing/gear etc. are, and they can vouch for me bein' a fairly decent guy and have seen my work. I think marketing people call that "networking" :)

Anyone have any experience with LOCAL giveaways/raffles? As in donating a knife to the local VFW, American Legion, or charity fund-raiser and letting them sell tickets to raise money for people in need. Perhaps ask them to give your business card to everyone who buys a ticket or even shows interest. Maybe ask them to display the knife in their business, in the case of a clubhouse or bar. It couldn't hurt to show that you support causes you believe in. I hope that doesn't sound crass, but it seems to me to be a good way to get your work in front of people, help a good cause, and maybe get some sales/orders. What the heck, other types of businesses do that all the time.
 
I have donated several custom knives to support knife clubs and other charities. It's good advertising and good karma to help out. I am making one now that I will donate to the NKCA.
 
I totally agree with Mike on making knives as donations and such. I've been donating knives for a number of years to things such as Ducks Unlimited, and the Rocky Mtn Elk foundation. In both cases the donations have gotten me a number of orders and sales. It's basically the word of mouth thing....but with a twist.
 
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