Hello,
I would look into some "free" forms of advertising. One such tactic is Craigslist. Craigslist.com is ranked in the top 30 of all websites according to Alexa.com. In terms of potential traffic, that number is absolutely HUGE. However, you still need a well written ad & title for it to be effective, and your ad must have staying power so that the message is seen repetitively. For example, in one recent scientific study, it was noted that most consumers do not fully notice or react to an ad until they see it for the 3rd or 4th time! The bottom line is that your ad must be reoccurring to be effective.
Craigslist also lets you post pictures on your ad, and this is something you will definitely want to do. Think of it this way…when you are searching for a car on autotrader.com or browsing through MySpace or even a dating website, do you ever click on a profile with no photo? Generally speaking, 99% of the time you will click the profile with a photo.
While not as effective as Craigslist, there are also other free classified ad services that you may want to pursue, such as backpage.com, listsomething.com, or plugstar.com just to name a few.
From the low-tech side of the equation, if you are planning to physically distribute flyers or brochures within your local area, you would probably be better served simply distributing your business card. Why? For one, biz cards are significantly cheaper and lighter than flyers.
Another reason is – believe it or not – business cards are more effective. While it is true that far less information can be placed on a biz card compared to a flyer simply due to the relative size of each medium, in effect that’s why it’s better. Although people are more likely to be initially attracted by a large colorful flyer, there is a far greater chance that the flyer will be discarded compared to your card, which is obviously smaller and can easily be “put away” in a pocket for future reference.
You could distribute your business cards yourself by leaving them on windshield wipers, mailboxes, store bulletin boards, etc. However, given that time is money, a more efficient distribution method would be to hire someone. The typical rate is $10 an hour or $10 per 1000. Of course, this tactic is only worthwhile if you are located in a highly populated area. Otherwise, focus your distribution efforts on commercial businesses or other venues that attract a lot of walk-in traffic.
Good luck!
Alan