Ask Micki: Flyers? Good idea or not?

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Question: Hi, Micki. My friend and I were just talking about how to get the word out about our services (we're both tutors. She tutors science, I tutor math), and we have a friendly debate going.

I swear by flyers. I put them up at the local schools, libraries, and anywhere else I think students might be frequenting.  One of my best "hot spots" is the coffee house that's about a block away from the college.  I've gotten a ton of business from that spot!

My friend, on the other hand, thinks that flyers are outdated in the modern world, and that I'd be better off going high tech, posting my tutoring services on websites. 

What do you think?
Can you help us settle our friendly debate?

Thanks!
Jasmine, NM

Answer: Hey, Jasmine, thanks for the question. 

Well, you and your friend will be happy to know...drum roll, please...
You're actually both right!

No, that's not my inner diplomat talking!  There are a lot of benefits to both techniques, and combining them can make you a tutoring powerhouse when it comes to finding new clients. 

I post quite a few flyers myself, and I always make sure to ask my tutees which flyers they used to contact me.  Based on their responses, I've been able to pretty well home in on which areas work well for my flyers, and which ones don't.  

I would guess that probably about half of my business comes from good, old fashioned paper flyers stuck up on bulletin boards. 

The other half of my business comes from online advertising.  Bulletin boards, forums, blogs, social media, tutor-tutee matching services, etc. can all be great resources when it comes to finding new clients. 

Maybe both of you could try combining techniques - merge the low tech and the high tech.   Help each other learn what techniques work best. 

Trust me, you two will both be happy with the results! 
Good luck finding those tutoring clients!

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