How to Be a Street Promoter

Your new nightclub cannot be the new “hot spot” if there are no bodies there to generate heat. You cannot be the next Diddy if your new artist remains undiscovered. And the fact that you have the best steak in town is irrelevant if you are the only person in the new restaurant. Creating a buzz for a new business, event or musician is hard work. Get the most buzz for your buck by taking the promotion to the street.

Instructions

1. Create flyers. If you're moderately tech-savvy, create your own flyers on your PC. If not, go online and find a free template that best suits the occasion (see Resources below). After creating the flyers, print them either at Kinko’s, Staples or Office Depot. Use the “less is more” approach when printing flyers--print 4 flyers per page, so the flyer will be small enough to fit into a handbag or wallet. For a street promoter virgin, know your budget and the desired number of people to be reached. If the budget allows for the purchase of posters, go for it. Posters will allow possible patrons to see and read about the event weeks ahead of the show date. Possible placements for posters can be barbershops, beauty salons and the neighborhoods closest to the venue.

2. Identify the target market for the event. Most target markets can be found in similar environments to the event being promoted. For example, if promoting a party, then start distributing the promotional flyers at venues that match the criteria. It wouldn't hurt to distribute flyers on the busiest nights at the venue where your event will be held. When promoting an artist, use the same model for promoting an event. When promoting a new restaurant, distribute flyers during busy lunch hours. Dinner time at popular restaurants is a perfect opportunity to distribute promotional flyers to car windshields or door jams.

3. Allow 4 weeks to create a buzz for an event. In the first week of promotion, try to distribute 700 to 1,000 promotional flyers. Follow the same regime in the next few weeks. In the final week, double the distribution.

4. Stand back, and watch the crowd pour in!

Tips & Warnings

• Distribute off of other's buzz. For instance, if there is a party that has a line around the block, hand out some of your promotional flyers to the crowd.

• Enlist the help of friends. Bribing them with free passes to the event or cash should suffice.

• One of the golden rules in advertisement is: potential customers need to see an advertisement seven times before they think of buying. This can apply to promotion, as well.

• When distributing promotional flyers to car windshields, insure you are not on personal property.