ADVERTISING WITH FLYERS

Pass Out Flyers at Car Shows

The most effective way by far to publicize your event is by visiting other car events during the season and passing out flyers to everyone that has a car on display. This is because you’re meeting people who have already demonstrated that they (1) own a classic car and (2) that they take it out to car shows. Plus, you get to have fun visiting car shows while passing out flyers. Try to find out how many cars last year’s event drew before you go so that you bring enough flyers with you. You may easily pass out 5,000 flyers up to the date of your event. Normally, cars on display will have their windows rolled down and the owner is nearby, often sitting in a lawn chair behind the car.

It is customary to walk through and drop a 8 ½” x 11” flyer with the pertinent details through the window and on the front seat. There will likely be other people dropping in flyers for other events. Be careful not to touch the cars! Often, the owners will ask you about the event on your flyers.

Your flyers should have the basic details. Simply state “music” if you have not yet decided on live band or music CDs. Later on, after you’ve booked “Uncle Joe’s Polka All-Stars,” you can update your flyers. Simply state “various awards” if you have not yet determined award categories if you are doing a judged car show. I recommend having your flyers on 81/2” x 11” colored paper with some car related clip art. A professional looking flyer is not hard to create and you can find clip art on the Internet. Update your flyers as additional details get sorted out.

Pass Out Flyers at Other Locations

Hang up flyers (with the manager’s permission) at gas stations, auto parts stores, paint and body shops, car restoration shops, car dealerships, custom motorcycle shops, motorcylcle bars, sports bars, BBQ and chicken wing restaurants, root beer stands, 50’s style diners, etc. Some restaurants have a car theme (such as the Quaker Steak and Lube chain) that makes them a natural place to put a flyer on a wall or leave a stack on a counter corner. Of course, always ask the staff if you can post a flyer and/or leave a stack. Your local grocery store might have a community bulletin board near where the free real estate and other free publications are located. Periodically check stacks left on counters and tables to see if they need replenishing. If you’re really ambitious, you can even have people carry around a few flyers as they are out and about. When they see a classic car in a parking lot, they can put a rolled up flyer in the door handle or put one under the windshield wiper as a semi-personal invitation. I’ve even knocked on homeowners’ doors and given them a flyer if I saw a classic car in their driveway or garage. One wife wished I was there to offer to buy any or all of her husband’s collection of 1960s Ford Thunderbirds.

Sample Flyers

To get ideas for details, graphics, fonts, colors, etc., go to: www.rocknrod.com or search the Internet for “car show”, “cruise-in”, and “car show flyer.” You can expect a 5%-10% turnout from those who receive a flyer at an earlier event. That might sound like a low rate but it is the most effective way to reach car owners about your event and indicates how early and aggressive your publicity effort needs to be. Rock n’ Rod is one of the best car show related sites on the Internet.