squashing my competition in the church bulletin

[huggytree]

after having a great 2010 i decided to up my charity...i decided to test the church bulletin...there are 6 plumbers in it.....more plumbers than any other business type

i decided to do a color/double size ad(only 1 other plumber is color/doublesize)

my Ad looks the best and stands out nicely.....i got 1 job from it in the first 3 months and basically paid for my Ad.

now im considering going 4x size to see if i can get some of the other 6 plumbers to drop out....most arent church members, so i assume they only advertise for the work and not the charity aspect....i assume if i cut into their business they will drop out

by going to a 4x size ad i will be double the size of any other Ad.....it will be big enough to get a family photo in the Ad.

1. will it be strange to have a super size Ad. in the bulletin? am i going overboard
2. will my competion drop out if i take some of their business away?
3. am i a goof ball for trying to out do my competition in a church bulletin

i am looking at the bulletin as 1/2 charity and 1/2 business...im not sure the competition is looking at it the same...they may be 100percent business or 100 percent charity

[Russ in Vancouver]

Hi there, Im newb, so my opinion means little right now.
I think its a great idea because I have done the the same thing in past marketing campaigns, it cost me alot of money but I did dominate my farm area while I was pumping it with my spam hehe.
I can relate to you. But being in a church newsletter, hmmmmmmmmm

lets get down to the basics of business......................business is business and its nothing personal.........if it works and it helps you put food on the table, go for it.

[Steve B]

I don't think it would be bad to have such a large ad, but I doubt it will make the other plumbers drop out. Here's why. The vast majority of business owners aren't diligent enough to track where their business is coming from. If they don't attend your church, then they might not ever know that your ad is in there.

[Tri-Win]

I don't think that the church mailer is a good place to advertise for anyone. Its a good deed to a good cause not good advertising. If I were a plumber i would think that sending a mailer to address a specific problem would be more effective. If you know of a neighborhood that has lots of old trees that are cause pipe damage, or an area where foundations settle and cause pipes to break, you could send a postcard letting people know you are willing to take on that kind of work to that area. Target a problem not a church.

[Patrysha]

Except that huggytree doesn't do repair/emergency type work, just renovations and new builds...he's not the type of plumber you call when the roots bust through the pipe...

[Steve B]

I think the church bulletin is a great way to advertise. There's an implied approval from the church (which they probably hold in high regards if they're attending it). Plus, I swear I remember several of the advertisors in my church bulletin from 40 years ago (I was so bored - that was the only thing I would read as a kid).