Flyering in SL

You know when you go out clubbing IRL and you have people handing out flyers about other clubs, clubnights and so on well couldn't you do that in SL?

I have just been trying to think up ways to drum up business for clubs that are having a few issues and flyering popped into my head. I was wondering on the implications and things.

1. some people may class it as spamming and may take offence
2. some people may not be interested in your flyers

Now IRL you are given choices. When handed a flyer do I take it? If yes do I read it? If yes do I keep it or discard it.. When handed a flyer do I take it? If no I wander on my merry way. ETC So how can this be done in SL? Do you do the flyer as a notecard, only thing is it then pops up on their screen and they may not want it. As a texture? (for added oomph of graphic goodness) again the pop up. Or do you do it as a folder with a notecard and a texture, that way they can reject it if they wish? The last seems the best option.

What are your thoughts?

People already do it with note cards and it can be annoying.

IRL you may step around the person offering you the flyer and not take it. In SL you can't do that.

I expect that most people, when offered some piece of inventory from someone they have never met before, they would (1) decline it for security reasons and (2) may feel annoyed.

What may work are props handing out flyers when touched ... but then you need to find places for them. Also, you could try sandwich men (and girls) with a text reading "ask me for more info".

If anyone does this to me, their business automatically goes on my "don't buy from" list. If I want to use a business, I will find it myself.

Notecard spam is annoying enough that it's used in some weapons. Even being given objects is annoying, as you still get the popup.

Buy advertising space at malls and clubs and such. Cheap and if someone is interested they will look at it!

How about this, and I'm NOT SURE if this is allowed so look into it........not even sure it can be done


Create postor add (nice, clean, non offensive) that your avator can wear on thier back and front. Have the Avator dress up with something eye catching that has to do with your business...... Again, keeping it clean and tastful...
If there is a way people can touch the postar add and get thier notecard instead of giving them out.

Kind of like the funny dressed up people walking around the sides of the road to bring in business.

What I do is create a nice interactive display based on the venue and rent booth space in popular malls (where most new players wander through) The display gives freebies, Notecard event information and landmarks. It is very effective and inexpensive.

Frankly, flyering is big business in big cities. The Flyers given out in San Francisco for example, are often minature works of art. There are ways to do it, and ways not to. Frankly I think the notecard is uninteresting, and unimaginitive. When most flyer-type info can be presented in a nice 256x256 image instead.

An image will "pop open" when given. no need to wear it... or click accept.

That said.. some consideration MUST be given to the "spam" reaction. Many people who live in Clubby areas of cities.. get tired of the constant supply of flyers that collect on their windsheilds. SL is so much more an "internet" thing than a "real life" thing.. and an unwanted texture can too often be overreacted to as if it were some form of an attack.

Smaller images (256x256) load quickly.. lessening the amount of lag when given.. and will fit on most screens.. lessening the distortion of the image or message. If artfully crafted.. by an actual graphic designer who has a clue.. many people will gladly accept these flyers. (some will even collect them for future ideas!)

if the textures were dolled out responsibly.. with givers that were intelligent enough not to vend twice to the same person.. then I think the "club going public" would quickly adapt to the practice. Club owners could toss out "pop ups" that would invite people to their big event next week. Partnerships could be struck where club A gave out club B's flyers, in exchange for club B giving out club A's.

Of course, we're already seeing this in the magazine industry. But magazines are time consuming to process. where a SMALL flyer only takes a couple seconds to read.

Like *ANY* form of unsolicited communication.. you WILL receive negative reactions. But one must balance the negatives against the potential positives to be gained. People have been complaining about junk mail for decades... yet we still rifle through it for pizza coupons.

And frankly.. with the art I have seen on club cards in SF... if we had that kind of artistic competition going on in SL.. the world would be a much more beautiful place. (instead of the same old "cookie cutter" club-in-a-box kits, with the same old money ball, and the same old pole dancers, with the same old club977 shoutcast feed on the land.)

I also recommend making an interesting mascot avatar to wear to drum up interest. I have this character that I frequently use in my art which I made into an avatar....When I wear her in public strangers tend to look through my profile and I've made some sales that way.

If I am wandering around SL I try to remember to wear it because people are more likely to look at my profile for some reason. heh.

I posted my thoughts about the whole event promotion matter here:

http://www.talksecondlife.com/members-only/884-doubledowns-sooper-dooper-tip-3-effective-ineffective-forms-promoting-events.html

I tend to think that hand to hand flyering is ineffective in SL. In fact, it's become ineffective RL too.... People that car flyer or hand=2=hand... it doesn't really work.

Leaving stacks of flyers at stores seems to work best... and in fact I believe it works in SL too... if clubs and shops banded together and offered "flyer displays" that would work great... so someone can walk up to a bunch of varied events and flyers, and pick up what they want.

Giving someone a texture as they walk by... even if the event is interesting to them, it'll just end up going into their inventory and forgotten about.

I think the most important way to promo in SL is to hit alot of people with a cool flyer as soon as the event is planned... but then also hit all those same people with day-of notices... so you'll have to keep track of who you gave the info to and who is interested.

Why not make a poster at the entrance that you can click on for a landmark or notecard? That pretty much would serve the same purpose as RL flyers. If I take a flyer it's because I see something on it that might interest me. If the person sees an appealing poster that says "click me for more info" they would have the RL flyer choices available to them.

You could also make a sandwich board to wear in public and people could click on you or not. Easy enough scripting and would be a goofy gimmick that would get people at least talking to you.

Just some thoughts...

i do a couple of things when i advertise my buisness..

i have a Ad Board (Billboard) at my venue, when people click it, it gives them the latest information.

If i am recruiting VIP's i will use FlipTitle and have "Ask Me about VIP Memebership @ XXXX" above my head, so then interested parties can just IM me