Bail Bond Company Advertising

Methods of Advertising:

1): Rotating bill boards in the crack areas of your cities. These are not full sized bill boards, they are smaller signs and are on a rotating basis with other merchants. Kind of like a time share miniature bill board. Placed around bars, college campuses, industrial areas, intersections that have the longest lights facing the oncoming traffic. keep them simple and in bright colours...name of company, and phone number in large bold colours and fonts. These cost app $400/month here. 1 of my clients has these placed all over the city and he is one of the busiest companies. Also place them along your commuter routes.

2): Print media- Weekly rag sheets like the Thrifty Nickel or local bargain hunter weekly paper, college newspapers, restaurant menus ( this has become a big thing here, restaurants have plastic permanent see through covers that hold business ads).

3) Business card placement: Any public area that has a community bulletin board- wal-marts, grocery stores, laundry mats, public libraries, county court houses, etc. 1 of my bondsmen has his people routinely go aorund to all of the public payphones and place a card on it.

4) Other marketing media: 1 of my bondsmen gives away company logo'd ballcaps and t-shirts to everyone they bail out of jail. Believe it or not, the clients even wear these t-shirts on thier court dates.

5) Company logo'd matches, magnetic calendars, ball point pens, etc. have matchbooks printed up and hand them out at local bars in a bowl or something for customers to pick up.

6) Magnetic vehicle signs: 3x5 magnetic signs with company name and # on any and all vehicles you and your agents drive..just like Domino's pizza does, or busses, taxi's etc. While you are parked at the jail, your car is working for you as a portable bill board. 1 of my company's here even went so far as to put a similar sign on both sides of his briefcase so when he goes into the jail it advertises for him. Plus they wear shirts, jackets, ballcaps, etc.

7) Late night tv ads. 30 second spots are not that expensive.

8 Public locations: Sponsor a youth team like baseball, soccer, softball etc. They wear your company's jersey with name and # on it. Place vinyl banners at your local ballfields.

9) Instead of using the standard #10 business envelopes and 8 1/2x11 sheets of paper in corespondences to remind your clients of court dates, have company logo'd postcards printed up with a pre-formatted fill in the blank info on the reverse side:

Dear:_______________

We would like to remind you of your court date on :_____________
Thank you for your business,

signed:_____________

Post cards are cheaper to mail, plus everyone who sees the post card gets exposed to your company, and it is a working advertisement as well as a notice.

10: Mass mail a letter of introduction with a detachable business card to all criminal defense attorney's. your going to establish relations with them anyway, so why not ? 1 of the first questions most freshly released clients ask is "do you know a good attorney ?" We all need to be on good terms with a few sharks to protect us from the other sharks..so why not ? 1 of my bondsman has multiple relationships with multiple attorneys for obvious and various reasons.

11) Tax-deductible and legal contributions to your local Boys n Girls Sheriff's Ranches, your local sheriff's association, state trooper association, FOP lodge. Although everyone screams it is illegal to cross civil service with for profit entities...but we all know it happens all of the time.

12) Keeping the local leo's happy keeps you in business.

Hope all of this helps.
_________________
Mindtracker
U.S.A

Back to top


mindtracker
Moderator


Joined: 04 Jun 2007
Posts: 17

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 5:45 pm Post subject: Advertising

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I did Bail Bonding I went to the local colleges to the athletic departments and gave my business cards to all of the coaches. I also went to the Fraternity and Sorority Houses and gave them my business cards and told them to give me a call. I wrote quite a few bonds off of these cards, and it helped later on when I was looking for a skip that was not a college student as he hung out on the campus and I received a good tip from one of my bondies who saw him on campus. Also you can hand your cards out at the dorms. These guys seem to be magnets for trouble suring their youthful indescretions and are in need of a good bail bond agent. Just my two cents for what it is worth. You may also want to go to the college and see if you can get approval to hang up your card or advertisement on their bulletin boards around campus.
_________________
kickingit101
1-660-831-5363

Back to top


mindtracker
Moderator


Joined: 04 Jun 2007
Posts: 17

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 5:46 pm Post subject: Advertising

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have had good luck giving out my Bail Bond cards while looking for skips. I leave a stack of about 20 in each crack house is goto. You would be suprised how much business I have gotten from this. Also I give several to each person I get out of jail and tell them to give them to their friends. This works great too. Bill
_________________
Carolina Fugitive Recovery
BEA Agent Bill Patterson
828-447-8304 Cell
704-470-4414 Home

"There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter"

- Ernest Hemingway

Back to top


mindtracker
Moderator


Joined: 04 Jun 2007
Posts: 17

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 5:52 pm Post subject: Advertising

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since I started in my in laws business 7 years ago, we have doubled our gross.

First thing I had to do was get my 70 year old father in law into the 21 century. Bought some computers. Starting taking credit cards for payment.

Talk with you business neighbors. They love to hear bail / recovery stories. If you're a notary give away the 1st notary of the day for free.
People come in our office for directions to the utility company or local train station. We printed maps with our name on them and hand them out.

Then we uped our ads in the yellow pages as other agencies were pulling back.

We then stacked the office counter with giveaways, mostly to our notary customers. Matches, minitature handcuff key chains, inks pens, pocket calendars, car air freshners, emory board nail files. They all have our company name and logo on them.

When posting a bond at the jail I carry packs of generic cigarettes. ( I don't smoke but almost everyone getting out does. ) Of course they get a couple books of our matches also.

Go speak at local service clubs. Rotary, Kiwanis, Exchange, Toastmasters. They all like to have new speakers at their meetings. Everyone is also interested because of the tv shows on bail and recovery.

If you can afford it, buy a Hummer of other vehicle that turns heads and plaster it with your company name and number.

Dress professionally. Company t-shirts and ball caps also identify you as a bail agent but. Since we started dressing in shirt , tie and sport coat, we have received better treatment from the jail and court staff. They are more willing to help with any problem we have. Also many people ask if we are attorneys. They are quite surprised to find out they we are bail agents.

Know the local jails, courts and even how the da's office work. When someone calls and has questions about the whole system and you can answer them, they will use your service. We picked up a lot of clients that had called bigger agencies before they contacted us. We were able to show that we were not just a post and run company. We still provide service after the defendant is released.

You can also narrow cast the internet ads to target your normal AO. Check with your local phone company or IP provider. They may be able to help you there.

We stay away from the kids schools or sports teams. Just a personal choice.

The best and cheapest form of advertising is a referral from a happy client!
_________________
Tony Suggs
"The Weasel"
Castle Bail Bonds
Richmond, CA 94804
510-232-3399

Back to top


mindtracker
Moderator


Joined: 04 Jun 2007
Posts: 17

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 5:53 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sponsoring local events is another way to advertise your business.
_________________
Mindtracker
U.S.A

Back to top


mindtracker
Moderator


Joined: 04 Jun 2007
Posts: 17

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 5:54 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You are absolutley right - I have done the Rally Towels for this years football season (local HS) and will be doing the t-shirts for next years BBall season.
The company that write bail for pays half.
_________________
"We wil be known forever for the tracks we leave behind"" author ~ unknown

Do not consider anything for your interest which makes you break your word, quit your modesty, or inclines you to any practice which will not bear the light, or look the world in the face .... Marcus Antonius

LuVonda A. Donnellan
HBIC of the DDS Dept.
contact via PM or Email

Back to top


mindtracker
Moderator


Joined: 04 Jun 2007
Posts: 17

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 6:14 pm Post subject: Advertising

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Producing company logo'd coaster's for neighborhood bars, grills, cafe's etc. to use as they serve thier beverages is another way of getting your business out there.

Back to top

_________________
River City Associates
Decatur, Al. 35601

_________________
Rich S.
Fugitive Recovery Agent
Battlefield Fugitive Recovery Services
FRN Agency ID #: 4551
Gettysburg, PA

Office: (717) 814-8064
Fax: (636) 590-1994

I have had good luck in interesting the local media. This has resulted in exposure that would have cost me an arm and a leg if I had paid for it myself.

Every couple of months I try to come up with an interesting story that I turn into a press release and am usually successful in getting a response.

John

1 of our deceased member's used to write for his local paper and another individual suggested being a volunteer journalist, writing pro bono articles regarding the cj system, bail bonds, apprehensions, etc. Stated he got alot of business that way as well.

There is an opposing view however by alot of bEA's/Pi's that involving the news media is like playing Russian Roulette...it will eventually come around to bite you in the butt......

I don't know...each of us has to decide what's best for ourselves in our respective areas.

_________________
River City Associates
Decatur, Al. 35601

one of the main things i did is a friend of mine owns a bar we had match books made with our logo on them and put the at the bar. Also if i go to a restraunt to eat or go into a convient store I always give the person behind ringing me up a buisness card. I do that every store i go into. half the people i have do that to has called me either for themselves or a friend or loved one.

Also I use to be into show trucks and import cars and i would always put my cards out by my car and a sign in front of my car.

I use to put magnetic signs on my truck i drove to the jail. On the back of my truck was vinyl decals that said (FOllow me to the jail D&D bail Bonds)

THere are several things you can do with advertising newspapers.

When I go on pickups i make sure i give everyone i talk to a card. I have had so many people call me from jail hey just remember me you talked to me when you were looking for so and so.

quick story... word of mouth (literally) advertising........

One of my bonding buddies (we will call him Charles) was looking for a skip and walked into a local crack house full of ......... unusual people... while his buddies were looking through the building, one of the local bad arses with a very prominent 'gold tooth' decided to give my buddy a hard time and got in his face... (I don't condone the following action but I am relating it as it happened)... my buddy backs up against the wall and several other bad boys come toward him... he pulls his little .40 from behind his back... and sticks the barrel in the first guys mouth, right up against the gold tooth!! and says I think you boys need to sit back down and relax.... they did... two weeks later he gets a call for a bond and the person on the line says.... "Hey, Charles, can you come get me and my friend out of jail... you remember me... I'm the guy with the gold tooth..." Charles wrote 2, 5,000 bonds and both the defendants made every court date and the cases were finalized on time. When asked later why they had called Charles... they said... "GD... that guy had balls coming in there and we don't deal with candy arses, so we figured we'd call the best and we damn sure knew we had better go to court...I didn't want to see that barrel again....... "

Charles gets referrals from those guys all the time and they never miss a court date... go figure?

_________________
Bill Marx, Sr.
"FREE STATE BAIL BONDS"
"FREE STATE INVESTIGATIONS"
DCJS: 99-176979
Cell: 434-294-0222

"Endeavor to Persevere" "Lone Watie"

"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that , comes from bad judgment" "Will Rogers"

DAMNNNNN
That is called RESPECT

_________________


Do not consider anything for your interest which makes you break your word, quit your modesty, or inclines you to any practice which will not bear the light, or look the world in the face .... Marcus Antonius

I AM Some Folks "KARMA" and A MODERATOR @ FRN

that's right and truly "WORD OF MOUTH ADVERTISING WORKS!!"

I might mention LuVonda... I used to be a bad arse Marine but I got old and fat and now I am an "egg mc'muffin" so when I have to do a 'strong arm' pickup, I take Charles with me and there are no problems.....

_________________
Bill Marx, Sr.
"FREE STATE BAIL BONDS"
"FREE STATE INVESTIGATIONS"
DCJS: 99-176979
Cell: 434-294-0222

"Endeavor to Persevere" "Lone Watie"

"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that , comes from bad judgment" "Will Rogers"

I am sure it is true everywhere, but, it seems that every jurisdiction/state has its own set of rules related to advertising... and they change as often as the wind.

In northern VA it seems that LE is rather hostile toward bondsmen and BEA's... I live in the south central Virginia area and down here (thank God) it is more rural and more of the "good ole boy" network... that is not to say that we do not have our 'primadonas' in the courts and LE... but for the most part (and I think this also has a lot to do with your demeanor) I get along rather well with the system.

We are allowed to place business cards in most of the jails; we can have name/company logo stuff on our clothes if it is a certain size... (I think it is 3"X5") and I also keep magnetic signs on my little VW whenever I am on a bond call... I also have several 'stick in the ground' portable signs that I move around to different locations where I feel they are productive. Yellow page ads are always productive for me and they are not toooo expensive. I know bondsmen in northern VA that run full pages in local books that run over $2000 a month and they have several in different locations...... that's way above my pay grade...

I have local phone numbers in each jurisdiction that are remote forwarded to toll free numbers and then forwarded to my office. Those number are only about $25 monthly each and the only charges are small toll free... I also give cards out to everyone that I come in contact with and I try and make a very positive impression on anyone I discuss my business with. Dressing appropriately is also important. No shorts in court, although I do wear shorts to bond but they are neat and I top that off with a "Free State Bail Bonds" shirt with my name embroidered on the chest.

Mostly just common sense when approaching folks around the courthouse. Just be low key about your approach as with anything in our business... sometimes you try to stay "under the radar", other times you do want to be seen....... just use your head.

And as I have stated in this post.... word of mouth does work rather well....

Nuff said..........

_________________
Bill Marx, Sr.
"FREE STATE BAIL BONDS"
"FREE STATE INVESTIGATIONS"
DCJS: 99-176979
Cell: 434-294-0222

"Endeavor to Persevere" "Lone Watie"

"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that , comes from bad judgment" "Will Rogers"

One more little item that I think has already been mentioned but it is very good IMHO...

Put magnetic signs on your vehicle (make sure it is neat and clean) and get to court early so you can park right in front if possible... several of my courts have parking right at the front door. Also when you bond at the jails... your vehicle is probably the best and cheapest ad you can have and I cannot tell you the times people have approached me after seeing my little VW with the signs on the side....

_________________
Bill Marx, Sr.
"FREE STATE BAIL BONDS"
"FREE STATE INVESTIGATIONS"
DCJS: 99-176979
Cell: 434-294-0222

"Endeavor to Persevere" "Lone Watie"

"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that , comes from bad judgment" "Will Rogers"