Marketing for Digitizing

OK so how does a company/person market for digitizing services?

18 years ago we started our own company and offered 5 free designs thinking that after 5 they would know if they liked us and we would know if we liked them (hey it is not a ONE way street)

That worked and it only cost about 1 billion (lol) in ink and stamps Never really got into email marketing only because never wanted to get blocked for spam.

Then about 10 years ago we kinda got aggressive.. pick a town.. let's say Nashville.... look up the top embroidery shops in that town and offer them FREE digitizing for 90 days.. NO exclusions .. hats, bags, shirts, jacket back.. all FREE...I figured after 90 days their previous digitizer would be hungry. hey, dog eat dog.

SO today what do you do to gain clients? AND do not say you just show up on a site like this and do NOTHING but ask for work without helping anyone. HELLO you know who I am referring to.

OH, for our interior design or fashion design clients (come on do not just think of high schools, hospitals, restaurants, and pick ) we created ViewMasters ...old school but guess what the persons making the decisions are old school. they like putting the rounds into the master and flipping through each image and then passing it around the office

DO NOT just send a letter or brochure... that only goes to "file 13" (trash can) Pay the money and send your info in FedEx or UPS or USPS envelope... THOSE at least get opened. But then the onus is on you to make sure what is in said envelope is interesting.

How about targeting a client and actually sending them an embroidered sample of their design? Or more aggressively 3 versions? And if you really want to play the game do the same with their lesser competitors and then let the big fish know. Hey all is fair in love and war according to Machivelli

So how do YOU market as a digitizer today?