Free Local Advertising Ideas that May Be Against the Law
Free Local Advertising - Flyers or Pamphlets on Cars
If you have ever attended a large event such as a concert or a fair, or parked for any length of time at a mall or shopping center, changces are you have found a flyer or pamphlet tucked under your windshield wiper on your car. If you are a business owner, you might be attracted to the potential to reach so many local people so easily.
However, pamphleting cars can get you in trouble with the law. Depending on local ordinances, anti-soliciting laws may make putting flyers on cars illegal. If done at a privately owned area, such as a store parking lot, you can get in even more trouble. Since, out of advertising necessity, your contact information will be on the flyer, you will be able to be tracked down and fined for soliciting or littering.
Free Local Advertising - Distributing Flyers on the Street
Many of the same law and regulations that would apply to pamphletting cars would also apply to distributing flyers on the street. You cannot stand in a public place and solicit for business or non-profit without a license or permission to do so. Since the vast number of flyers end up littering the ground, your free local advertising could also be cited for contributing to that problem.
Free Local Advertising - Tucking Flyers in Mailboxes
Unless you are an employee of the United States Postal Service and you are delivering mail, you cannot touch a mailbox that is not your own. It is against federal law to tamper or use postal mail boxes for any other purpose, such as distributing flyers. Even tucking a folded brochure behind the mailbox flag is against the law. This manner of free local advertising will get you in trouble.
Free Local Advertising - Posting Signs on Telephone Poles
Telephone poles are the property of either the city in which they stand or the utility company that controls them. They are privately owned property and are usually protected by city ordinances or laws that prohibit posting of signs. Many communities do make allowances for temporary signs, such as yard sale ads or lost pet flyers. Posting your business sign to get some free local advertising, and not removing it after the prescribed time may cause legal trouble for you.
Published by Melanie L. Marten
Melanie Marten is self-taught and self-employed. Besides freelance writing, she dabbles in website design and owns dozens of websites and blogs. Work is squeezed in between parenting two boys, homeschoolin... View profile
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- Some methods of free local advertising may be against the law.
- Depending on local ordinances, anti-soliciting laws may make putting flyers on cars illegal.
- It is against federal law to tamper with postal mail boxes.
15 Comments
Post a CommentGive me a break! I may not like finding stuff under my windshield wiper, but what on earth is it coming to when good people can't even promote their business trying to make ends meet in these tough times. I say good on 'm.
So true. It takes just one nasty and vindictive person to pursue the issue with the post office and it's BIG trouble for you. In this climate of frivilous lawsuits, don't do it. Take it from me, I learned the hard way.
This is stupid! I cannot stand in the street or a public area and ask people to take my flier for my charitable non-profit, girl scouts, etc? Yet people can nag me for money and threaten me if I don't give them cash? Really? What has this world come to?
Due to rough times in the current economy, I have recently taken a freelance position of delivering fliers.
And today I was chased by a screaming mailman who told me I would go to jail. I wasn't aware that tucking fliers behind the flag was illegal.
Looks like I'll be delivering door-to-door style. Sorry guys, but I have mouths to feed
Thanks for the post. Very helpful. We were putting flyers on cars and a lady called. We might want to stop that now!
Interesting. Thanks for writing this article.
Good advise
I was advertising a project one time years ago with flyers I left in mailboxes. Got a call from the post office. He was very nice but did inform me it was a non-no.
I agree with that Jennifer. The main culprit around here is take out restaurants. We get ten to fifteen menus per week.
Yes, these flyers are extremely annoying. I never use these tactics to promote my business. I wish they would outlaw people putting flyers on your doorknob, and leaving junk "telephone books."