The Flyerboard is an online bulletin board hosted on the websites of local publications, on which local businesses can post a flyer to advertise events such as sales, promotions, concerts, shows, or exhibitions. Already live on well-known Boston websites such as Boston.com, the Boston Metro, Weekly Dig, and Harvard Crimson, the Flyerboard makes it simple for local organizations to easily advertise across a broad selection of Boston-only websites.
Unlike current online advertising options, Flyerboard is local, making it especially appropriate for the community at Harvard Square. Its flexible pricing model is designed for local businesses with small advertising budgets. “Right now, it’s costly and ineffective for local organizations to advertise online. Even local websites predominantly serve ads for national companies,” explains Roger Lee, a Harvard senior and co-founder of PaperG, the company that developed Flyerboard. “Our goal is to level the playing field and enable local, small-budget advertisers, like the ones in Harvard Square, to take advantage of the Internet.”
The Flyerboard replicates the look of a physical bulletin board but adds interactive features that allow users to share flyers with each other via email and instant messaging. Virtual flyers also allow users to add events to their online calendars, RSVP electronically, and receive event reminders via email.
Both PaperG and HSBA believe that HarvardSquare.com’s Flyerboard will become a central location where local residents can find and discover new events and promotions in Harvard Square. Denise Jillson, Executive Director of HSBA, remarks, “We think that this is going to be a great opportunity for our members to reach the community and a great way for the community to stay informed.” HarvardSquare.com’s Flyerboard is designed to be both a useful tool for Harvard Square businesses to advertise their events and promotions and a great way for residents to stay informed of the latest events in the community.
Flyerboard first launched in Boston on February 1. Since its launch, the Flyerboard has proven to be an effective advertising tool for local businesses, outperforming the click-through rates of banner ads and Google text link ads at a fraction of the cost. PaperG recently won the Harvard Innovation Challenge for its innovation in local online advertising.
“We really believe that Flyerboard will revolutionize how local businesses conduct marketing, ” says Robin Lapidus, Marketing Director of HSBA, “and we’re extremely excited to be one of the first websites to offer this exciting feature.”