how to market your service without a website?

You can create web2.0 properties like squidoo and hubpages to promote your business! All that you need is to create a page that has your targeted keyword+call to action+location! Sounds interesting right? An ex: [Cheap and best car rental service from 'service name' in 'location']. Note, you need to do general linkbuilding with less effort to these pages because an optimized content itself works as a relative source than relative links! Hope this will work for you!

are they in the UK? There is that free offer for UK companies who want sites now for free.

I would definitely use social networking sites for promoting it online. Offline promotion would consist of fliers and other outdoor advertising, mailings, phone calls and word of mouth. My services are different as I offer many different things none of which are related. Everything from child care, to lawn care and even data entry and clerical services.

Your client needs to get a clue.

He can certainly market with print media, but if he wants to
market a car rental company online without a website he needs
to get his head examined.

Gary,

For whatever reason he doesn't want a web site, one of the fastest ways to get him some traffic is YouTube. Why? Cause Google Loves IT, for one thing.

When someone in his area searches for Car Rental or whatever the top searches are...his addy should be high on Google maps.

What I would suggest is, if he doesn't have a flip type video, give him one. Tell him to ask his customers, when they return their rentals, if he can shoot a quick 30 second video of them (he could incentivize them too).

When he has 4 testys, then upload to YouTube. I'd do a brief 15 second intro he can use on all video, create a template for him, and a strong ending.

Do this for the summer and he'll have scores of video, and as he uploads to YouTube Google and other searches will find him...and when potential customers go looking for a rental, he should be in great position.

When I have to do a rental, I look for convenience over everthing else. EZ pick up, Ez drop off. Emphasize his strengths in the videos.

I think the tools you are thinking of using will prove to be a waste of your time. Go to where the people who need to rent a car go...and get him a good listing. Since he is new and small, he should concentrate on LOCAL people/businesses which are close to him. He could conduct a daily phone campaign, once he has some good video.

And if you want to get him a lot of attention, put a kitty and a kid in a car and include the disclaimer they Don't Get the Kitty or the Kid...ha!

If he is web site shy, focus on publicity and local eyeballs on his service. Don't forget the contests, such as radio and non-profit, where he could offer a prize (one free day?) and get some publicity that way too.

Good luck with your client.

gjabiz

Why would you NOT want a website? The overhead for a website is low and the potential to earn more money is significant.

I would definitely not trust a car rental company without a website.

What is the reason for that BTW? can't they afford a designer?
It sounds like they need more funds for their business.
I would personally use hubs and squidoo to guide traffic to the main site but never as
the main website.

Car rental service...You can easily promote this without a website.
You can drop fliers all over the place: hotels, restaurants, the MALL etc..

Best Regards,
UFG

have to agree with Franamico, I wouldn't trust them without a website... kind of smells like 'fly by nite'.... even just a simple one page site.

yes, they can use many of the good marketing techniques mentioned on the thread... but the public will expect a website.

having a website is really helpful for dealin a good business..i wonder whats on your clients mind? even small business and starting one's choose to have one..

anyway, join in social media sites and offline marketing

Create a Squidoo Lens with photos and videos of his cars for rent! Drive local traffic to his lens with local PPC marketing.

Great thread.

You can hire someone $50 and let them put up a website with your company content on tumblr or squidoo for you. Or have a simple brochure for your offline clients ...

Alright, here is my tip for getting started for your client:

Video Marketing (Uploading Videos using TubeMogul, then building backlinks with targeted keywords in anchor text to get rankings for these videos for those keywords)
Article Marketing (Article Submission with social bookmarking done for those particular set of articles)
Google Local Listings (You can create a short landing page type for that also, may be a Wordpress.com Site or anything)
Facebook Marketing
- Creation of a Fan Page & Group
- Connecting with targeted people in the city by adding them as friends and then driving them to join fan page & groups (FB List Building)
- Facebook Ads
Forum Posting in Local Forums (If any)

I would certainly advice that he should get a simple landing page type website made on Wordpress with Email Opt-In List. Featuring anything in exchange for people to signup for his email newsletter or something.

Sites like Merchantcircle.com, Yelp.com, Local.com help getting your business noticed.
Merchantcircle is good because the allow pictures, video's, coupons & you even have a blog to post your articles to...
Other local directory sites help too...just search your local area & those should pop up....
IF...your car rental client is local only....Google Places / Local Business Center is a must....he can use pictures, video's, coupons, etc...