Bowling alleys, food stores and ball parks do this. Why not you? Ball parks sell billboard space that glares back at a 45,000-fan captive audience. Some ball parks sell ad space on the back of ticket stubs. A local food store has neighboring store ads printed on the reverse of its register receipts. And bowling alleys cover the borders of their score sheets with community ads. All three of these industries turned their extra "wasted" space into money-making opportunities.
Selling open space, or cooperative advertising to non-competiting businesses, makes good business sense. It shows a sense of community involvement, gives something extra to your present customers, and adds hard currency to your bottom line. We're talking exposure here for you and your business associates -- getting your name in front of potential customers as often as possible, and as economically as makes sense.
Your opportunity: non-competing businesses want to capitalize on your traffic flow. Some examples of non-competing advertising options: a gas service station printing ads for nearby eateries at the bottom of service estimate sheets. Customers bring their vehicles in, sign the estimate sheet, and "right away" are reminded that there's a place to (a) wait while their car's being repaired or (b) grab a bite before heading out to work. Or a restaurant can print ads for miniature golf or discount theater tickets at the bottom of their bills (tear this off to top off a wonderful evening). And theaters can print restaurant ads on the backs of their ticket stubs. Even if this idea doesn't turn into a huge money-maker, it will help defray printing costs while offering a "little something extra" to your patrons.