Advertising

[hbiss]

I would take that as a recommendation to do business with you!

-Hal

 

[kwired]

So not for a business, but for a four day event we put on, we spent $12,000 (four months) on radio and computer ads. Our numbers were actually down this year. The biggest problem is that since we have all volunteers working for us, we did not really get a good feel for how people knew about us. So in the big picture our numbers could have been worse without those ads, but they needed to generate 1700 people from them for the cost to be justified.

You also need to track where your business is coming from, you might be surprised to find that it's word of mouth more than anything else.

When I was president of the local Little League we would print our flyers in different colors, (Sent to schools, handed out, gave to existing members) and then put a discount coupon on them, that way we knew where we got the most bang for our buck. We also have a magazine put out by the park district twice a year, that goes to every house in the city. A full page ad was $600 we thought that was a lot until we got smarter and figured we only need that add to bring in 6 kids and it paid for its self.

Advertising an event is a different animal than advertising for a service oriented business. If people read or hear an ad for an event they are interested in, they remember. They may not remember details, but they do recall seeing or hearing about the event, mostly because they were interested in it. If they read or hear an ad for a service, they likely ignore it unless they happen to need that service at that moment. When they do need the service they won't necessarily remember your ad, unless you run it constantly and it sticks in their head for some reason.

 

[jksmith82]

I would take that as a recommendation to do business with you!

-Hal

Hi Hal,
I may have misinterpreted your reply......sorry. I just want to make sure people understand that the screen print I posted was Angie’s List’s average review. Not mine. As much as I dislike Angie’s List, I do have an A rating. I just found it interesting that on their own website, it says they do not meet their own criteria. LOL.

JIM

 

[kwired]

Hi Hal,
I may have misinterpreted your reply......sorry. I just want to make sure people understand that the screen print I posted was Angie’s List’s average review. Not mine. As much as I dislike Angie’s List, I do have an A rating. I just found it interesting that on their own website, it says they do not meet their own criteria. LOL.

JIM

Glad you straightened that out, I also thought it was their review of your business.

Now their rating with me went up a little - because they were honest about their own rating

 

[cowboyjwc]

Advertising an event is a different animal than advertising for a service oriented business. If people read or hear an ad for an event they are interested in, they remember. They may not remember details, but they do recall seeing or hearing about the event, mostly because they were interested in it. If they read or hear an ad for a service, they likely ignore it unless they happen to need that service at that moment. When they do need the service they won't necessarily remember your ad, unless you run it constantly and it sticks in their head for some reason.

That was kind of my point, if you do an ad with the local radio station and pay $3000 a month ($36,000 a year) and you only get three or four small jobs, is that really the best place to put your money? And if you don't ask, "how did you hear about us" then you may really be wasting your money.

 

[romex jockey]

Sorry but , Angie along with the rest of her 'internet vetting cohorts' have one thing in mind.

>subjugation<

and they could do that after the '08 crash, which spawned all manner of lead generation , national maintenance, and home improvement INTERNET pimps, even the big box stores signed on.

they call me at least once a week now, usually disguise themselves as 'needing service work' on some facility

the vetting system is no more than your cats dental insurance met, how fast you've jumped when they call, and high 5's from facility managers that wouldn't know a code passage if they were choking on one

they're dying now that we're on the high side of the economic bubble btw. everyone i know is busy now, and quite frankly i'd question anyone that has to lower themselves to finding work through a 3rtd party

~RJ~

 

[chris1971]

Advertising is very unique to each individual company and geographical areas. What may work well for one electrical contractor might yield very little to the next.

 

[MAC702]

Advertising methods absolutely depend on local factors, perhaps more than any other.

That's why my sole method of doing so is a LOCALLY (state) -based firearms enthusiasts website of which I am also an ACTIVE member.

Communities of like-minded hobbiests love to network within themselves. Find a hobby with enough people involved locally, and not only will you be as busy as you want, but you'll have referrals for anything you want done as well.

 

[PowerSystemsElectric]

Advertising Do's and don'ts

Advertising Do's and don'ts

I would absolutely agree that newspaper ads and the Yellow Pages are good if you're trying to attract clients over 60 years of age. I personally would stay away from it. It was difficult to hear and understand customers over the phone. Even in person...the whole communication process was a job in itself.

The best investment in my business was having a high converting website. Not just a website, but a high converting website...so when 3,4, or 5 people come to my website, then they're converting into booked appointments. My website is converting at 20-40%+ day by day. That's why I lost so much money on paid ads before. Hundreds of people would come to my site, but it wouldn't convert anyone into sales. Now that my current website is working hard for me, then it amplifies just about any other marketing I do.

It's good to build out your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, and LinkedIn profile. Yep...I said Pinterest. I'm not good with the social media thing, but clients will snoop around on you to find out all they can...especially when they have a < $1k project like a rewiring project....so the more you fill into those sites, the better. Oh...fill out your Yelp details. Add photos. That mixed with a killer website is Golden!!!

I'm investing in SEO to help me get ranked to the top of Google--awesome investment. I'm starting small again with Google Adwords, and gradually growing my campaigns as business has been building, and I retarget clients on other networks. All of this is run for me by a small marketing company. I get pissed at them when my phone rings. They keep making me work!

Ignore door hangers. That and fliers are a big waste of time and money. I would rather drop $100 on Google Adwords, because I know I'll get clients from it!

Good luck!!

 

[kwired]

I would absolutely agree that newspaper ads and the Yellow Pages are good if you're trying to attract clients over 60 years of age. I personally would stay away from it. It was difficult to hear and understand customers over the phone. Even in person...the whole communication process was a job in itself.

The best investment in my business was having a high converting website. Not just a website, but a high converting website...so when 3,4, or 5 people come to my website, then they're converting into booked appointments. My website is converting at 20-40%+ day by day. That's why I lost so much money on paid ads before. Hundreds of people would come to my site, but it wouldn't convert anyone into sales. Now that my current website is working hard for me, then it amplifies just about any other marketing I do.

It's good to build out your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, and LinkedIn profile. Yep...I said Pinterest. I'm not good with the social media thing, but clients will snoop around on you to find out all they can...especially when they have a < $1k project like a rewiring project....so the more you fill into those sites, the better. Oh...fill out your Yelp details. Add photos. That mixed with a killer website is Golden!!!

I'm investing in SEO to help me get ranked to the top of Google--awesome investment. I'm starting small again with Google Adwords, and gradually growing my campaigns as business has been building, and I retarget clients on other networks. All of this is run for me by a small marketing company. I get pissed at them when my phone rings. They keep making me work!

Ignore door hangers. That and fliers are a big waste of time and money. I would rather drop $100 on Google Adwords, because I know I'll get clients from it!

Good luck!!

That is fine and dandy, but if you come up at top of list for Google and I then see you are 1/2 way across the country for on client site service oriented business, I'm probably moving on down the list, unless you somehow show you do have a location in my area as well, or you are only one out of a few nationwide performing a specific service.

 

[romex jockey]

All fine & well, but...nothing beats being established w/reputation

it's all about how to get there....~RJ~

 

[ramsy]

..It's good to build out your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, and LinkedIn profile. Yep...I said Pinterest. I'm not good with the social media thing, but clients will snoop around on you to find out all they can...

Getting fake hate reviews from competitor trolls on Yelp, and Social Media is easier than building a repeat-client base of genuine customers.

Social Media is the bastion of Fake news, Fake accounts, and Competitor Trolls hating on your business with fake reviews.

SEO robo calls for Google optimization are unstoppable, no matter how fast you hang up. The only SEO's I give the time of day are clients of mine that happen to be in the SEO business.

 

[Stickboy]

I would absolutely agree that newspaper ads and the Yellow Pages are good if you're trying to attract clients over 60 years of age. I personally would stay away from it. It was difficult to hear and understand customers over the phone. Even in person...the whole communication process was a job in itself.

The best investment in my business was having a high converting website. Not just a website, but a high converting website...so when 3,4, or 5 people come to my website, then they're converting into booked appointments. My website is converting at 20-40%+ day by day. That's why I lost so much money on paid ads before. Hundreds of people would come to my site, but it wouldn't convert anyone into sales. Now that my current website is working hard for me, then it amplifies just about any other marketing I do.

It's good to build out your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, and LinkedIn profile. Yep...I said Pinterest. I'm not good with the social media thing, but clients will snoop around on you to find out all they can...especially when they have a < $1k project like a rewiring project....so the more you fill into those sites, the better. Oh...fill out your Yelp details. Add photos. That mixed with a killer website is Golden!!!

I'm investing in SEO to help me get ranked to the top of Google--awesome investment. I'm starting small again with Google Adwords, and gradually growing my campaigns as business has been building, and I retarget clients on other networks. All of this is run for me by a small marketing company. I get pissed at them when my phone rings. They keep making me work!

Ignore door hangers. That and fliers are a big waste of time and money. I would rather drop $100 on Google Adwords, because I know I'll get clients from it!

Good luck!!

I had a website built 2 yrs ago for a small ransom of a fee.
Did SEO for almost a year before firing that company.
They could barely get me 1lead/mo.
Hired next CEO company and they were as bad or worse.
Pretty sure the only reason I ranked at all was because of all my 5star Google Reviews.
Webmarketing has eclipsed YP and other paper directories, but I'm gun-shy and afraid of getting ripped off again.
I sank over $25K into the site build and SEO. ROI=less than 15K over 2 yrs
Any advice on a good SEO / add-words manager company?
I have no interest in learning SEO more than the basic concepts I already know.
Any advice would really help me out, thanks.

 

[Coppersmith]

I had a website built 2 yrs ago for a small ransom of a fee.
Did SEO for almost a year before firing that company.
They could barely get me 1lead/mo.
Hired next CEO company and they were as bad or worse.
Pretty sure the only reason I ranked at all was because of all my 5star Google Reviews.
Webmarketing has eclipsed YP and other paper directories, but I'm gun-shy and afraid of getting ripped off again.
I sank over $25K into the site build and SEO. ROI=less than 15K over 2 yrs
Any advice on a good SEO / add-words manager company?
I have no interest in learning SEO more than the basic concepts I already know.
Any advice would really help me out, thanks.

In my opinion, no companies offering paid SEO services can deliver what they promise beyond basic things you can do yourself. All of the most important, basic SEO adjustments you can make to your website are listed online on both Google and 3rd party websites for free. I assume you own the source code for your websites. If you are not capable of making code changes to your webpages, you can hire somebody very inexpensively to do it for you.

I should also mention that few of my clients tell me they called just because they saw my website. Some say they were referred to me and checked the website afterwards to make themselves a bit more comfortable before calling. Personal recommendations from other people is still where I get 80% of my business.

 

[Mystic Pools]

I built my website in 1998 through an offer by Bell Atlantic-yes, way before Verizon. That's when web sites were just getting warmed up.

Prior to that in the mid 80's when I started my company, I had advertised in the Yellow Pages. Then, it was about $350 a month! I did get some calls but it began to dwindle and I realized I was wasting my money. I advertised in the local papers too which proved better than the YP.

Since then it has been referrals and people finding me on the web.

15 years ago my clientele was 15-20 years older than me. Now,they are 15-20 years younger! They live and die on the web so maintaining a presence is essential. Every business should have a web site even if it's one page. The Yellow Pages used to be about 4" thick. Now there about 3/4".

My landlord at my office complex started up and runs a child day care. He had told me about target advertising he had done through post card mailings.
A company would print and deliver cards to specific zones/mailing routes (last 4 digits after your zip code) within a town. The idea is to target the upscale neighborhoods only, not the entire town. He was very successful.
Every city/town has an upscale area and if you are familiar with the actual roads, you can look up that zone and know exactly how many residents are there, and send the mailings directly to them.

I believe the cost was reasonable.

My current website has to be revamped and I will gladly pay someone to make the changes. Like most us, we have no time for this stuff.

 

[jmellc]

Someone mentioned home shows. I wish I had looked into that kind of thing when I was in business. That would be an excellent way to present models of your workmanship, photos of completed jobs, etc. to large numbers of people in a non stressful environment. I would have set up small displays of receptacles, wired to screws, with pigtailing, etc. Also displays of burned and damaged devices from improper wiring. Cards, simple brochures, etc. would be good too.

I had a Blue Book listing for some time that was free but nearly useless. I bid on a few small jobs from it that never turned out. I got most ITB's a week or so before deadline. The rep told me I'd get better & more timely ITB's with a paid listing. I started to do that, but it was well over $100 a month and I feared going into further debt. I cancelled it. Others told me they had little success with Blue Book.

I had numerous people calling to sell me on their listing services. They were to get paid whether I got any successful leads or not. Many of them contacted me from my Blue Book listing. So the main result of it was more advertisers calling me to sell me more advertising. I actually sought out Angie's List but always got tied up in their website. I called their phone numbers and got stuck in phone trees. After I shut down, they started calling me and were shocked that I hadn't been able to reach them.

I always found business cards essential. I still get calls today from ones I handed out 10 years ago. I either handle them as side work or bring them to the boss, if it's work he's interested in. Sometimes I refer them out to others in town if need be. A card is easily handed to a person in brief meetings. They stick in their wallet and/or enter it in their phone later. Also helps when you visit a first time customer. Handing them a card helps you look more legit. Give them a few after a job and they spread them to friends & relatives. I think I used to pay $10-15 per hundred or per 500, something like that. Too cheap not to use.

I paid for a very cheap website that a plumber friend used. Something like $350 or so. Simple 2 page site, says what you do and gives contact info. I had hoped my daughter, our computer guru, would help me set it up but she got into a "not now Dad" mood for a year or 2. I should have hired a computer tech to do it. It would have been worth it. EVERYONE uses the web now like they used Yellow Pages 30 years ago. I know, I was a diehard YP fan all my life and I'm still having withdrawal pains from it.

Portable yard signs were some helpful to me. Again, very cheap and 1 job sometimes brought in another.

Clear, simple truck signs helped me some. I got a few calls from people following me on the road. I'd let them ahead and follow them to a service call. I paid about $100 for signs for 2 vehicles. Do be careful and don't keep magnetic ones on forever. Remove them occasionally and clean underneath so they don't scar paint.

 

[Coppersmith]

Someone mentioned home shows. I wish I had looked into that kind of thing when I was in business. That would be an excellent way to present models of your workmanship, photos of completed jobs, etc. to large numbers of people in a non stressful environment. I would have set up small displays of receptacles, wired to screws, with pigtailing, etc. Also displays of burned and damaged devices from improper wiring. Cards, simple brochures, etc. would be good too.

I have grave doubts you would have sold any jobs from home shows. Most of what we do is hidden. It's hard to get people excited about any kind of upgrade and almost impossible to convince them to replace something that's working (even if it's a panel that has a tendency to catch fire). In general people call electricians because they are forced to, e.g. something stopped working; their insurance company won't issue a policy; they're building an addition and code requires receptacles; they are frightened of the dark and want security lights; or they want a hot tub so they need to power it. Nobody says: "Oooo electricity! I want more electricity!" You could pass out brochures or cards but people will lose them or forget they have them. When they need an electrician they will immediately go to the web or ask a friend for a referral.

The way to make money at a home show is to attend as a guest and talk up every contractor there who might need an electrical sub. And even then, these jobs are at the low end of the labor rate scale.

 

[jmellc]

I have grave doubts you would have sold any jobs from home shows. Most of what we do is hidden. It's hard to get people excited about any kind of upgrade and almost impossible to convince them to replace something that's working (even if it's a panel that has a tendency to catch fire). In general people call electricians because they are forced to, e.g. something stopped working; their insurance company won't issue a policy; they're building an addition and code requires receptacles; they are frightened of the dark and want security lights; or they want a hot tub so they need to power it. Nobody says: "Oooo electricity! I want more electricity!" You could pass out brochures or cards but people will lose them or forget they have them. When they need an electrician they will immediately go to the web or ask a friend for a referral.

The way to make money at a home show is to attend as a guest and talk up every contractor there who might need an electrical sub. And even then, these jobs are at the low end of the labor rate scale.

You may be right but I would have tried at least one if I'd thought of it at the time. A few prospects might be interested when they see the wiring models & have it explained how the quality differs between methods. May grow on them by the time they need work done.

 

[romex jockey]

While i can appreciate start ups looking at every option, the lead generation & nat maintenance comp are all lauguishing now ,and for good reason. ~RJ~

 

[kwired]

I have grave doubts you would have sold any jobs from home shows. Most of what we do is hidden. It's hard to get people excited about any kind of upgrade and almost impossible to convince them to replace something that's working (even if it's a panel that has a tendency to catch fire). In general people call electricians because they are forced to, e.g. something stopped working; their insurance company won't issue a policy; they're building an addition and code requires receptacles; they are frightened of the dark and want security lights; or they want a hot tub so they need to power it. Nobody says: "Oooo electricity! I want more electricity!" You could pass out brochures or cards but people will lose them or forget they have them. When they need an electrician they will immediately go to the web or ask a friend for a referral.

The way to make money at a home show is to attend as a guest and talk up every contractor there who might need an electrical sub. And even then, these jobs are at the low end of the labor rate scale.

What you need to catch attention is to display the cool things that consumers want. You can still have safety and informative stuff mixed into your booth, but you need something to get them to want to see your booth. Giveaways, drawings, etc. (doesn't even need to be something you sell/install) help bring people to your booth also.