Advertizing

Derrick Ellefson

What seems to be the most effective advertizing? With the economy the way it is and nobody building and the ones that are, they are getting 15 prices and using the cheapest one, I’m looking to get more service work. Radio, newspaper, mailers?

ScottMP

Your

Van.

I am constantly amazed how many guys drive around in a van that has no name.

Scott

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Norm Harvey

I'm in the same boat as you Derrick, I am very reluctant to advertise.

A few colleagues of mine boast a consistent 2% hit rate with direct mail with a 8.5 x 11 flyer type mailer that details his family, the company, and how both came to be. (A more personal approach)

I met with an advertising firm a week or so ago and they seemed to like pay per click advertising, but with that a solid website is needed. I would want my site revamped drastically if I were going to go that route.

I'm not sure what kind of company you are, but if your looking for service work, I have had great success meeting with other service companies and offering myself as a sub-contracted service person. I take a lot of those companies on call and emergency work. That is great for paying the bills, but it doesn't build your own customer base, which is what you want in the long run.

I've done a lot of the sub-contracting emergency work as I've been getting my business going over the years, but I am in the position where I need to market to be able to branch off from that into a business that is 100% of my own customers.

It's a slow process.


I would be very interested in hearing what other people do for advertising as well.

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

gerry gill

try Dan's find a pro

section on this site..i get calls from it.

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

DanHolohan

And

the first three months are free. Such a deal.

Rusty Powers

Word of Mouth

Customer referrals are our best form - by far.
Door hangers with a $10 0ff coupon with no expiration date have been very impressive. We target desirable neighborhoods when a slowdown occurs. Sponsoring a few public radio programs has been a big hit in our area also.

Mark Custis

TY Dan H

I may need to return.

J Heritage

We started a new program and started to see some results and then like always we got busy and stopped doing it. I guess it is time to start up again.

1st we offer a customer a $10.00 discount off there bill on any service or install if they allow to set a yard sign for a week.
2nd when we set the sign we door hanger everyone on the block with a door hanger with a double the coupon value if they can say which of ther neighbors had the yard sign.
3rd when we pickup the sign the following week we door hanger them again with a different hanger.
4th a week later we do a post card mailer
5th a week after that another post card mailer.
With our marked trucks that makes 5 hits over a month to each house on the block. Then having yard signs on the majority of the service calls and installations that we do. It ads up to a lot of exposure to new customers

John Vastyan

Advertising

You need valuable sales leads . . . advertising is one way to do it, and there are plenty of options. If you do, be sure to find the venue that makes best sense to you, and be consistent in design + presence (make it a program; don't expect results for a few "spots"). Find an ad pro w/experience in the HVAC/plumbing + mechanical field; I can recommend a good one.

Also, be sure you've got a robust, well-designed website to send prospective customers to.

I've been in the trade communications biz for 21 years and I'm not looking for clients. So, this unbiased thought, straight up: consider PR. Editorial messages delivered with the implied endorsement of the editors who run the story has much greater value. Way more valuable than most ads (except, of course, anything Dan's proposing) . . . but with PR it's even more important to hitch up with a pro that’s done the type of work you need.

Local + regional PR help a lot. Promote your expertise in the market you serve. What makes you different, unique? Green technology? Extraordinary radiant talent? Geo-to-radiant . . . w/solar? All of these things are hot topics. And if you get national exposure (something good PR folks can help with, too), then you post a PDF of the story on your website, use it as a mailer: "We just thought you might like to see how our expertise is recognized by the nation's leading trade media." Etc.

Advertising can work. It tends to be expensive . . . but don't discount PR. Harder to do well, but greatly more valuable if you develop the right formula.