Advertising Your Business

[Squizzy246B]

We didn't run any Ads for 6 months and then recently put some advertising out for the retaining wall side of our business (Big Commercial Walls). My phone has not stopped ringing for two weeks. Get at least two calls a day...I took 12 calls yesterday...quoted six and landed two of these jobs. The value of one of these jobs is 53 times the cost of our weekly Ad.

Now our best jobs have almost all come from word of mouth but our local community newspapers pay off every time. We have run some stuff in magazines and trade stuff which resulted in Zip calls. We want to get a website up and running.

What works best for you Guys and Gals??

[CascadeScaper]

Our landscaping crew stays buys for 7 months no problem, we turn at least 10-15 small to medium sized projects away each year due to lack of time to handle them all, so the only paid advertising we do for the landscaping division is a yellow pages ad and embroidered t-shirts, that's it.

As for the excavation side of things, I'm getting my truck lettered pretty soon as well as putting an ad in the local newspaper. I'm also having some t-shirts screen printed so I can get our logo printed huge on the back for high visibility. I also plan on getting a yellow pages ad lined up for next year, too late for this year. Other than that, it's word of mouth in our small town.

[T Red]

Squizzy246B where did you advertise? yellow pages, newspaper, other?

I would like to advertise but the yellow pages are very expensive. I'm not sure that is the best place for me. But then again I'm not sure where to at all.

Thanks, Tim

[jmac]

We advertise in the local newspaper for about $125 per month and yellow pages for about $200 a month. The newspaper has work the best for residential but commercial mostly comes from contacts with General Contractors by word of mouth or calling them and asking to be put on the list of subs for bidding site work.

[Squizzy246B]

Squizzy246B where did you advertise? yellow pages, newspaper, other?

I would like to advertise but the yellow pages are very expensive. I'm not sure that is the best place for me. But then again I'm not sure where to at all.

Thanks, Tim

Our local newspaper seems to do the best every time. Most of the calls are home owners but some of these have been 30 - 50K hardscaping jobs and some are just 4K walls that help fill up an otherwise slack week. It costs me about $74 a week to be in 4 local newspapers and it pays off every time. When I first started it was where like 90% of my jobs came from.

The bigger and more profitable commercial jobs have come by way of business cards and word of mouth.

I was wondering if anybody had recently launched a website and got some feedback on wether they are picking up more jobs.

I used to be in the yellow but I got sick of the tyre kickers just trolling through and getting 27 quotes for like a 2K job and then taking the cheapest one. Straight up machine work is OK because the quotes are simple...but the wall work requires at least an hour and fuel looking at the job, then several phone calls, drawings etc and then like an hour an a half doing the quote. Its important that I target the right market and not waste my time.

[norrodbh]

Right now my only steady ad is the weekly in the local 12 zones of the "PennySaver". As my primary ad, it pays off. As Squizzy246B mentioned, I get tons of tire kickers.

I always take the opportunity to run spots in the local school programs and sports boosters. I did the Yellow pages for a couple of years, but I'm pretty sure it got me nothing. I have actually had a few find me with an internet search. A local restaurant was lamentating tables with businees ads that run for 22 months. This is a high traffic joint. But I didn't have the funds to go for it. I think it is a good idea. and will grab it next time.

My Last job was the Hardscape I showed pictures on. The home owner everyday kept telling I should have a small bill-board out by the road with my Name and Number, because I am getting a ton of double takes.

[jmac]

Squizzy that one 50k job paid for alot of newspaper, congrats on that!
That is the way I feel, one job can pay for the ad for the year. I do get alot of tire kickers also, what a PITA. I try and ask alot of questions over the phone and give a very rough estimate, But that has work against me on some because if I spend the time to see the customer I could sell them on it. More times than not customer is just shopping. Back to my point about commercial work. It can suck both ways.

[Squizzy246B]

Squizzy that one 50k job paid for alot of newspaper, congrats on that!
That is the way I feel, one job can pay for the ad for the year. I do get alot of tire kickers also, what a PITA. I try and ask alot of questions over the phone and give a very rough estimate, But that has work against me on some because if I spend the time to see the customer I could sell them on it. More times than not customer is just shopping. Back to my point about commercial work. It can suck both ways.

The commercial work has the attraction of generally being longer term and so good steady income. But I'm sick of contractors living in a dream world of hourly rates from 5 years ago. They act like surprised when you tell them that your rate has increased marginally although fuel has gone up 70%.

I am reseigned to the fact that if you are going to do residential you need to project yourself as somewhat up market so that the tyre kickers just don't call. One thing though, you can never really tell on the phone. A guy calls me early this week to remove a "couple of stumps"....we worked two machines for three days and cleared 2 acres including about 27 stumps...good job while I was waiting for stone to turn up on the next job. The guy picked up my business card from a landscape yard.

[salesrep]

One of the most inexpensive ways I have found in is little league sponsorships. Very cheap. The local newspaper publishes results with your name on it. Great local stewardship. 12 kids running around for the next 2-3 summers wearing your jersey. All the teams in the league and parents gp's see on a regular basis for the summer games. Other sponsors call you.

[Steve Frazier]

I do the same thing. $200 a season, they wear the jersey's at every game, I get a mention in the yearbook and a plaque on the wall. I target local people too, the client's I'm looking for.

[Ford LT-9000]

I have a naked women good body big boobs walk down the community with my company name strapped to her :thumbsup








Just kidding :bouncegri

The best advertising is word of mouth other contractors tell other contractors or home owners that have used a certain contractor tells their friends.

When you have a small community like here if you get a bad reputation your done like last nights dinner the word get spread around. The same goes with a homeowner if they are slow payers or they are a pain in the azz the word spreads between the contractors that your a bad homeowner good luck in finding somebody.

Sponsoring community events really does help with advertising as people see that and say they are community minded company. The ad in the phone book works for people that are new to the community or your looking for a contractor in a another community.