Advertising

[catd8t]

In light of the post about social media and me trying to get my name out there im looking for ideas and to know what you small business guys do to pick up jobs. I have using craiglist ive picked up a few jobs but im waitting around getting emails and looking at jobs that people want done for nothing. im guessing there will always be those people. I have also used my family and im made business cards. i know the more jobs i do with good out comes the more my name gets passed around. But is there anything you guys have used that has worked well?

 

[KingRanch]

what service do you specialize in?

 

[KingRanch]

Depending on what it is you do you may or may not have tried the following things:

1. corrugated plastic signs are great for telephone poles and cost like $2-3 a sign. Place them at intersections in your service area. You may get some townships calling threatening you if you continue to put them up but you will find some townships don’t seem to mind. Just make sure you have a specific niche market for your sign.
2. Take advantage of getting your business listed for free on Google Maps, Bing and Yahoo. More and more people are turning to the internet to find contractors so you must have a presence online.
3. If you don’t already have one get a website and link it to your Google, Bing and Yahoo listings
If you need a website but don’t know where to start just send me a PM and I can help you out.

 

[DirtHauler]

The signature line on your forum post is a good place to start. That way every time you post people can see a link to find out more information about your business.

 

[WerkBrau]

You should customize your advertising to the market/people you are trying to reach. There is no 'one size its all' approach to marketing or advertising. Let me give you a fast and basic advertising run down...

You need to...
*Fore most have a budget. You really should hire someone to help with this, and trust thier opinion, but they should also value your input. Yes, real advertising costs money.
*Create an ad. The ad should fit several different kinds of print spaces - be it a website banner in the ad's style, or a full page newspaper ad. The ad will need to come in different sizes to fit different needs. Generally, most would call this a campaign lineup...but I'm keeping it simple . Even craiglist lets you post cool graphics and ads. Make certain your ads are effective, and easy to understand.
*Figure out where to advertise. This means finding the people you want to attact to your business and finding a way to properly advertise to them.
*Target when to advertise. Example....don't advertise snow plowing in June during a 105 degree heat wave.


Most importantly....

*MAKE CERTAIN YOUR CUSTOMERS CAN REACH YOU THROUGH AT LEAST 2 POINTS OF CONTACT! Phone and email is great. Have a website, even a basic one that lists an phone number and email. If your customers can't reach you, or they do and they are nver responded to your advertising is in vain.*

 

[JNB]

In addition to the places and map sites you might try a free listing with Thumbtack which is owned by Google. I get between three and five leads from them a week. If the customer inquires about your listing directly, the lead is free. I pass on all the "submit a quote" leads myself. Free ads on ebay classifieds, backpage and manta seem to always show up on the first page in searches along with my website, so I deem them viable advertising sites. Keep an ad on CL but keep it simple and point them to your website for "real" info. Lots of lowballers on there.

When you get a website (and you have to have a website) put a contact form that links directly to your email inbox on the first page. Customers will email you late in the evening when they wouldn't even think about calling and they'll fill out a simple contact form before they'll copy and paste your email address. Make it easy for them.

Last but not least, there's quite a few marketing guys with free newsletters online. My personal favorite is Darren Slaughter.

 

[WerkBrau]

When you get a website (and you have to have a website) put a contact form that links directly to your email inbox on the first page. Customers will email you late in the evening when they wouldn't even think about calling and they'll fill out a simple contact form before they'll copy and paste your email address. Make it easy for them.

In todays digial era, a website is a must. Every company must have somer form of digital presence. A website does NOT have to be very expensive, and there are cheap options for a website that can run you under $100 a year. At the most basic level all your website has to be is 1 page that says what you do, and how to contact you. Obviously a nice website will have more impact than a super simple one, but having a basic site is better than having none.

Social media is give and take. Social media for construction should be content rich. By that I mean it should showcase jobs and photos from those recent jobs - for your customres to see....and most importantly share. After all, facebook is 100% free - make a page and post some picures from your jobs and brace to be amazed. I've made social mdia pages and campaigns for many different kinds of companies and they are all impressed at how easy it is and how great of an impact a free tool can have.

Also, your social media presence does help to influence your websites search engine ranking. by ignoring social media, you will potentially sink your websites search engine rank.

 

[catd8t]

Well guys its been a few months now, ive keeped my self busy but not doing my own thing. i had a buddy that need an operator for a project for a couple months so i went and worked for him. still have my add on cl and i get a call and an email from time to time. gave my card out to a few people i know with big mouths and that works well. so i have done a few jobs and they have went well. i just dont have enough to keep my self busy full time. but i figure that will come.

 

[JNB]

Good to hear that you've been working. Now work on all of the other suggestions, especially the website. If you rely on CL you'll NEVER have enough work.

Up until a few years ago I was a concrete contractor in SoCal and had been for over 30 years. When I saw the ship sinking on the horizon and made the decision to move to Texas I decided that I wanted to do something different and more enjoyable. I had no contacts and knew no one here...and I mean NO ONE. I bought one piece of equipment and a trailer to haul it on, then got to work getting work. No matter what the president says, I built this business on my own and it's doing quite well, even in this poor economy. That means you can do it too, IF you really want to.

In the old days having your name in the yellow pages and a small ad in the paper worked fine for getting your name out there and getting work. It doesn't work that way anymore. There's not as much work out there now as there was then. You have to be creative and open to new ideas. Look for a niche and ways to fill customer's needs that no one else is taking care of. Spend as much of your downtime as you can figuring out ways to get your name out there and don't get lazy. No one built a business waiting for work to come in...you have to go out and get it!

 

[KOENIGS]

We have used CL, E-Mail, Post cards, Flyers etc. for our Equipment Repair company in the Nashville TN area << See that plug also ? You just have to get your name out there any way you can.

 

[bruce42161]

Like others have said, a website is a must. Doesn't need to be anything special, just clean with numbers and basic company info. Show some different job sites and start getting in with other contractors. Sometimes doing the cheap job for a "friend" turns into something much bigger. Advertise at ball parks and mingle with people.

Everyone is out there trying to help out their buddies now, so the more buddies you have, the more they will help out and throw your name around.

Try to find something that you like doing within your business (cheap, quick, and useful to many) and advertise deals for it wherever your are putting fliers and what not. Make sure it is on your website. People use google, yahoo, and the like for everything now. If they google excavating company (for example) and that's what you do, you better have something for them to look at.

I know it is not always the case but nowadays people regard businesses without websites unprofessional many times.

Website, Website, Website

This is another huge one, put a decal with a number on your vehicles/trailers/machines. Drive that vehicle everywhere, when your going to eat, when you go to a movie, when you go shopping, and when you go grab your 12-pack. Make a couple shirts or a hat that you can wear around and people will begin to notice.

You are right on that business comes mainly from word of mouth and that sort, however, that could take some time to get the initial business customers so these are all things that will spur you along. They are rather cheap and promote a lot of good vibes from your company.

 

[JNB]

Since this thread is back up I'd thought I'd share something I found out recently. Since more and more folks are searching using their smartphones, it makes sense to optimize your website for mobile use. I use GoDaddy and when working on my pages there's now a mobile button at the top to help with optimization. I've just started working on this end of it. Can't hurt!

 

[shiningco]

I would like to know the answer to the similar problems,too.....

 

[rossaroni]

I just got some signs made up to put in the front yards of places I'm working at. I don't know what kind of results it'll bring, but I just set one up on a 34 home road where public sewer just got put in. I was lucky enough to have a brother of a friend living there, so I have his, and we'll see what the signs can do.
I also try to keep my facebook page for DIRTY WORK EXCAVATION, LLC (dont be afraid to check it out and LIKE!!!) as active as possible, and quite often direct potential customers there to check out my work. Not only does it serve as a portfolio, but if I get the job, I post their pics on it, tell them to look for it, they see it, like it, and every one of their friends sees it too. Boom, instant references. I often get views of over 2-300 per job.
Some days I have to take the 2 knuckle approach to advertising. Knock on a door of someone who had a tree down, or a wash out after a storm. Targeting those that have them most urgent need is the best advertising, and it doesn't cost a dime. But be fair in times of crisis. I'd rather charge fair and get 5 jobs, than overcharge and only get 1.

 

[Aliate]

I have a quick off topic question, do you keep insurance while doing jobs on the side?, if so doesn't that cost around $1000 a month?