Advice Needed! Business Question

[ml2620]

A question for all you wise and saavy shoppers.

My husband owns a home services company in a metropolitan area, and business (as I may have mentioned before) is not good. We are making a last ditch effort to save the business and have allocated $1,000 to advertising. For many years, we have mainly relied of Craigslist, but we can no longer compete against some of the uninsured and illegitimate businesses pricing on craigslist.

What do you think would be the most effective way to spend this $1,000 - direct mail to former clients, coupons, local newspaper ads, ads in school publications (show programs, year books, sporting events), church bulletins?

What low-end marketing grabs your attention, and what would make you call a business? Any and all ideas are welcome, and desperately needed!

[Thevail]

A great slogan on a fridge magnet?

I've only had to call a home repair type business twice in my life.. both times in the middle of the night. It'd be handy to have the number right there.

[Laurie in Bradenton]

We have targeted Real estate agents and banks that have foreclosed properites. We went with magentic business cards and visited the offices and handed them out. We got the cards from Vistaprint cheap. Then put the money in gas stopping at offices and leaving them. Our business has picked up alot. Are you listed with your local HomeDepot? They can help also. We have copies all our insurances with us when we visit to prove that we're a safe risk. Here in South Florida everyone thinks they can do home repair and painting. These items Prove we can legally. Real Estate Agents find us a safer bet. But alot of their work is last minute and hurry.

Good Luck
Know how your feeling.

Laurie in Bradenton

[pinetree]

We also do the magnetic business cards and hand them out. We have never been this busy. It really does work.

We have a huge ad in the yellow pages, dont waste your money.

Also we did two of the direct mailing to homes. We got a 0% call back.

Good Luck,

[Libby]

Fridge magnets! I agree...just when you least expect it, there's the ad on your fridge door. Worth a call right?

I only turn to the yellow pages to get comparative quotes or in a dire dire emergency.

Word of mouth is your next best bet...any former customers willing to be a referral? I know if you know someone at the local Real Estate office and are able to show them your previous work plus your official papers, the referrals come pouring in. It all depends on how saturated your market is.

Good luck!

[ml2620]

Thanks so much ladies, these are great ideas! Would online reviews and an up to date, slick website make a difference to you?

[monkeywrangler71]

Website makes all the difference to me. Doesn't matter if it's slick, just navigable (is that a word?). If I need to hire someone the first place I look is on the web. I don't look in the phone book ever.

Aside from the Internet the only other place I've gotten the name of a company to hire was off of a sign in the neighbour's lawn. They had work done, I needed similar work and just called the same company.

[kaurand554]

I do not have experience with owning a business; but I agree that I "google" (not necessarily using google) a lot when I am looking for something, no matter what it is. so a website would be helpful.....

But I wanted to mention something that I have seen on commercials that is appealing to me, but have not had a need to use it yet.

Angie's list; I really do not know how it works, but it is supposed to rate the "contractor" plumbing, electrical, roofing, etc.. tells you if they are licensed and insured, etc. Being a single mom should I have the need I believe I would use this site; provided I did not have to pay for it (which I am unsure of) I googled it before I wrote and it states that the contractor does not pay for being placed on the site it is based on reviews from past customers. Maybe this is some free space you could get by asking past customers to rate the company.

I am not sure if it is world wide, I live in Mass and I do see the commercial quite regularly, just thought I would pass it on!

I also like the sign idea "work done by" seems inexpensive; and I know recently I had work done on my house, and at least one other person in the neighborhood hired them.

Home Services sounds like Handy Man, we have a small local paper but reaches thousands of homes; Maybe a small ad referencing Handy Man with a couple of quotes from past customers; if I had to chose I would choose local..........

I haven't seen it lately, but I will look; a local handy man had a sideways ad small if that makes sense, and it had company name and A-Z listed, with different things he did... I thought it was cute that s/he came up with the list through Z ........

Finally, maybe volunteer labor hours to the elderly, and get free press.......... by releasing a press release to local newspapers detailing the work.......

Good Luck, let us know what you decide and how it works.

[Pianolady]

My business is a piano studio, and word of mouth is my #1 advertisement. Website, comes a close 2nd though. I've managed to get myself into the top two in most searches for piano teachers in my area. Sign up for all the online directories you can, many are free. Google business listing is a good idea, it's free. My business took off once I started promoting my website. People seem to check online these days before looking at a phone book. The website runs $10 per month plus domain registration.

[ml2620]

Kathy, I'm in Massachusetts too! We are recommended on Angie's List, but we don't get very much volume from that. But it's worth another try!

I think we might spend the money on some website updates, signage on the vehicles and uniform shirts for his staff, and then some volunteer work and press releases, maybe some advice letters in the local papers (we are a moving company, so "tips for decluttering and packing for a move, ways to save money when moving, etc.)

If you have any more, keep them coming!

[Grainlady]

For more ideas, get the book Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Levinson.

[shoiji]

I do look at price first then reputation. If both are good then I go with that company. If you do a website make sure it is looked at over and over again before putting the word out about your website. Someone put a flyer out on everyones door for computer repair and help. I was definately interested thinking I could get some help with my computer. I figured I would check out the website. Decided not to go with them since there were misspellings on the website. I realize the person was probably just starting up and trying to get business going however I really would rather think before hand that they knew what they were doing. I also went with a company that offered a 10% senior discount. Don't ask why, just did.

I hope whatever you decide on works for you!!! Sending good thoughts your way.

[Minner77]

I go with word of mouth, websites, and signage on vehicles passing by. I live in a smaller city, so such things as word of mouth are easier to track, I think. Too, we're quick to look things up online. I, unlike some, I guess, am a big user of the yellow pages, although I don't pay much attention to newpaper ads. I love, love, love coupons -- it's how I've discovered some businesses. Those weekly/monthly community interest mailouts are great.

I agree that the website needn't be overly slick, but please please please have someone edit it for typos and grammar!

We don't own a business per se, but we are landlords and have discovered a lot of service technicians via recommendations left by the previous owner, by other landlords, and by our realestate agent. We love the handyman we found that way!

[Nana2two]

We also are in the same boat, it cost around $4,000 a year for us. We are in phone books,,craigslist,,we spend at kinkos $100 for 500 buisness cards, every bulliten in stores fastfood places has many printed ads, Word of mouth is the big one for us. Senior discounts. Refer a friend discounts.