Question:
Where is the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to advertising? I have used the local papers with little success. Because our service is “at need,” should we be more focused on the Yellow Pages? Should we also be looking at the internet?
Answers:
Regarding a Web site, realize it’s not magic. Your site won’t just show up number one in search rankings or appear to people who need service.
I am very forward-thinking when it comes to the Web. I’ve even done a few seminars at the Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo on that topic, and I still wouldn’t advise putting all of your eggs in the Internet basket, especially in a small town. Chances are people aren’t looking there, or won’t find it even if they are.
We are in a small town, too. The best things in my opinion are word-of-mouth and eye-catching trucks – your rolling billboards as they say. Also, if you have a shop or commercial building on a busy street or highway, put up a sign. Those are all effective and relatively inexpensive measures. Then create a Web site and promote it on the truck, your signs, and wherever else you advertise.
The Yellow Pages are still very effective. I would submit that most people still use that as the number one source for finding service, especially emergency service.
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I hope to never stop learning, and I surely don’t claim to know it all, but I’ll try to help. In the last 20 years I’ve fallen for every advertising scam or trick there is: cafe placemats, community maps, store benches, flyers, postcards – these few just scratch the surface. I’m not in any way telling you not to try them all, but other than the Yellow Pages, all others have been wasted money.
By far the only method of advertising that has made anything resembling a return on investment is Yellow Pages advertising. Internet Yellow Pages hasn’t produced even enough to pay for itself.
When people find themselves standing in it after hitting the flush handle, they forget anything they have seen or heard. They run straight to the phonebook. Get the biggest ad you can possibly afford – I suggest a full-page ad and several in-column ads – and in every phonebook in your area. I advertise in almost 30 books in a 90-mile radius of my operations base.
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I pay as little as $750 per year for a full page in the cheapest books to astronomical figures in other books. From the biggest book to the tiniest one, if you don’t have good negotiating skills, you need them.
Wait until the last day (not what they tell you is the last day) to sign up. Don’t pay any rate that is listed on their rate sheet. And if they don’t literally laugh at your offer and start packing up their stuff to leave, you offered too much. Don’t worry, they will call back, especially in today’s market.
In all the books, I have as many and in most cases more ads and bigger and better ads than the lawyers. I haven’t seen a similar company anywhere with more advertising, but I absolutely have no idea why that is, because the return on investment is huge.
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I think Internet advertising is decent. Of course, I’m in California, and most people here use computers. But having a Web site isn’t enough. You have to have a good Web site and a catchy, memorable name. I think the worst names are ones where you name the company after yourself, unless you have a weird name.
Having a very professional Web site with many pictures of your equipment, and a good logo (to build a brand) are great ways to show off your company. Don’t put anything but the cleanest, best pictures on your Web site. Make everything on your Web site easy to do: quotes, orders, and contacting the company.
I get quote requests two or three times a week, and most order from me. But by far the best advertising, especially for septic service (I think) is post cards, flyers, magnets, and business cards.
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In advertising, it’s all about targeting and tracking. Not every service territory is the same. What works in one area might not work as well in others. The trick is to know what kinds of advertising your leads and sales are coming from. Then you can spend more on those that give you a high return, and less (or nothing) on those that don’t.
Always have your phone people ask callers how they heard about the company – no exceptions. Put code numbers on return cards from direct mailers. In print or radio ads, consider a line saying: Mention this ad for an X percent discount. On your Web site, use a tracking tool that tells you which ads or pages are getting the most clicks.
An old saying goes: “I know half my advertising dollars are wasted – I just don’t know which half.” Well, on the contrary, you should know. Don’t go by intuition or gut feel. To the best of your ability, collect data that tells you which kinds of advertising are working, and which are not. Then adjust your program accordingly. Remember, when it comes to advertising: If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
