If you were starting all over ...

[danpauselius]

and you had a good amount of cash, how much do you think you'd put in your marketing budget for your first year. (One truck, O/O) And what would be your primary advertising or marketing methods? What would you avoid like the plague?

Just curious, LOL.

 

[danpauselius]

I would drop about 15K into marketing for the first year.

I'd avoid these:

YP

Money Mailer

Val Pak

Newspaper

Radio

TV

(Basically, any form of conventional print advertising)



I'd use these:

Gift cards to strategic referral sources

A really good referral program for residential client's family/friends

Establish working relationships with people who are in positions to refer large amounts of work to me (ie realtors, property managers, retailers, etc.)

Join a referral group (BNI, LeTips)

FREE PR from newspaper, radio or television personalities

Establish a once-a-week commercial sales route and drop off lunches, candies, etc.





So, what else would you guys do or not do?

 

[Jim Nelson]

I would rent a store front an buy two more cheep vans an paint an sign them to look all the same.Best move ever people will thank you air a big carpet cleaning co.

 

[Jim Williams]

I would spend about $15,000 on postcards mailed to nice areas. I usually get 5:1 return.

I have tried all the other stuff and only break even on them.

Oh, and my website. I might have one professionally designed instead of the home made one I have now which isn't too bad considering it only cost me about 25 hours of my time. Last month I made about $1100 off my site and spent $130 in pay per click ads. Not a bad return.

I would only go with a small in column ad in the YP or a bold listing.

 

[Derek]

$350 :

- 5,000 biz cards from Martian Media Labs.
- 500 magnets to attach to some of the cards.
- 3 each of color ink & black ink cartidges (already have a computer and printer so that saves me a couple grand...but don't we all).
- 1,000 photo-grade pieces of paper.
- 500 envelopes.

oh and i reckon add $500 gas for the year to drive business-to-business and hand out my marketing material.

primary marketing method would be (and is) hitting the pavement & shaking hands. nothing else comes remotely close.

read my sig below...works for comm only.

thanx --- Derek.

(gladly i only wasted $400 last year and $980 this year on yellow book ad's....we dropped it for this coming year).

 

[Derek]

follow my plan and you to can live in a beautiful home like me.

no mac & cheese here.

we eat like pigs and live like swine.

thanx --- Derek.

 

[floorguy]

Damn i was right there with ya on starting over...tell ya said something about alot of cash

 

[danpauselius]

bump

 

[Bruce Humphrey]

On the second time around I would pay more attention to marketing.

 

[Kevin B]

If I was going to do it all over again, I would do it just like I did. Save up about 15,000 dollars and invest about 1500 a month for 6 peak months. I would hit as many homes in the high end as I can, with a Miller designed flyer. I would hit it hard for a few months.

I would avoid

Radio
Billboards
TV
Coupons Clippers
Classified Ads
YP