Need help advertising my business

[J.White]

Hi all,
I am a young gas fitter specialising in heating/ boiler installations. I have been working for a company run by a family member for the past 3 years but feel that the time will soon come for me to "fly the nest" and make a name for myself.

I have wanted to run my own company since I started to think realistically about what I wanted to do with my life (by realistically I mean when I accepted the fact that becoming a professional footballer just wasn't on the cards for me). At present it is not a great idea for me to jump in at the deep end and start a company. My hope is to build up my own custom in my area, whilst still working for my current boss. I am self employed but work 5 days per week on a council contract, installing 5 full heating systems per week. So any private work that I do under my own name will be at weekend for the time being.

I have made myself a website in an attempt to sell my services, however I have no idea how to attract people there. I have literally no money to spend on advertising/ marketing (the joys of being a 22yr old dad) so i will have to do it all myself.

Does anybody have any advice on how to get my name out there and build up my own client base?

Thanks

 

[DavidWH]

Do you have a van? Is it sign written?

If you're being sub-contracted by another firm they might not like you doing that. But if you're seen around the local area plenty of times people will notice.

Other alternative is magnetic signs? Although I advise against these as repeated or prolonged use will cause damage to the paintwork.

 

[J.White]

thanks for your reply
I do have a van but its not sign written. The problem is that the company i sub-contract from is run by a family member. I am not treated like a sub-contractor would normally be treated as I was trained by the company. They use me like an employee but give me none of the benefits/ security of being employed. they would not like me to turn up to work with my company name plastered all over my van. I am having to do this "quietly" as if they know that I am planning to leave, things could become very difficult for me. I do not have any plans to leave right now or even soon, but i just want to make sure that when the day does come, I am not starting from square one.

 

[DavidWH]

Leaflet drop?

Use the fact you can only work evenings/weekends to your advantage.

Offer this service at a competitive rate... the customer doesn't need a day off work or arrange for someone to be in.

 

[J.White]

The leaflet drop was something I had in mind. Not quite sure where to get leaflets made though. I've looked at sites like vista print but I would prefer something that was tailored to suit my needs if you know what I mean. I don't want to pick a delight to go with my business, I want something designed around my business.

Good idea about using timings to my advantage. I always saw the fact that I can only do weekends and evenings as an inconvenience. But as you say, it is probably a lot more convenient than 9-5 companies

 

[a mitchinson]

In the long run, try to think about what makes you different, or if there is something different that you can do to make yourself stand out. Let's be honest, there are plenty of gas fitters out there, so your not offering a new service that people can't easily get elsewhere.

A leaflet drop is a fine idea, but it's what everyone does. All that happens when I get a new leaflet from a tradesman through the door is put it in the bin, so your success rate will be low. You should think about the design of leaflet as a way to stand you apart from other competitors, not look the same as them. The words that you use and the way you position yourself will be key to getting people to pay attention.

One example is if you were, just for example 'the helpful adviser' your leaflet would include basic advice on what people should do to avoid things going wrong in the first place, not just who to call when something does go wrong. This will show that you're not just interested in taking the money and waiting for something to go wrong again. Over time you'll be know as the trustworthy guy to go to. You could include an area on your website that did the same, or have a Q&A section (again, this is only an example, you might not want to be the adviser, you might be all about value, or speed of service etc).

Good luck!

 

[rebecca1231]

AS you have a website I would recommend to promote it on social platforms like faceboook,twitter,Google plus. It's totally free. However I would recommend Linkedin as a strong platform for your business to be promoted.

 

[J.White]

Thanks for all the advice. I will be looking into social networking sites as they seem to be top of most people's list of advertising methods.

 

[ChrisKG]

Stress Free Printing and 1-2-Print are pretty good leaflet printing companies. You can get 5,000 leaflets printed for around £50. Just hop onto People Per Hour, pay a designer £50 to design a simple leaflet, upload to SFP or 1-2-Print and for £100 you'll have 5,000 leaflets delivered to your door.

Spent an entire weekend dropping your leaflets off at houses (make sure you don't put leaflets in houses with "no leaflet signs" - I know it's obvious but you could end up getting into some trouble for that). Expect around 0.05% response rate (if you are more specific with your targeting, maybe slightly higher). It all depends on your service offering, pricing, leaflet design and demand in your area, but you might 20-30 potential customers ringing up. Not bad for £100 and a couple of days free labour.

Or get your suit out and walk around door-to-door cold selling.

Good luck.

Chris

 

[seopeak]

Stress Free Printing and 1-2-Print are pretty good leaflet printing companies. You can get 5,000 leaflets printed for around £50. Just hop onto People Per Hour, pay a designer £50 to design a simple leaflet, upload to SFP or 1-2-Print and for £100 you'll have 5,000 leaflets delivered to your door.

Spent an entire weekend dropping your leaflets off at houses (make sure you don't put leaflets in houses with "no leaflet signs" - I know it's obvious but you could end up getting into some trouble for that). Expect around 0.05% response rate (if you are more specific with your targeting, maybe slightly higher). It all depends on your service offering, pricing, leaflet design and demand in your area, but you might 20-30 potential customers ringing up. Not bad for £100 and a couple of days free labour.

Or get your suit out and walk around door-to-door cold selling.

Good luck.

Chris

Hi,

I think will be better if he could do an adwords campaign. They have a lot higher ROI like the traditional methods and they are trackable too.

 

[mustoewebcreation]

Social media and local word of mouth.

Create a facebook page and update it on a regular basis.
Get listed in Yell.com and your local mag.
Then like others have said leaflets, flyers and business card in your local diy stores, chip shops, corner shops etc.

Key point in all this is YOUR NAME has to be pushed out to your local community.

 

[Amanda52]

Drop leaflets into peoples doors before and after work stating that you are working in the local area and can pop in to give them a quote.

Do this every time you work in a new area.

Good luck.

 

[jojules]

Hi all,


I have made myself a website in an attempt to sell my services, however I have no idea how to attract people there. I have literally no money to spend on advertising/ marketing (the joys of being a 22yr old dad) so i will have to do it all myself.

Looks like you will need to do some SEO (Search Engine Optimization) yourself:

1. Get a twitter/digg account and start telling the world about your business
2. Put AdSence on your website, thus you can finance most if not all AdWords with Google
3. Start participating in specialized (especially service) forums and start making a name for yourself by posting helpful posts using a signature that has a link to your site - don't spam, it'll only backfire on you.
4. Post article/blogs on issues related with the business you're in
5. Try to build your backlink pool - ask to place your links on affiliated sites, service portals, become partners with service providers that complement your business.

This may take up some of your time, yet it will reward your online presence by getting better SE rankings and more visits to your site. My 2c. Best of luck!

 

[jojules]

A little more reading on DIY SEO: http://www.webiny.com/blog/2013/01/20/how-to-do-seo-search-engine-optimization/

 

[London Gary]

Lots of good advice here - so just to confuse you here's a bit more!

1. Leaflets: not sure what a high street printer charges but if you bought MS Publisher (or similar) you can make your own, change them, reprint them and so on. It's cheaper in the long run.

2. Deliver by knocking on doors. If the person is in smile, introduce yourself, be the kind of person they'd be relaxed about working in their house. Give them the leaflet, ask them to keep it by for when they need you. If they're not in just pop it through the letterbox. This takes longer than a straight leaflet drop but your impact on the people you speak to will make a difference.

3. A website or Facebook page with bright photos and pictures of you with happy customers creates a great impression on potential customers.

4. Absolutely optimise your website for local customers. If I lived in Garytown and wanted a gas plumber I would search online for 'gas plumber in garytown', or 'plumbing services in garytown' - and so on. Optimise your website for queries using your town or area name in their search terms. This is free traffic - take it.

Good luck,

Gary

 

[NSven]

I presume you know people in different trades who cater to similar profile clients? e.g. plumbers, electricians, builders? If you can get them to agree to mention you (word of mouth, social media and/or links on their web-pages which go to yours) that might help you go a bit more "viral".

In return, you could do the same for them and so create a local network of cross-referrals.

 

[NSven]

Whoops, clicked "Submit" too quickly...

Speaking of viral, if you create a local blog and/or YouTube vlog that will also help to differentiate you to make you look more professional / knowledgeable. You can then also promote this on social media and on your other promotional materials.

 

[DPearce]

Leaflets
Give business cards to existing customers
Local ads
Ads in shop windows
SEO for your website
Sign on your van
Advertise on Gumtree, Craiglist etc

 

[StaceyPreedy]

I have had great success with designing and dropping in fliers. I find that actually knocking on the door is actually never a good idea. If you knock on the door, no matter how smiley you are many people will say no thank you. If you simply drop the fliers I've had many people call back because they have had the time to read it, look at your website and find what you're all about. Once they say no to you at the door that's one potential customer lost. Leave fliers everywhere, get networking with other businesses. I found one place i was a customer for took my fliers for me and brought in a considerable amount of work, try using vista print for business cards, they have regular offers and I still have 10,000 business cards which I bought for just £8.00 (you do have to watch for the offers for something like that though). Good Luck

 

[completemerchandise]

Another way to promote yourself while standing out from the crowd is a promo gift, like a pen or a keyring possibly? Leaflets are, as some others have said, a tried and tested method of getting your info out there but literally everyone does this and it's easy to get lost in the sea of paper. With something more physical that contains your details, however, it has the potential to be seen everyday by a wider variety of people... and receiving a small gift leaves a good impression on people. We all love a little something for free, right?!

 

[beetybrian01]

SEEING THAT there is a web site I recommend to market it about interpersonal programs just like faceboook, twitting, Yahoo plus. It can be totally free. On the other hand I recommend Linkedin being a robust system for the company being marketed.

 

[chrisdyxxii]

Hi, have you any circle of influence outside of your family, someone who can give you a testimonal and recommend you to future clients, then create a Facebook business page and add your products and services plus the testimonals, also create a how to group on facebook and invite people who you want there, you can create an advert on facebook linking back to your facebook business page just make sure you target your local area, also printing some flyers with a QR code linking to your website and leaving them in your local shop library etc. you are already posting in a forum try that for your business. and congrats on being a dad.

 

[ExperiencedCopywriter]

Hi,

I'd also recommend a decent adwords campaign. Consider direct mail shot via email too.

 

[laab]

Hi,

I have recently created the site just for tis reason to help small business, sole traders and individuals advertise them self for free.

(just look us up on Google LaaB Uk), what I would also suggest is in the city where you would like to operate just join groups dealing with this sort of stuff. e.g. lookup groups like for sale swap advertise etc. and join and then advertise yourself away. (here on this forum, I have read somewhere that you are allowed to promote your own business please someone correct me if this is not the case)

There are many ways to put yourself on the map, I am happy give you a bit more info if you would like just send me a PM.

LaaB UK

 

[m2mdistribution]

Try offering something different !
At my company, we supply radiators and heating equipment directly from Europe, meaning that we can supply cheaper - and more elaborate models than most of our competitors.
We can aslo help you specify the entire job, from cast iron, to aluminium, steel column or designer ranges ... feel free to have a look, or pm me with any questions

Paul

 

[John_]

When driving around, pop your head in whenever you see work is being done on a house and drop your business card. Good luck!

 

[HEnetwork]

Hi J,
2 thoughts.
1. We run a free national plumber database - and I DO mean FREE. It also has a slightly 'off the wall' plumbers magazine attached to it. If you go to Google and type in 'HEDB' we should come up first. Wherever the link takes you, look for HEnetwork, check out the magazine and if you want to, in the Admin Centre drop down, you'll see Register on HEDB. Don't worry - we do NOT share your details.
2. Re the van - what about getting magnetic signs? They're not too expensive and you can put them on when your doing your main job.
BTW - you're asking people for help - might be nice to tell them your first name!
Just a couple of ideas!
Peter at HEnetwork

 

[Alan]

5,000 leaflets delivered to your door.

Expect around 0.05% response rate (if you are more specific with your targeting, maybe slightly higher). It all depends on your service offering, pricing, leaflet design and demand in your area, but you might 20-30 potential customers ringing up.

Get advice from someone with a calculator.

0.05% * 5,000 = 2.5

And 5,000 leaflets at and average of 30 seconds per door (and I think that is very fast) = just over 41 hours of walking.

----------------------------
Good news is that you will probably get 0.5% to 1%

 

[JonathanSEO]

Some terrible advice on this post really.

Sign up to Digg? Use Adsense? Oh dear.

Adwords and SEO are a no go for now too. Time intensive and will require a lot of learning / trial & error so avoid.

Facebook sounds risky as your boss / other employees could see it too? But it's not bad for making sure friends of friends see your business.

Forget twitter too. And email marketing.

Most successful tradesman tend to get all of their work via word of mouth in fact loads don't even have a website yet are pulling in plenty work so I think you're gonna have to do some jobs for friends, family, neighbours and help get the word out about yourself. It should soon spread.

Leaflets wouldn't be a bad idea but not going to make the phone ring off the hook. Cost involved with design and print too.

Vinlyed van if done professionally would be good.

Business cards useful for handing out and leaving in places you visit.

Are there any other contractors who you see on jobs from other trades that also do one off domestic jobs that you could team up with?

 

[hassel67]

I think you need to use your relations with friends and relative to promote your business and you can get the name by looking around the market and follow the trend.

 

[Thebop]

I'm new here so hello everyone first of all
May I recommend taking the free adds out with Thomson and Yell and I dont really know if the websites like checkatrade.com would help you get off the ground as a good reputation there might be a good way to pick up new customers. This really is not my field so i'm just saying where I would look for a trades man if I didnt have one recommended by a friend.
Local shops advertising in the windows and leaving business cards in local shops that would be happy to hand them out. If you have built up a reputation with the local hardware store you could always explain to them what you are doing and say you need there help. They may be kind enough to recommend you if asked especially if you show an interest in supporting them in return.

Good luck getting started.

 

[hassel67]

You can use SEO, SWM and SEM tactics to promote your business but you have learn a lot before advertising through different mediums.

 

[BusinessZeroToSuperHero]

For the type of business you mention and the fact that you want to keep it local, I would recommend advertising in your local paper. You can often get a small classified ad quite cheaply. Also free online classifieds are a good starting place. There are many and a quick search on Google will locate many suitable candidates. I think Facebook is probably not going to be that productive at this stage but as you widen your reach it could be useful.

Anyone looking for free promotion in a published book please check out: businesszerotosuperhero.co.uk/competitions

 

[hassel67]

For the type of business you mention and the fact that you want to keep it local, I would recommend advertising in your local paper. You can often get a small classified ad quite cheaply. Also free online classifieds are a good starting place. There are many and a quick search on Google will locate many suitable candidates. I think Facebook is probably not going to be that productive at this stage but as you widen your reach it could be useful.

Anyone looking for free promotion in a published book please check out: businesszerotosuperhero.co.uk/competitions

Well it is a good way to do publicity of your site. But i think if we need to give suggestion in a generic way then we can easily see that social media is serving a lot in promotion of any type of business. And papers ad is an old fashioned method, today it does not affect a lot in promotion.

 

[farnhamit]

Great list, Dpearce, We use all of these bare sign on a van,
It works VERY WELL!

Leaflets
Give business cards to existing customers
Local ads
Ads in shop windows
SEO for your website
Sign on your van
Advertise on Gumtree, Craiglist etc

 

[dazzletech]

If you are not doing SEO and SMO for your website, the website is of no use. How will your customer find your website. Considering your situation that you don't want to invest money on advertising, you yourself can do seo and smo. I think if you dedicate couple of hrs of your days its sufficient. Also, you can work harder on weekends. SEO and SMO is not a rocket science, there is lot many tutorials and information available on internet

 

[hassel67]

If you are not doing SEO and SMO for your website, the website is of no use. How will your customer find your website. Considering your situation that you don't want to invest money on advertising, you yourself can do seo and smo. I think if you dedicate couple of hrs of your days its sufficient. Also, you can work harder on weekends. SEO and SMO is not a rocket science, there is lot many tutorials and information available on internet

Yes i do agree with you. If we make a website then we have to do SMM or other type of promotion. And if we are not doing this then there is no purpose to make website.

 

[Murray Cowell]

Hi!
First of all, I think that what you are doing is very good and I advise you to keep going.
Second of all, try to integrate the social media channels in your promotion in order to get the best out of it and make yourself heard. Moving on, I would say to start building an e-mail list (beginning with your friends and family, it's not that hard, you can do it) and get on with e-mail marketing, meaning sending people emails with your offer and maybe get some leads in order for you to practice what you do.

Be confident and best of luck!