Thoughts and opinions on marketing a website

[floorplandesk]

Hey everyone, I'm Joseph, newbie here, and attempting to start up.

Just after some thoughts and opinions. I've built myself a website, and I'm going to start offering floorplan services to estate agents, it's a business that can be run by email, so I'm not restricted to locality, although I think I'll stick to the UK for the time being.

I'm just curious as to thoughts and ideas about how to market such a business. I can build the website, but that's the easy bit. Question is what's the best way to get it out there? Email, web ads, social media, just get out and chap peoples doors?

Any thoughts and opinions or bits of wisdom you'd like to share are very welcome.

Here's where the site is sitting at the moment. I've still to fill it out with a bit more content and info. But the guts of it are there.

floorplandesk is what it's called, I'm new so I can't link, but I've got both the popular .c's if you want to have a look..

 

[Paul Murray]

Visit estate agents and leave a brochure or something. Most estate agents are clustered together in a single area or street so you can be quite efficient and do loads in a day. Many are run by a single person, so a personal touch might actually help you get business.

 

[floorplandesk]

Yes, it's definitely part of the overall strategy I think. I'm working up a leaflet and going to get some printed and pick a day some time, that is part of my plan, just to chap the doors.

I did actually work with loads on my last job, but a girl I worked with had a 3 month head start on me( she was paid off first), so she's managed to hoover up all the prospective clients I had my eye on. I've got a couple, but not nearly enough. Hence my thoughts turning to less local approach, still plenty for me to do on the local side mind, but I am interested in ideas about how to reach the larger UK market.

 

[EnhanceAccountancy]

Why not try and get a contract (perhaps in a particular area at first if more realistic) with some of the national online estate agents? Having said that, the margin may be lower for you as more competitive market for them (Purple Bricks, OpenHouse etc).

Is there anything that positively differentiates you from your competitors? Look for a selling point. Why should they take a chance on you? Tell them. Explain not just what your service is (as presumably floorplans are quite similar regardless of who does them to an extent?). Focus on how your service in particular will help them/reduce their pain.

 

[floorplandesk]

Yeah a contract would be great, tbh I do really think it's just a case of getting out there and speaking to people face to face, coming up for a plan of attack for that just now.

 

[mattk]

Do estate agents simply send you the dimensions and you draw up the floorplans?

Do you do it by hand or do you use software? If so, did you write the software or is it off the shelf?

 

[P19Johnson]

I think pay per click ads would be good to advertise your new business, they are a good way of getting your website in a high position on he results page whilst you work on getting it higher organically.

 

[Chris Pearson]

I would suggest trying to find out how estate agents choose who to do their floor plans for them (if you worked in the industry previously then call around your contacts):

If it is based on people they know, I would suggest looking into attending networking groups that have estate agents in their membership (this is how we get a lot of clients).

If its based on estate agents googling floor plan providers then I'd suggest investing in optimising your website for relevant search terms and or consider spending some money on search engine advertising, google being the most common.

The other options are cold calling estate agents on the phone or physically going into the estate agents like the previous person mentioned. Cold calling is not everyone's favourite task so you have my sympathy if this the needed route.

If there is a national provider

 

[Paul Murray]

Is this a service that can be used by other businesses? Can you maybe think creatively about who might need a floor plan and why?

I have a client that helps businesses and organisations make their premises more accessible by allowing customers with severe anxiety to familiarise themselves with the environment before they visit for real (normally through interactive video tours). I'm wondering if a floor plan could be a useful addition to the accessibility section of the website for a cinema, restaurant, leisure centre, hospital, etc?

Just a thought.

 

[Julia Sta Romana]

You mentioned that you have done a lot of work in the past. If it's possible, you can use your portfolio for social media promotion. You can reach out to realtors, show them what you can do, and invite them to try out your services.

 

[Mr D]

I think pay per click ads would be good to advertise your new business, they are a good way of getting your website in a high position on he results page whilst you work on getting it higher organically.

So long as the estate agents are searching for a business to do the floor plans. Presumably in competition with other businesses already established and doing just that.

 

[Mr D]

Is this a service that can be used by other businesses? Can you maybe think creatively about who might need a floor plan and why?

I have a client that helps businesses and organisations make their premises more accessible by allowing customers with severe anxiety to familiarise themselves with the environment before they visit for real (normally through interactive video tours). I'm wondering if a floor plan could be a useful addition to the accessibility section of the website for a cinema, restaurant, leisure centre, hospital, etc?

Just a thought.

I was working for a company when they had a reorganisation several times as their building got expanded by a quarter mile.
The managers were given floor plans of their area of floor and their manager had a master floor plan that got updated by the managers.
Seating arrangements etc - who was where and which cabinet went where.

Perhaps other organisations also use floor plans when moving into new offices?

 

[Alison Wright]

What about fire safety? I think a lot of organisations use floor plans to show exit routes.

 

[ssasoft]

i think you should use google ads...in your business personal relationship is very important.