Advertising ideas...I need some.

[Piston]

I haven't "officially" started my new business yet, but am going to be in the next couple of months, and I'm looking for some ideas for advertising and getting the word out. 

I was thinking I would put an ad in my town newspaper, town phone book, and maybe start a webpage as my uncle is one of those super smart computer guys who know how to do those things  ;D

I have had a fair amount of jobs to keep me busy when I look for them, and one idea I had was to get some of those small signs to put on a customers front yard, as advertising.  I have a large stump grinding job coming up (not definitive yet but keeping my fingers crossed) on a 57" diameter stump.  The customer's house is on a fairly busy road and I'd like to put up one of those signs for advertising.  Does anyone know where to buy those?  I imagine I can just order them online but I don't know what they are called to search for them. 

What are some ways you have advertised, and what has been the best, and worst, method of advertising your business? 

I'd love to hear some ideas! 

[Roxie]

My best and most successful advertising has been my business cards.  I hand them out to everyone, and put them in any business that will let me. 

[Bibbyman]

Just do a good job and that customer will bring you two more.

[timberlinetree]

The last two posts is the only advertising we use and we are never short on work. Around here they call them lawn signs and are available at printing shops.

[Magicman]

All of my saw jobs from distances greater than about 25 miles come from my website, the Wood-Mizer Pro Sawyer Network, and various other internet searches.

[Sixacresand]

I don't advertise anything.  I don't want the county bugging me about getting a business license and the state requiring me to fill out sale tax forms every month.  Not to mention social security and irs issues.  If i had card, it would say something like "I like saw milling.  I would love to see your operation"

[drobertson]

Radio works, It makes me buy fried chicken, all because of that silly jingle that I cant get out of my head!  david

[Piston]

Just do a good job and that customer will bring you two more.

So far that has been my strategy and has been working out well.  I am fairly particular when I do jobs at my own house/land (my father is always giving me grief for being too "picky" :D) and I try to do the same job for a customer, leaving the job only when we're both happy with the outcome, so far no one has been disappointed. 


Roxie,
I will order some business cards, I wasn't sure if that was still a good marketing strategy anymore, so I'm glad to hear it works well.  I was thinking of ordering a bunch of magnetic ones that people can stick on their fridge, but I'm not so sure a lot of people will want my card on their fridge all the time so it may be a waste.  :D

All of my saw jobs from distances greater than about 25 miles come from my website, the Wood-Mizer Pro Sawyer Network, and various other internet searches.

Lynn,
Did you make your own website or have a company do it for you?  I would like to be able to edit my own website if I go that route, and wonder how difficult that is. 

Does anyone use Facebook for advertising?  I've never had a Facebook account and I don't really know how it works, but it seems like every business I see has a facebook page, I wonder if it's a valid marketing tool or more of a popularity contest? 

Thanks for the ideas, I'm going to order some signs/cards over the next month or so, I just need to nail down my logo and design.  I'm trying to keep it pretty basic, nothing too fancy. 

[Jim_Rogers]

By the way, what type of business are you in?

[Piston]

By the way, what type of business are you in?

I'm concentrating on small, low impact land clearing/reclamation, with an emphasis on "low impact".  Basically, the jobs I like to take on are the ones that are too small for the big heavy equipment guys, and too big for the landscaping guys.  I've always had a keen interest in minimizing damage to surrounding trees/plant life and I've carried this interest into the business.  The customer base that I want to target, are the ones who want some land cleared, fields mowed, or general land care management done while not making a 'mess' of the land. 


So far it's mostly consisted of some heavy duty brush mowing of overgrown areas, tree removal and brush chipping, and a fair amount of stump grinding.  I'm keeping the mill out of this business, that's strictly for hobby.  ;D

[Magicman]

No, I know nothing about building websites.

[Jim_Rogers]

My web site needs work, I know that. But I did build it all my self. And I can edit it and change it anytime I want.

I do know of a website that send out free lessons, one a day, where they teach you how to do all this stuff. I didn't want to wait for them all to come along so I just changed the "lesson" number and it would let you access the next lesson.

It really isn't that hard to do, if you can draw with sketchup then you most likely can build your own website and edit it.

They show you what you'll need to know within the first few lessons, and then they say if you don't want to do this, or you can't understand this then it isn't for you. And they you can hire it out to someone else, and they can do it for you.

After you get your business cards printed up, you should/could post them on bulletin boards at feed and grain stores, hardware stores, chain saw repair shops, and maybe even pet stores in the area where you want to work. You could also contact your county state forester and let him know you are in this business and are looking to help people out.

Jim Rogers

[clww]

I rely on word-of-mouth, business cards from Vista Print, magnetic signs on the trucks, and craigslist.
Total costs for all the above for going on eight years has been less than $150. ;)

[Roxie]

Just my thought, but rather than get a card that sticks on a refrigerator, just get enough cards so that your friends can have two or three in their wallets to hand out.  They are so inexpensive, get twice as many as you think you need so you don't become concerned about running out of them. 

[Piston]

This is a little off topic, but do you guys use your personal phone number to put on the card, or do you have a separate business phone? 

I believe I could get a business phone number but have it ring through my personal cell phone, that would be ideal as I would have the business phone, but only have to carry one phone. 


Have any of you used lawn signs for jobs, and have they returned business for you?

[Jim_Rogers]

This sign:



 

Was hanging on my fence out front by a U bolt and some rope. I would take it down and with me when I went out to do road jobs with the mill. And I'd tie it onto the mailbox post out front of the site. If someone stopped by to see the milling at that site, I'd hand them a business card and make an appointment to come over to look at their pile of logs.

So basically one sign did it all.

I think I paid the sign lady something like $200 back in 94 or 95 for this sign.

I would take it home after the job was done, or at the end of that day.

Jim Rogers

[Chuck White]

I still say the best advertisement would be "Word-of-Mouth" ie, your reputation.  ;)

[Ken]

I still say the best advertisement would be "Word-of-Mouth" ie, your reputation.  ;)

"Word of mouth" is great and many successful businesses get most of their work that way.  The problem is that it takes a while for the "word" to spread.  That is where the business cards, fridge magnets, signs to put up at jobsites, etc come in handy. Although it costs a bit to get this stuff in the beginning it is invaluable.   Personally I don't like magnetic door signs.  Dirt and crud gets trapped behind there and eventually the signs fall off and are among the missing.  Window decals look better in my opinion.  Good luck with your venture. 

[cutterboy]

For sure put an ad in Craigslist as it is free and a lot of people look there. If you only get one job from it it's worth it. I do hope this works out well for you. Good luck!   Cutter

I like the lawn sign idea. When I'm driving I always read those signs.

[Chris Burchfield]

I had some wood business cards printed up.  Now I would look for faux wood business cards if I did it again.  As the real ones dry and crack.  Not durable enough.  I did get hits from the cards though.  I included my name, address, home phone, email address and name of the business on one side.  Sawing rates on the backside.  I would leave a couple of extra cards with people I sawed for.  They would pass them to people that inquired as to who had done their sawing.  Most jobs were by word of mouth. 

[Chris Burchfield]

A good friend of the FF Arky / Arkansawyer added sheet metal to the fender skirts of Wanda for some of his advertisement.

[Hilltop366]

I some times see advertising that does not make it easy for people read or understand what the advertiser is selling or how to contact them. My advise would be to have clear printing of your company name and a short description of your service and phone number. A logo can be good if it does not distract from the message. Once you have the design figured out carry it over to your business cards and web sight for instant recognition for any one that has seen your truck or lawn signs.

Jim's sigh is easy to read, tells you the name and what he does all in the first line.

I always liked low side boards on pickup trucks for a sigh, inexpensive can easily be removed if required.

[Piston]

I agree with Ken.  Word of mouth is probably the best advertising, which I do plan to depend on as the years go by, but it takes some time to get the word out.  I am going to try the lawn signs, business cards, and either magnetic signs or window decals. 

I'll certainly post an ad on craigslist as well, and maybe even the local paper.  The problem with craigslist though is that within a day or so, your post drops off the page, and many fewer people read it.  I have seen some posts reposted day after day.  I wish I knew how to do that, as it won't let you 'repost' if your ad is too similar to another one you have? 

I'm on the fence about starting a facebook page, I think I"ll hold off on that and see how this plan works out.  Although I want to get business, I don't want to get 'too much' business.  ;D

My main 'strategy' is going to be to concentrate on providing great customer service and do the best I can with the work.  I have a pretty good amount of experience at this point and I'm confident I can do a good job for paying customers. 

Thanks again to everyone for your ideas and opinions, certainly valuable!

[Magicman]

I do not do fb or CL, but both are powerful.

[drobertson]

Just in case my mention of RADIO goes unread, I will repeat, more folks listen to radio than any other media, most local stations, provided there are some within 50 miles or so, will produce, or help produce the outreach desired, another option is to become a sponsor for a local sports team during the fall football season, out here allot of folks listen to the ball games rather than going to the games, the names of sponsors get mentioned quite frequently during these broadcast, Cards are good, flyers are good,, Radio reaches because the message is in your ear before you have a chance to turn a page,  just my opinion,  once jobs are done, and it takes quite a few, then word of mouth takes affect,   david

[Piston]

David,
The radio sounds like a good idea for advertising, I guess I never even thought of that.  I don't listen to the radio or watch much television, so it wasn't an idea that came to mind.

Have you used the radio for advertising?  Have you gotten much work from it?  I can't recall the last time I heard an ad on the radio and followed up on it. 

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

These are coroplastic signs and what i think you are looking for

We can make them. They are very durable and will stand up to very high winds. Completely water proof. Lots of contractors have a few dozen made up and leave on behind on the lawn of a site they did work at for a few weeks to drum up more business. Very effective form of advertising



 

[drobertson]

piston, yes, and it has worked very well for me, and this leads to the "word of mouth" that everyone talks about,  waiting on one customer to spread the word is very time consuming, radio will get the word out. There will always be lags in any business. But a bug in the ear will get everyone's attention pretty quick, time and patience is the key. Then performing when the  time comes is the solution.  Just my opinion, sawing in this economy is brutal, markets are brittle and time sensitive, I believe we have to bend to the need at the time, taking what is available and make it work for what it is.  david, hope all works out for you, patience is a virtue,

[thecfarm]

drobertson.we tried the radio with our greenhouse. Was a small town radio. I guess not many listen to it.  :  I asked most customers how they heard about us and most said signs or a friend. We even had an ad in the local paper too. Seem like the signs worked the best for us.

[drobertson]

I guess things vary from place to place. our local stations are pro active in the surrounding towns, other areas of the country may be different. Signs are a good source as well. I look at them while driving,  david

[Magicman]

Any startup business takes some time.  Your "customers" are already using another service and if they are satisfied, they will stick with them.  The dissatisfied ones are already looking elsewhere and they are your first potential customers.  Of course, they may bring baggage because the dissatisfaction may have been partly (or more) their fault.   :-\ 

There is always a possibility of sub-contracting for an established business.  Some may even be ready to quit, phase out, or retire.

A combination of all of the above ideas will add to your exposure.

[countryjonez]

I run a small construction company, and have found that other contractors are my best asset, other than quality work. I found it hard to find work my first few years until the word of mouth got around.I found a few reputable contractors doing alot of the same type work and started getting work they didnt have time for and started getting sub work from them. I have one in paticular that i became good friends with who now subs 75% of all his work to me.It works out well for both of us. I also read a book called gorilla marketing that got the wheels spinning. If you can get a copy read it. Do quality work and over time you will stay busy but this may speed it up as it did me. Good luck