What Advertising Method???

[Haskell]

Hi,

Just a general question really.

What Advertising Method do you think is the best and worst.

Everybody raves about online advertising, google adwords etc but I have always found it to be V. Expensive without bringing many customers.

Yellow pages used to bring in lots of business but only just about covers the ad cost now.

Local papers = absolute crap!

Don't know what else to try! Radio?

What do you find works best???

 

[Chrisgy]

Local paper is best by far for me. Delivering leaflets didn't work well, 1 customer and 2 quotes out of 750 leaflets

 

[Kareen Gordon]

hey take a look at the thread I posted yesterday about the same thing the guys there gave me some really good advice

 

[grahamgas]

I have a website, business cards in all the local shops, merchants etc and I am on checkatrade.
Business is booming.
Never believd in yellow pages, as my business title starts with an L, so always going to be the middle of the section.

 

[cdodds2004]

local rag works well for me, aswell as cards, small advert in yell is good because u can link ur site to it and help it get recognised by google

 

[cdodds2004]

I have a website, business cards in all the local shops, merchants etc and I am on checkatrade.
Business is booming.
Never believd in yellow pages, as my business title starts with an L, so always going to be the middle of the section.

#

does checkatrade work i was thinking of giving that a go?

 

[ManchesterGas]

I was invited to advertise in the local golf club magazine by one of the members so that should be up and printed soon.

I've had 3 jobs in as many weeks through google local, not signed up to adwords.

Have just today set up facebook & twitter pages and website is in the process of being set up, Coming soon - Manchester Gas



Fingers crossed for the future!

 

[SimonG]

I know it doesn't help if just starting out but the top advertising for me is reputation and recommendation. I have my weekly ad in the local paper, which does work and extends my customer base. But I must admit most of my work is repeat, through 'you did a job for so and so', through a bit of subbing and at the minute through a local builder who has stopped doing his own plumbing works and now puts me in touch direct with his custs.

 

[Guest123]

Local paper is best by far for me. Delivering leaflets didn't work well, 1 customer and 2 quotes out of 750 leaflets

Can you show a sample of your leaflet mate? I get most of my work through leaflet drops in carefully targeted areas. Of course recomendations gives repeat business too.

Response to a leaflet drop will vary and depends on many factors, such as quality of the leaflet, product you are advertising and what area you are targeting. A response rate of 2% per thousand leaflets or 20 calls per thousand leaflets is a normal response. Doesn't sound a lot, but if you're advertising a bathroom or a wetroom and close the sale on 10 out of the 20 responses, it becomes more than worthwhile.

 

[TFGplumbing]

A5 Leaflets(think it was A5) have worked reasonably well for me I have had about a 1-3 % return rate. Still need more work though. Iam finding times really hard though atm. I always think though if i can scrape a living in this current economic climate i can look foward to alot more prosper further down the line!