Heeelllppp! Marketing!

[Eric McCarthy]

Gents I wanted to ask for some help and ideas on some advertising. I've learned that wording in your ads and flyers can make all the difference in the world to customers. I want to sound as professional as I can and get the point across as to why they should hire me over my low baller competition.

I have a base line idea in my head what I want to say I'm just not very good as putting it into intelligible words that has that certain sweet ring to it. I figure if I ask for help maybe one of you fellas has some experience also ten heads are better then one. I may even kick in a gift card of some sorts and send it off to anyone who has experience with marketing and make it worth while.

So far this is what I have. In my mind it sounds okayish.. but I'm not sure.


Full service landscape provider. We offer a premium service at a valuable price. We're not here to play the pricing game. If you want cheaper rates and sketchy work then by all means hire our competitors. We are not a fly by night operation, we're here for the long haul. If you want a job done right the first time and on time with satisfaction GUARANTEED or your money back then take us for a test drive. We'd love to make your family apart of our family. A friendly uniformed worker shows up on time ever time.

A Second generation company serving the Metro Richmond area.

We are a locally owned business that's been established since 1979.

Eric McCarthy owner/operator

 

[Big Orange]

One thing I am no expert on is tractor repair as this is my first one and its 22 years old.
What I do know is I ran a contracting business for 25 years dealing with the public all the time, and now for the last 10 years am in a customer service job 100% of the time.
I would not usually chime in but you did ask
your ad when I read it sounds VERY expensive, it does put the point across that you would do a great job and guarantee it. but perhaps you should not try to slam the other guy in the ad. also might want to put something in to entice the consumer to try you first to see how it works out.

Good luck, running a business right now is tough!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Big orange said it well!
Knocking other companies is a petty, and gets you nowhere, its also insulting to the person reading it.
Of course they want the cheapest rate possible, who doesn't.
Don't yell at them, or throw things in their face.
Come across as a king of the game, not the clown.
Your going to get beat up on prices that's just the way it is.
Have a detailed price list for when they do call

My take on it:

West End Lawn & Garden
Full service lawn, garden and landscape service
Licensed, Insured, Bonded
(Whatever you have, but don't lie and list #'s)
Phone: (***) ***-****

We offer a premium services at affordable prices
Top quality guaranteed
One time use or extended contracts welcome

Give us a test drive we'd love to earn your business
Locally owned business established 1979
Email: ****@***
(If you don't have a business email get one, Hotmail, Gmail, but in business name not your personal name)
Web site: ****.com
(Again if you don't have one set one up, even a simple site will work)
Address:
(P.O. Box is best bet to keep Looney's at bay)​

Best marketing is not flyers (most people get pissed by them on their car or house), Think business cards (magnetic ones are great), stick some on your truck for people to grab ( it really works), logo and simple words on truck/trailer work, Face Book page and web site.

​

 

[SteveF]

Well, I was going to put in my two cents but no need to... just use Wolfman's ad and, voila you are done. You may need to pay him a consulting fee, lol.

Agree strongly on avoiding negative advertising. The only place where that works is politics and we know how we feel about the majority of politicians.

 

[dtherrien]

Eric, somethings that you should do.
Come up with a logo for your business. Have it be different than your competition. Use that logo on your trucks and trailers, letterhead and business cards. If you can use microsoft word or even open office, you can create your own design and adjust it as necessary.
Dont bother with advertising in newspapers. I did it for my construction business...advertised for about 2-3 years and maybe got two calls.
You want your business to be word of mouth..take care of your customers. They will get you work. 99% of my work is customers and customer referrals.
Advertise online and try to build your customer base in the upscale areas where you live. Sometimes you have to think outside the box.

 

[hodge]

Good advice, and I really like Wolfman's model.
A simple, catchy, easily recognizable logo will establish who you are and stick in their minds. Get t-shirts made up and wear them for work, off the job, give to friends to wear, give to customers to wear- if you shop, you can get logo'd t-shirts for $12-$14 a piece. Buy a handful at a time if money is tight, but having a logo out there, whether it be on a vehicle, yard signs, or t-shirts gets your business in the mind of the public.
Let your reputation set you apart, not what you do compared to what others do. Show the public that you are there to give them their money's worth, not outperform someone else. There is a difference, and the customer will know it.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

My ass kinda climbed up onto my shoulders when I had initially came up with that ad for Craigslist. No it's really not the best source of advertising but its free for now and I did real well it Craigslist over the fall aerating. ALL of my phone calls came for Craigslist. The biggest thing I heard over all for customers is I showed up and went to work when I said I would. I guess I got a little pissy writing that ad the other night because I get sick and tired of seeing the other fly by night idiots blast the words "cheap" and repete it in an ad. Makes you sound like a damn bird... cheap cheap cheap!

Here are my logos!

 

[Eric McCarthy]

I tell ya coming back into the biz fulltime if I had any hair I'd be pulling it out. When I was last in the game is was before the big boom of the internet. Yeah AOL was around with chat rooms but a website back in the day was expensive. I agree 100% word of mouth is the way to go. I just need to switch up tactics and get myself out there more. This day in age in the digital word its all about the internet also.

I have to take babysteps with advertising and crawl my way to the top. A web site is on my mind, but not one of those free cookie cutter deals that you see on tv. Those have no search engine features to them. I do have a Facebook page for the biz but learning from a marketing expert Facebook isn't a very reliable means to advertise unless you pay them for it.

 

[Benhameen]

Eric, these guys have nailed it. A few things I might add, stay POSITIVE! Word of mouth goes both ways, if you're not friendly with a customer that wants the work for less, that will likely get around as well. The customer is always right, even when they're not. Your a big guy and it's probably easy to intimidate people but that's not the way you want to do business. Be humble and grateful when bidding jobs, the customers time is as valuable as yours. I always thank people for their time. I'm mentioning the above because I've made all these mistakes when I was younger. I like to think after 15 years of dealing with people in sales, I've learned a lot about myself.

I'm not a fan of Facebook, but a lot of people are. I assume you have a personal Facebook page? Have you ever gone off or ranted about a customer on there, the way you have here? That stuff gets spread faster than anything positive, unfortunately.

Again not a fan of twitter but it's free as well and it seems like everyone has a hashtag something.

Have you heard of square space? You can build a website there and it's really easy. I believe you can get a 30 day free trial if you enter the promo code "joe". Set one up an see how many hits you get in that thirty days.

Just my 2 cents of course,thanks for your time.

 

[hodge]

When I started stabilworks, I didn't have enough business to pay for website/forum advertising, so I took a couple of steps.
1) I do have a website, which is $14 a year to keep up.
2) I started a facebook page, and every friend liked it. That moved my website up the ladder on google search without having to spend money doing it. I also made my website my home page, and so did Wendy and the girls. Because every time we went online the webpage came up, it became more popular, and also moved up the search ladder. It didn't take long for it to be at the top, and it didn't cost anything.
3) I started working with my dad when I was 9, and he taught me many things. The most stressed, most important, and most proven things were to be on time, leave the job cleaner than I found it, and communicate well. Most customers don't really know whether you are good or not, or whether you did a job correctly- you are the professional, not them. They do know if you are prompt, clean, and courteous/communicate well. Do those things constantly, and your business will grow.

 

[Dan_R_42]

Wolfman - nicely done.

Just the facts ma'am.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Well for shits and giggles let me fill in the info and see how it offically looks! Thanks guys for all the input so far. Thats why I posted the need for help here figuring 10 heads are better then one. Also might as well net work with my peers and see who else has a business of sorts and deals with customers. Yes I have both a personal and business Facebook page. I have my personal page set up with privacy setting so unless your one of my peeps you can't read it from the outside. But I've EVER blasted a customer out of the water.

West End Lawn & Garden
Landscape Installation Renovation and Manintenance
Licensed, Insured

We offer a premium services at affordable prices
Top quality guaranteed
One time use or extended contracts welcome

Give us a test drive we'd love to earn your business
Locally owned second generation business established 1979
Email: ****@***
​

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Well I screwed that all up, I tried to copy and paste what Wolfman had posted, but to add my info too it. This is where my technology skills suck trying to figure out how to center it on the page and have a mock up flyer.

 

[trouble11]

Great job Wolfman !!!!!

 

[Benhameen]

Eric, If your using Microsoft Word centering works the same here in the reply box.

Just to the right of B I U there are three sets of lines, copy and paste what Wolfman typed up for you, then highlight it, once its highlighted, click on the middle set of lines. This should center what you have highlighted.

West End Lawn & Garden
Landscape Installation Renovation and Manintenance
Licensed, Insured

We offer a premium services at affordable prices
Top quality guaranteed
One time use or extended contracts welcome

Give us a test drive we'd love to earn your business
Locally owned second generation business established 1979
Email: ****@***​

 

[ipz2222]

And make sure all words are spelled right!! maintenance

 

[dom]

Everyone gave excellent advice.

Biggest things in my opinion are positivity and avoidance of price.

I think running a recurring craigslist ad is good, but you should have your own website that you can link your craiglist ad to.

If you're interested in a website I can host you on one of my servers.

I can make the site for you too using wordpress or any other CMS platform.

You'd be able to update, add pictures, or whatever else you'd like.

Find a domain name that's available using register, or godaddy.

I can search engine optimize (SEO) the site and everything for you.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Eric, If your using Microsoft Word centering works the same here in the reply box.

Just to the right of B I U there are three sets of lines, copy and paste what Wolfman typed up for you, then highlight it, once its highlighted, click on the middle set of lines. This should center what you have highlighted.

Wait... what?! was that in English?!?!

I don't have it in my budget right now for a website but I plan to have one in the next few months.

 

[Benhameen]

As close to English as I can get, just trying to help.

Attached is a picture of what I was trying to explain. If you highlight what you want centered then click on the icon like the one in the picture it will center the highlighted for you.

Good luck...

 

[Eric McCarthy]

I had tried that several nights ago at my first failed attempt, but I used the one on here via the forum. Technology is not my strong point for someone whos 32...