Advertising

[Don1]

Just looking for some advice on finding more work, was going to do leaflet dropping, any1 been doing lately and have you had good feedback?

 

[Octopus]

I've been doing this on and off for about 8 months and it does pay - hit rate is about 1 in 100, not ideal but its all paid work and its more customers!

I would sugest that "leaflets" are not just paper and look and feel "professional" and that way they are less likely to go in the recycling straight away!

Another benefit is the fresh air you get, plus if you see the house holder, try and give them a few words on your skills too

Do a search on "Making your own Flyers" and that'll give you some thoughts too

 

[kevyn]

Hi Don1,

I have been doing some leaflet dropping over the past couple of weeks. As has been stated before the hit rate is only about 1 in a 100 but saying that if they are decent sized jobs then it can be beneficial. For example the first night I handed them out I recieved a job the next day PAT testing 159 items for a local estate agents. It has almost paid for the flyers themselves.

Its all about catching the customer at the right time so if you find yourself short of work and with time to spare it is worth handing them out or through letter boxes. also it is a lot of work to hand them out so pick your target areas and work from there.

Even if you dont get much work from them at least it is getting your name out there.

Hope this helps and good luck with it.

 

[mattyevz]

I dropped about 350 a couple of months back and got nothing. May try again in a couple of weeks.My leaflets have been done professionally.as you said its about catching people at the right time i suppose.

 

[andekoch]

if you are getting a hit rate of 1 per 100 for leaflets you are doign very well. the norm is 1 per 1000.

I was just about to put up a post asking where you guys advertise and how much you spend on it. At the moment I only use word of mouth (previous customers) done some leaflets (2500 in one go) and what is on the NICEIC and trustmark site as my registration so not much spent.
Want to advertise more to get more in as things a bit slow but want to spend where it works. Getting van signwriting later this week.

 

[accordfire]

The thing about leaflet dropping, as with most advertising, is that it's very specific marketing, albeit we're all very used to believing it is a general advertising media.

One of the biggest damages the junk mail industry, and programs like Rogue Watchdog, Elephant Gun the Crappy Tradesman, How to rewire the World in a Weekend, and so on, have done is to ensure that every tradesman in the country is seen through suspicious eyes, distrusted, expected to rip the customer off, pee all over the house like a wild dog, and so on. That, unfortunately, is what most people see when a leaflet comes through the door.

I say it is specific marketing, because what you are attempting to do, in effect is hit the very small target (the customer who actually wants you) with a shot gun from a long way away - scattering pellets, and hoping one hits.

If you're going to use leaflets, the rate, as someone said, is about 2 in a thousand, depending upon the leaflet content, and the target market. It has the advantage of being low cost, but the leaflet you send says everything about your image in the recipient's eyes - cheap leaflet, cheap business, etc.

Absolutely key to the success of any leaflet is that prospective customers can verify anything you claim on your leaflet. So, if you advertise a web site too, make sure it works, says the same as the leaflet, and provides links to wherever they can verify you - like trust a hammer, NIC, ELECSA, or whatever.

If you are putting any sort of "special offer" on a leaflet, ensure you can actually provide it, and that the special offer is suitable for the majority of your intended recipients - it is actually illegal now to offer something which you know won't work, or suit, most of your intended customers - it's known as bait and hook, and can land you in a world of pain. What I mean by this, is don't, for example, offer something really cheap, knowing you're going to sell them something else more expensive.

Be honest, is what it comes down to.


And on the basis of being honest, I would say that leafleting for anything other than a few domestic customers is probably not worth it any longer.

I am assuming that since you can produce some leaflets, you've also set some sort of budget to meet the cost of all this. I'd probably be inclined to stay indoors in the warm, and invest that money in getting a basic, effective website as high up Google's organic listings as I could. Like it or not, Google really is the new Yellow Pages, and it is how most people find anything they need these days, from a plumber or electrician, to a holiday, to a new telly, new car, or new house.

You'd be looking to figure out how people land on your site when they search for an electrician in your area - so that's the thing to do first - key into Google "electrician in {wherever you are looking for work} an see who's getting the top spot and all the hits. Then figure out why. Keywords, content on the web site, links to the site, are three key areas. You can do all that research for next to nothing. You can generally also put a basic, usable website together for nearly nothing too.

 

[Octopus]

Interestingly I had a couple of spare days last week so I went out leafleting again - and did about 350 - to date I've had 3 enquiries - 2 small fixes and another which could be about 2 weeks work.

My "leaflets" are actually "rack cards" - they cost a few pence each but do work.

 

[wade88]

Hi guys,

I have only recently just qualified so am very new to the game. Have been stressing quite a lot regarding approaches to starting my business and finding work and havn't really be able to draw any conclusions as to whats best on a small budget.

I am quite keen to breach the periodic scene as not only will the inspection and testing pay well but the potential for remedial work post inspection strikes me as being quite likely. I was going to suit up so to speak and make up several "packages" to hand out including some background biography and pricing lists etc, to estate agents all over town in the hope I may land some work. Is this a good approach to take or in your experiance is it best to write a letter and send an email then barge in there guns blazing...? I figured by meeting people in person that would appear far more professional and allows me to instantly develop a relationship with any potentail clients.

Any views and advice guys on this and general help starting up would be HUGELY appreciated!

Oh and one more thing...do you chaps use downloaded EIC's and minor works certs and fill them in on the pc or are carbon copies still the best way to do these? Thanks lads

 

[andekoch]

I use carbon copy certs so i can complet wit there and then and give the customer their copy immediately, saves on the post job admin. I used to use downloadable / blank forms but these dont look as professional and still need to be taken away and copied (or use a sheet of carbon on site).
starting up takes time, just been there. did some leaflets, called some builders etc but feel I need to do more as work is not a much as I would like so also wondering the best advertising and how much others spend on their advertising.

 

[accordfire]

I use carbon copy certs so i can complet wit there and then and give the customer their copy immediately, saves on the post job admin. I used to use downloadable / blank forms but these dont look as professional and still need to be taken away and copied (or use a sheet of carbon on site).
starting up takes time, just been there. did some leaflets, called some builders etc but feel I need to do more as work is not a much as I would like so also wondering the best advertising and how much others spend on their advertising.

Without a doubt, the best advice is to keep things as simple as you can, in any aspect of your business. There is usually no benefit at all to implementing systems, or processes that do way more than you need. Choose the system (be it paperwork, digital toys, invoicing, vehicles), that does what you need, at the minimum cost.

In simple terms, if NCR sets, or carbon inserts work for you, then that's problem solved - if they don't, spend more, go digital, and that's your problem solved.

That's really what business is - solving challenging problems, profitably.

As regards advertising.

What works here, both in terms of medium and budget, is very dependent upon several other factors.

Who are your customers
How do they normally find their suppliers
Where are your customers
What is it they're looking for?

Also.....

What do you offer?

Is that always VERY clear to customers (and not in terms of "We do EIC's, PIR's, MWC's when we fit RCD's, and we're NIC") - but in terms of "we do the necessary testing on all the work we carry out, to make sure you're as safe as can be, and our work's the best it can be. And if you don't want to take our word for it - ask these guys - who lead the industry in professionalism (alright, maybe not the NIC, but you get my point.....)"

Who are you offering it to?

It is important, as the above example sort of shows, to get the right advert in front of the right people. You've got to work with what they know, and what they're comfortable with.

Killer Point: WHY should they use you (Internet speak (call to action))?

You need to make the point as to why your prospects should use you, over any one of the other 3000 sparks treading your turf. And you probably need to do it in a way that doesn't disrespect any of them too.


Coming up with answers to this lot, is normally the remit of good market research. The best market research, bar none, is to ask potential customers.

Stand in the main shopping centre, or High St, for an hour or two, and ask any likely looking punter (anyone over 18, who hasn't got a beer can, or a burberry hat on the wrong way round) if they could answer three simple questions (yup, just three).....

Where would you look for an electrician?
What would make you choose one over another?
What their home/work postcode is - first part only.

From those three bits of data, you get:

Where to advertise.
A clue as to what folk are looking for.
Where you target your advertising.

Budget? Again, depends on favoured medium, but you can do a lot of damage in some media for £50 a month, whereas in others you need thousands. It also depends on how many customers you want (realistically) and how much of your chosen work.

As a very loose rule of thumb, for domestic general electrical work, aim to average your spend at no more than about £30 a customer. If you're spending more than that in "self" advertising, you're probably getting it wrong and wasting money. Use an agency, and you can expect to spend up to £60 quid for the same customer.

Well, I know it's not a direct answer (there isn't really one) - but hopefully, a little food for thought.......

 

[wade88]

Thanks guys!! Very useful info. much appreciated