# Searching for better ways to advertize



## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

Hello, I was wondering if anyone had ever used direct mail? If so, how was the success rate? I have only ever used the news paper, but find that it's easier to be a sub. I don't really want to remain a sub for much longer, so if anyone would like to help and give their input it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
RJ


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## MeloAir (Aug 25, 2012)

Half of 1% is a good response rate for direct mail. As far as media selection, I think it has the best ROI out there. I personally wouldn't send out an ad (particularly in this economy) for replacement but market your service or maintenance agreements.


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

How would I market my services? I've had so much bad luck with advertising in the past, it makes me fearful to spend the money they require. Basically, I'm not wanting to give money away when it's so difficult to make. As a sub, I'm not allowed to wear my shirts or have my magnets on my truck and the pay is not all that much higher than if I were an employee somewhere after payroll. I would love some advice
Thanks
RJ


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## Oconomowoc (Oct 13, 2011)

You need to take some time and read some of the threads here. In the last week many of us have been talking about direct mail numerous times.

1/2 a % doesn't mean anything unless put into context. A company can double or quadruple that if the offer is right or if the company sending it already has a strong market presence. 

Direct mail, if you want it to work well, needs to be done correctly and it needs to be done often. Again, this has been talked about in great length within the last 2 weeks especially.

Direct marketing is most efficient when it's done as an actual campaign. It happens in stages. You will find that a minimum of 4 mailings to the same address has a much greater effect than just sending one mailing out and rolling the dice.


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## Mud Master (Feb 26, 2007)

First change advertize to advertiSe.


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## Oconomowoc (Oct 13, 2011)

Mud Master said:


> First change advertize to advertiSe.


Lol


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

Mud master, sorry I didn't notice the misspelling. I have been looking at yellow pages online advertisement ass well as their direct mail services. Also, constant contact. Would be nice to have my name as visible as possible. Thanks to all for any advice given. 
RJ


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## Rock Headed (Nov 8, 2007)

Mud Master said:


> First change advertize to advertiSe.





Oconomowoc said:


> Lol


Advertize....and Advertise are both accepted spellings. English is a _living_ language.


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## killerdecks (Apr 18, 2008)

Rock Headed said:


> Advertize....and Advertise are both accepted spellings. English is a _living_ language.


Does this mean I can acceptedly use:
2, to, two, and too wherever I want?


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## Shellbuilder (May 14, 2006)

I've had good success with HOA newsletter advertising. You can add to that by giving away a door prize at their meetings too.


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## killerdecks (Apr 18, 2008)

Most printed ads, or tv and radio you have to be giving a deal on what you sell, just pay attention to what you see and read and it'll soon become aware to you. If you like giving away your work, by all means pursue these type of high ended (for the producer), low end for you, types of ads.

I use billboards on the freeway along with my website, The billbnoard has the name of the site and 2 keywords which are good for you and it works all the time. The longer they are up the more we work. 

It helps that the economy is coming back, but I put these up when things were dead. Now they are really working. 100k worth of work for decks in the middle of winter. Cost $1500 month for both sides on
I-94, Just think how good itll be working when things break.
$200k -250k month for the same cost. IMO not a bad return on investment as I don't have to nuture it, feed it, work it, or do anything to it. It's up in your face all day and all night. Now I can work and don't have to fool around, looking for better ways.


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## cwatbay (Mar 16, 2010)

For 20+ years I was a marketing and sales exec (CEO, VP, Dir) and I had budgets up to $500K. When I got into contracting, I found that even large firms had very poor marketing programs, and, didn't really analyze what the costs would be. There was a lot of hit and miss attempts at marketing (which includes advertising). 

What I also found with contracting, and, with small business in general is the belief in the "magic bullet". Which means that one thing, or one method, will turn everything around and business will be streaming in. 

A lot depends on where you are geographically and what market (type of client) are you trying to communicate with. If your are in a rural small town area, then your method of getting your name out will be different from someone in a large metropolitan area. 

When you ask: What works best? That is really an open question. What works for a certain trade in Chicago, may not work for the same trade in Los Angeles. 

If you are just starting out, I would play it safe until you find out what works best for you. My recommendation would be to invest time and money into relationships with other contractors and perhaps suppliers that can steer you to potential clients. This would be one of the least expensive ways and will get you more in touch with markets (ie: clients) that would be the most viable for your type of work.


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

Thanks for he info, I have actually already been contacted about billboard advertising. It wasn't quite 1200/mo here, I honk I was like 700/mo but not sure. I was a little iffy about it, but what the hell. If it works for you then It just might work for me. As far as working a relationship with another local contractor, that's what I have been doing. But when I sub work from them, I'm not to be using my business shirts or truck magnets. It really hard to get noticed.


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

Ok guys, I am so sorry for that last post. Between my eyes not working right first thing and the damn spell check (that obviously wasn't doing its job) replacing words from what I was trying to say, that post looks like I was drunk lol


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## killerdecks (Apr 18, 2008)

BTM Contracting said:


> Thanks for he info, I have actually already been contacted about billboard advertising. It wasn't quite 1200/mo here, I honk I was like 700/mo but not sure. I was a little iffy about it, but what the hell. If it works for you then It just might work for me. As far as working a relationship with another local contractor, that's what I have been doing. But when I sub work from them, I'm not to be using my business shirts or truck magnets. It really hard to get noticed.


The thing that works best with it (billboards), *ITS NOT HIT AND MISS*

Hit and miss is like tv, radio, newspapers, the *ONLY* way those work is *IF* someone is on the same station, network or page. 

Ad people will talk to you about demographics, hits, or impressions, unless you are in front of their type of media at a given time of the day they will not work. It's like throwing your money in the air and hoping it sticks.

Billboards are in your face all the time. Pick good locations, do some research. Combine that with your website and yard signs. This is the best bang for the dollar. Period. Do not use more than 5 words in a 12' x 40' sign. People going 70-80 mph will not have the time to decipher your enitre well meaning message. I use bright yellow back ground and black letters.

The purpose of the billboard is to get attention to your website, which will than give potential customers, the reason they should call you. Than when you have the job follow up with yard signs, which are a duplicate of the billboard. Under 5 words directed to the website.

Be persistant, always follow through, 
soon you'll be busy, and others will work for you.


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

Ok, my yard signs are white and black but my shirts are orange and white. I will most likely use the orange and white for the billboard too. I'm assuming for the billboard : company logo and WWW.BTMCONTRACTING.COM : we have many heavily used roads and bypasses here, is it better to use roads with slower moving traffic? Or use both?


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## deckman22 (Oct 20, 2007)

Care to share what five words you use Steve. 

No phone number on the billboard?


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## cwatbay (Mar 16, 2010)

BTM Contracting said:


> Hello, I was wondering if anyone had ever used direct mail? If so, how was the success rate? I have only ever used the news paper, but find that it's easier to be a sub. I don't really want to remain a sub for much longer, so if anyone would like to help and give their input it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
> RJ



You may want to consider all the posts on this topic. Go back through history of threads on what advertising seems to work for contractors like yourself that do business in similar areas. 

You may want to try out some of those methods posted by people on here that claim to have the *ONLY* answers worth considering, and, who put down anyone else responding to your post. Try it for year and let us know how it works.


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## killerdecks (Apr 18, 2008)

deckman22 said:


> Care to share what five words you use Steve.
> 
> No phone number on the billboard?


I have the video of the sign on the road on u tube need to find it again on comp and figure how to load it here. 

Shot it fot simialr postings, on the marketing thread, this seem to come up every 2 weeks or so.

keywords I will not discuss in a public forum, how to choose em.

Think the sign says: THEDECKBARN.COM
DECK PARTS

other side says KILLERDECKS.COM 
734-728-2276

No need for www. takes up space, can get bigger letters w/ name and .com

These are 12'x40'

1 on 1 side 1 on the other I-94

Keeps me busy I don't really care about how long other people need a learning curve for and how many thousands they have to burn b4 they learn. This requires no maintenance, no new approach, etc.

Any TV, Radio, yellow pages, or printed word, ad will never be as productive and low maintenance as these 2 billboards I use. TV, Radio, all start @ 5-10 k for a 3 -4 week campaign. Printed word is 
1k-1.5k and is only seen by the dogs a$$ for a week. Yellow pages is 900-1500 a month for them to spell it wrong, get your name wrong, and they seem to want to increase the price every year. 

Billboards works so well that 2 other lumber companies now employ them where as b4 they *NEVER* did.

But heh, I'm just tupid and dunt know what I'm duin as many people have sworn so on this forum.  Or is it 2pid?


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

Haha. I don't think so man, I'm looking into the billboards. There are a few company's here, just need the right location.


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## killerdecks (Apr 18, 2008)

You want the corners, so when you are driving that is the only thing you see. Find em and lock em up.

Drive the freeways, find em and away you go. Stay away from places where there are other signs to compete with. Make sure they are lit up @ nite. Nothing shows up better than a Billboard all light up on a corner where there is nothing to see but your ad.

Yellow back ground and black letters work real good.

It is very important that it directs traffic to your web site, which *MUST* have an easy to remember, no frills, easy to spell name. On the front page have a way to A. Call you B. a form to fill out for estimates.


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## deckman22 (Oct 20, 2007)

killerdecks said:


> I have the video of the sign on the road on u tube need to find it again on comp and figure how to load it here.
> 
> Shot it fot simialr postings, on the marketing thread, this seem to come up every 2 weeks or so.
> 
> ...


While I may not agree with all your post, I never thought you were stupid. I like your take no prisoners business approach and your marketing obviously works well for you. 

Somewhere some sales person, prolly yellow pages rep planted a seed in my mind that bill boards don't work & I believed that sheet for years. Now you got me thinking where I should target one.


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## EthanB (Sep 28, 2011)

killerdecks said:


> I have the video of the sign on the road on u tube need to find it again on comp and figure how to load it here.


Copy the letter string from the end of YouTube video link then, when writing a CT post, click the YouTube button above the the text box and paste the YouTube letter string in between the html.

Example:
http: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=*60og9gwKh1o* <<copy bold>>
<<then paste>>
YOUTUBE]*60og9gwKh1o*[/YOUTUBE
=


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## killerdecks (Apr 18, 2008)

deckman22 said:


> While I may not agree with all your post, I never thought you were stupid. I like your take no prisoners business approach and your marketing obviously works well for you.
> 
> Somewhere some sales person, prolly yellow pages rep planted a seed in my mind that bill boards don't work & I believed that sheet for years. Now you got me thinking where I should target one.


This was not poked @ you Al. The objective word is many. 

Gotta use (billboards) in concert w/ web site as website tells the story, and billboard reels em in.


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

Found a billboard for $895 a month, only one side tho. It's actually right along e. pleasant Vally blvd to, which is a road that everyone who lives in Tyrone must travel at some point. Now just hoping it works for me. If it does, then I'll be getting more.


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## lawndart (Dec 3, 2006)




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## lawndart (Dec 3, 2006)

BTM Contracting said:


> Found a billboard for $895 a month, only one side tho. It's actually right along e. pleasant Vally blvd to, which is a road that everyone who lives in Tyrone must travel at some point. Now just hoping it works for me. If it does, then I'll be getting more.


Billboards cost 2-3k per month in my area. What works for killerdecks doesn't work for me, and many others. Marketing is a tricky thing, and a person or company can go broke not doing it correctly. Good luck!


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

ezgc said:


> I don't work for Google, but it is an easy and affordable way to get some new business. You can spend as much or as little per month as you'd like and should be able to directly measure how much business you received from it (unlike a billboard). You can find step by step directions in a blog post I just wrote about how to set this up for your business. You can find it here: blog.ezgc.co/index.php/2013/01/18/google-adwords-express-to-grow-your-construction-business/


Ok I've tried to do this, when it gets to the first spot and asks to sign in to Facebook it freezes. How am I to sign up for this when it won't let me get past the first step?


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## killerdecks (Apr 18, 2008)

lawndart said:


> Billboards cost 2-3k per month in my area. What works for killerdecks doesn't work for me, and many others. Marketing is a tricky thing, and a person or company can go broke not doing it correctly. Good luck!


Not all billboards cost the same amount of money. I never said that. There are plenty of them in the 3-5k range. There are also Ferrari's, Porsches, and all other kinds of expensive things to buy also.

You must research, find the good ones and use them. Just like a woman, must find the right one. 

There is simply no better in your face advertising than a 40' x 12' billboard on the freeway. Anything else is throwing your money in the air and hoping it finds the few people listening to the radio, the tv, or the printed word. The original question was regarding the best way to get the message to the people.


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## Oconomowoc (Oct 13, 2011)

killerdecks said:


> There is simply no better in your face advertising than a 40' x 12' billboard on the freeway. Anything else is throwing your money in the air and hoping it finds the few people listening to the radio, the tv, or the printed word. The original question was regarding the best way to get the message to the people.



That is the most ridiculous statement I've ever heard as it concerns marketing.

The difference between what a billboard would cost me vs what I and others do is easily $1500 a month in savings. And that's the absolute minimum in savings. Marketing doesn't stop at a billboard either, it's not as if that's all a business has to do. This is simply fantasy land thinking. To say that any other type of marketing besides a billboard is guess work is also ridiculous, in fact it's pure lunacy. 

Many businesses spend less than $500 a month on very simple marketing and have millions in revenue.

So let's do some simple math shall we?

$1500 a month in savings = $18,000 a year. $18,000 compounded at 7% for 20 years is close to $800,000.

Do you have any idea what a dividend check looks like on $800k after owning a stock for 20 years?

Seriously. You seem like a nice fella but I have to say that sometimes statements like this really make me wonder. I spend less than $2000 in an entire year and I'm so busy I can't even think straight. I'm not alone in this either, most small businesses in construction have established great companies on simple proven marketing methods. While I agree a billboard is a good method it's foolish for a small guy starting out to sign a contract lease agreement on something of this magnitude.


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## killerdecks (Apr 18, 2008)

If you are getting 7% you should be in banking.:confused1:

Copmmercial loans are going for 4%; res are going for 2.99%.:blink: 

You sound like Bernie Madoff.:whistling

For 1 12'x40' billboard I pay $600 the one on u tube. That is 13 4 week cycles @ 600 or 7800 year.

You can't get in anybodys face 24/7 for less than that. People have no choice but to see that sign.


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## Oconomowoc (Oct 13, 2011)

killerdecks said:


> If you are getting 7% you should be in banking.:confused1:
> 
> Copmmercial loans are going for 4%; res are going for 2.99%.:blink:
> 
> ...


What does a loan have to do when talking about investing in a dividend paying stock? 7% is easy, this isn't rocket science.


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## killerdecks (Apr 18, 2008)

ok bernie


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## Oconomowoc (Oct 13, 2011)

killerdecks said:


> ok bernie


Yeah ok, that really makes sense. Lay off the drugs.


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

Oconm??????? I looked at your message, thanks for taking the time to send it.


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## Oconomowoc (Oct 13, 2011)

BTM Contracting said:


> Oconm??????? I looked at your message, thanks for taking the time to send it.


You should start a thread on just the exact question you asked me.


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

I kinda have, this thread was to try and get opinions of those contractors who have been in business for a bit and who are willing to share success story's and failed attempts. As a young construction company, I cannot afford to throw money away. All local contractors won't tell me anything simply because they don't want to lose any work, but they don't understand is I'm the next them. I will take over where they left off. So now I'm looking at you guys because I doubt very much that my success will affect those in Texas. Right?


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## killerdecks (Apr 18, 2008)

Oconomowoc said:


> Yeah ok, that really makes sense. Lay off the drugs.


I have not made enough money for me, let alone to give some to some ding dong for a 7% gain.

If a guy is in business, he should invest in his business, something he knows, before giving it a way to some goof. One only need to pay attenetion to the news to realize how many people have been foched by investment schemes.

It is a lot easier to grow your business to a point where in house manangers can run your business for you and to yeild a lot better result than 7%.


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## killerdecks (Apr 18, 2008)

Oconomowoc said:


> Yeah ok, that really makes sense. Lay off the drugs.


that would be *BERNIE MADOFF*


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## CarpenterSFO (Dec 12, 2012)

Steven's obviously had a huge amount of success with billboards. Seriously, 200 decks a year is a very successful business in most people's books, including mine. That's someone worth listening to.

And for the sake of discussion, let's concede the point that billboards offer a tremendous return, in terms of leads per dollar spent. I don't have any problem believing that.

But.... is the O.P. able to capitalize on that potential business? Do you have the capital, the people, and the take-no-prisoners attitude that Steven has, to take 200 phone calls a week and start 4 new jobs every week (!), week in, week out? To deliver a RELENTLESS ASS-KICKING to the market and to your competition?

Or are you some sort of mama's boy, who will be hard put to manage 3 sales calls a week, who has trouble keeping up with his account at the local lumber yard much less take deliver on a train-load of Trex, who's just trying to get a bath remodel or kitchen remodel business going? Who's going to have 197 ticked-off prospects every week, who never even got a return phone call?

Chances are you're somewhere in between. There's a line, I don't know where. If you're on one side of that line, you should get a billboard. On the other side of the line, you should consider some other options, that are less all-in.

I'm somewhere in between. I've considered a billboard locally, but have decided against it, because I don't think I'd be able to capitalize on the opportunity - a man's gotta know his limitations, after all. I get decent returns on web advertising, directing people to my web site. My web site's not great, but it's working for me. I look at the advertising question all the time. Right now, I've built some initial business in 2 communities with a couple thousand homes in them, and I'm going to do some focussed ads with fliers and canvassing. That's what will work with my situation and this particular opportunity. Maybe I'll get to the billboard stage, maybe not.

I think there are lots of opinions deserving respect in this thread. Steven's approach is one of them.

Just my 2 cents.


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## ModernStyle (May 7, 2007)

Promotional advertising with free gifts is also good. 
I borrowed a pic from your site for a sample. I am not using it for my own business.


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

I wonder how long before the condesation drip creates a hole in that decking?


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

Can't really tell if your being a jerk or just funny. Because it was both, but I followed the prints to a t so all of which was done properly and you don't need a hand rail or any railing for that matter if the deck is lower than 30" at the highest point.


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## Workaholic (Feb 3, 2007)

BTM Contracting said:


> Can't really tell if your being a jerk or just funny. Because it was both, but I followed the prints to a t so all of which was done properly and you don't need a hand rail or any railing for that matter if the deck is lower than 30" at the highest point.


Are those posts in the ground or what?


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## ModernStyle (May 7, 2007)

You can't say the "a" word on CT. It was banned along with Finley.


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

BTM Contracting said:


> Can't really tell if your being a jerk or just funny. Because it was both, but I followed the prints to a t so all of which was done properly and you don't need a hand rail or any railing for that matter if the deck is lower than 30" at the highest point.


Im just bustin chops. Seriously though I would remove those pictures or crop out the trailer and crop in a nice house.

Dont get all defensive I am just trying to amuse myself. Thanks flr sharing..


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

BTM Contracting said:


> Just went with yp.com for my first step of online paid advertisement. :clapping:


Did anyone else catch this?


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

BamBamm5144 said:


> Did anyone else catch this?


Not understanding what there is to catch


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## ModernStyle (May 7, 2007)

You just wasted $500.


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## ModernStyle (May 7, 2007)

You should have went with onlineyellowpages.com. They make it happen. They told me so themselves.


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## Metro M & L (Jun 3, 2009)

Lol. Sometimes kids ask the right questions but hear the wrong answers.

I wonder if they gave hime a 'tracking' phone #...


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## lawndart (Dec 3, 2006)

BTM Contracting said:


> Thank you lawn dart, I have an excellent website - www.btmcontracting.com - and we have tried to claim our google and yahoo sites but we don't show up when we look for us. Now if you type in BTM Contracting we blast the first two screens, but I want people to just type "contractors, Tyrone pa" or "contractors, Altoona pa" and "contractors, state college pa" and us to show up. How do we achieve this? As far as the billboard theory goes, I'm in love with the idea but afraid I can't afford it right now. I also have a Facebook page, but I cannot get likes other than some of my friends and don't know how to do that either. I really appreciate all the helpful post from all of you, I am thankful I found this site.


BTM,

I'm not making fun of you like some others, however you might want to re-think the pictures you have on your site.


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## ModernStyle (May 7, 2007)

Shed needs a window.


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

lawndart said:


> BTM,
> 
> I'm not making fun of you like some others, however you might want to re-think the pictures you have on your site.


What chu tryn to say Dart? :laughing:


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

Metro M & L said:


> Lol.  Sometimes kids ask the right questions but hear the wrong answers.
> 
> I wonder if they gave hime a 'tracking' phone #...


Yeah they did. Not sure I like that. Would rather my real number


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

If yp.com isn't a good choice, which of the online ads are?


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

Dont let these jack wagons mess with you. Yp is the best money you can spend. Sign up to be in the print version too and you can get a package deal..


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> Dont let these jack wagons mess with you. Yp is the best money you can spend. Sign up to be in the print version too and you can get a package deal..


That's not nice.

I don't make it a secret that I am not a fan of lead generating services. I prefer to invest in my own success instead of investing into others in hopes they bring me success.


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## Metro M & L (Jun 3, 2009)

The best rule you can follow for advertising is this. If they call you you don't want to do business with them.


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

Metro M & L said:


> The best rule you can follow for advertising is this. If they call you you don't want to do business with them.


How does that make sense? You want homeowners to call you. I've never contacted someone first. Now as a sub I always contacted them and if they called me first it would have been odd. Please explain.


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

BTM Contracting said:


> How does that make sense? You want homeowners to call you. I've never contacted someone first. Now as a sub I always contacted them and if they called me first it would have been odd. Please explain.


Never mind that last statement, its midnight here and I misread your comment. I understand it. If the ad co calls me I don't want to do business with them. Sorry, nite guys.


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## CarpenterSFO (Dec 12, 2012)

Deleted, was way too long.


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## ModernStyle (May 7, 2007)

I use a guy in a spiderman suit holding a sandwich board like the We Buy Gold places. 
No calls yet, but I do enjoy watching passerby's throw things at Spiderman.


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

Damn! I had the same plan, but I was going to use superman


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

Best I've found for the roofing business is referrals and SEO, in that order.


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

Not to seem like a moron, but........ What's SEO


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

Search engine optimization?


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

BTM Contracting said:


> Search engine optimization?


Correct


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## EthanB (Sep 28, 2011)

SEO = Search Engine Optimization.

It's a fairly broad field but most "seo experts" only focus on a few areas of it. Generally the idea is to make your content appealing to the search engines so that you will rank higher/est in the organic(non-paid) search results for searches that are relevant to your product or services.

The actual mechanics can vary widely but usually it involves a mixture of:
-analyzing your customer demographics
-analyzing your product/service
-identifying search terms
-optimizing your website architecture
-writing title tags and meta descriptions that will appeal to the search engines and consumers
-writing targeted content for website pages and blog posts
-generating inbound links(from outside sites)
-generating citations(business profiles on sites like google+, bbb, chamber of commerce, yelp, etc.)
-integration social media
-generating off-site content that drives traffic like guest blog articles or YouTube videos
-using analytics software to track conversions and the cost of those conversions

There are plenty of other things that fall under the SEO umbrella but those are some of the most common.


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## TAHomeRepairs (Jun 18, 2012)

I don't have a website, or even a great portfolio of pictures, but yours reminds me of my photos when I first started. What I realized...lose the before photos and stock up on the afters. just my.02 ....nobody cares of it looked crappy before, they just want to see looked like the cats azz when you were finished....


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

TAHomeRepairs said:


> I don't have a website, or even a great portfolio of pictures, but yours reminds me of my photos when I first started. What I realized...lose the before photos and stock up on the afters. just my.02 ....nobody cares of it looked crappy before, they just want to see looked like the cats azz when you were finished....


My fear with that is..... Anyone can roll do a the street and snap a photo of a nice looking job, whether it be a roof, siding, addition ect. If I've got before and after wouldn't that be proof enough you actually did the work?


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## TAHomeRepairs (Jun 18, 2012)

Maybe, but I have never had to prove to a client that I had done work before, I think if they may trust you to work on their home, they are assuming you are a professional....not that great of a burden of proof...


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

BTM Contracting said:


> My fear with that is..... Anyone can roll do a the street and snap a photo of a nice looking job, whether it be a roof, siding, addition ect. If I've got before and after wouldn't that be proof enough you actually did the work?


I usually try to have a yard sign or something in the yard.


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## BTM Contracting (Jan 17, 2013)

Good point TA, and they waste space on my site. Bam, I do have yard signs but never had a call from them. They basically serve as markers for YBC.


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

BTM Contracting said:


> Good point TA, and they waste space on my site. Bam, I do have yard signs but never had a call from them. They basically serve as markers for YBC.


Don't know what YBC is.

I make sure to put them out not to get calls but to get recognition. You never know if someone sees your sign a few times and then decides to look you up online to call. My yard signs are a little different in that they have a message but I've had people tell me they remember seeing the signs.


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## JBBS (Jan 17, 2008)

YBC = your building center.


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## ModernStyle (May 7, 2007)

Young Broke Contractors. 
I am a OBC now.


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## leeson1776 (Feb 6, 2012)

Post deleted


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## leeson1776 (Feb 6, 2012)

BTM Contracting said:


> How does that make sense? You want homeowners to call you. I've never contacted someone first. Now as a sub I always contacted them and if they called me first it would have been odd. Please explain.


He means if someone calls you to sell you advertising, they aren't a good choice. 



BTM Contracting said:


> If yp.com isn't a good choice, which of the online ads are?


I think the point is, none of these online leads services are very good. Personally, I think a novice can run Adwords better than some of those guys, and for a heck of a lot less money. Now, I'm not talking about the pros, I'm talking about YP, Dex, and Home Advisor, to name a few. There are professional Adwords management guys who save you enough money to justify their cost (and there are also plenty who can't).


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## killerdecks (Apr 18, 2008)

Did I ever mention I like billboards?:whistling


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