I have flyers, craigslist, business cards, and also sales leads from renovationexperts.com, any suggestions would be great because I am drowning in dead end leads!
2007-01-30 08:46:36 · 15 answers · asked by edc_const 1 in Business & Finance ➔ Advertising & Marketing ➔ Search Engine Optimization
I do kitchen and bathroom remodeling as well as wood,ceramic, and stone flooring.
2007-01-30 11:43:43 · update #1
Here is what we did (it worked better on Yahoo):
1. Metatags, keywords on every page.
2. Good content
3. sitemap
4. Verification by Yahoo and HTML (use of search engine provided files placed on your site...)
5. Search for "submit your web site for free" and go at it.
6. SEO submission
7. Place free ads/classifides/directory entry on free sites
8. Create other similar sites (preferrably free) and have them point to your site, mention your site
9. Include your web site in various sites (craigslist, linkedin...)
....
Best Regards,
http://www.yassia-inc.com
http://www.yassia-inc.net
http://www.ICannotFindIT.com
http://www.ihatethatcommercial.com
2007-02-06 16:43:20 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My suggestion is to first rephrase this questions including details such as what kind of business this is. You will get a better field of answers, and more likely then not someone with experience in such a business may have an idea.
Having gimmicks is a great way to do business. I sell some products at a loss just to get people to walk in. If its a highly consumed product, people will tell others and most will by other items that have a better profit margin.
Also use what your selling to be your advertisement. If you are Faster, Better, Cheaper equally. Then you will succeed. It is that simple. Really.
Second is to reconsider free. As someone who builds and sells businesses for a living, I can tell you the most important expense a business has is its advertising expense.
As a new business you might feel like you just dont have the funds available. Then start small. If you rephrase your question. I can offer examples.
2007-01-30 17:05:11 · answer #2 · answered by Dear Cabbie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Placing small ads in local community papers (particularly if there's one aimed at the upper-crust areas of town) is also a great way to get the word out about your business. And, because the papers are smaller in circulation, the rates aren't usually sky-high like some of the larger publications.
Also, join the local Better Business Bureau chapter as this will help boost confidence for prospects in choosing you over another vendor who is not a BBB member. Another thing is to consider getting bonded and insured so that homeowners can feel comfortable knowing that if something goes wrong, they have some recourse and it also protects you in the event of damage to the client's home or property or injury.
Choosing a vendor to provide a service as personal as residential reno or construction projects requires an act of faith on behalf of the customer. So, do what you can to make it an easier and more comfortable decision for the customer and you'll increase your chances of success.
Also, another inexpensive way to get the word out is to attend networking events for local business associations, chambers of commerce, etc. as everyone that attends these events either has a house or knows someone who does. Get out and meet people, introduce yourself, pass out your cards and, as people get to know you, they'll feel more comfortable in recommending you. You can also bring a portfolio of your work. Before and after photos are golden for this type of work, but be sure the photos are good quality, well printed and well presented as sloppy or unattractively mounted or presented photos will only tell the prospect that you are not detail-oriented - a bad sign for someone in your line of work.
If you can think of something that makes your company unique or a specific market to which you cater, you can use this "hook" to get local newspapers to write an article on your company and the more press you get, the more press you'll get.
Good luck!
2007-01-31 03:35:35 · answer #3 · answered by CFXCreative.com 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Free Advertising? That's tough as you know since you've already spend $$$ on biz cards, flyers, etc. One tried and true method that I know of though: Get your local newspaper to write an article about you. Local papers often run one page stories about new businesses in the community. You can get your photo in the article and a free chance to plug your product or service and talk about your experience. Priceless free advertising! "There are no boring stories, just boring approaches to interesting stories." Check out http://www.score.org/m_pr_18.html as a starting point.
2007-01-30 17:01:04 · answer #4 · answered by jay_knowz_all 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Put an ad on your car. Keep it simple because if it takes more a couple seconds to read your ad - then you've already lost my attention. Everytime you drive somewhere you will be advertising. No it's not free up front...
Aside from that search your county office that handles building permits. You want a list of addresses where a permit was recently granted. That sounds a bit desperate, but it might work.
2007-01-30 22:08:33 · answer #5 · answered by Develin 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should be able to combine online and offline promotions. Be able to make your own simple website for your service. In this way, you could get listed to search engines and directories. Nowadays, people are more into the net surfing and this trend should be taken to advantage.
Also, you have to be very visible when it comes to offline promotions. I suggest that you have to create posters, flyers and other printed materials to help promote your business.
Good Luck!
Mary
http://gbwatch.com/
2007-01-30 23:00:19 · answer #6 · answered by mary 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi,
Blogginb may also be useful if you create a blog with plenty of useful information. Not just list your products.
Then recommend your products as well.
Article promotion gets traffic as long as you write a well formated articles, and submit to directories that are very popular like ezinearticles.com
Karl
http://www.machgoo.ws
2007-01-31 06:56:46 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A couple of ways I can help here:
My article: Guerrilla Marketing for the Small Marketing Budget
http://www.articleshut.com/index.php?page=article&article_id=26934
and the site www.MarketingBuff.com - which has some great ideas o how to market and online and offline business.
Good Luck
2007-01-30 16:52:01 · answer #8 · answered by Biz Guru 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you have an Online Business check out http://make-money-now.50webs.com They offer many articles from starting your website to maximizing profits. This is not a scam it is an informative online business guide. You can start an online business with little or no investment and start earning revenue immediately!
2007-01-30 16:50:35 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like you do home renovations and I can tell you that this type of work almost entirely relies on word of mouth. You need to do some really cheap and really good work and get buzz out there about yourself.
I've never hired anyone to work on my home that didn't come with a recommendation from someone I knew.
2007-01-30 16:54:01 · answer #10 · answered by peppergrover 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋