Advertizing With Competitors

casey344

We are a dock and deck builder in SC.

Our competitors have been advertising in a lake publication for as long as I can remember. We have always survived on word of mouth and referrals from our website.

We are considering putting an ad in the same weekly publication they are all in. Cost per week is $300. Our shoreline stabilization sub-contractor approached me last week and said he would pay half the cost each week if we included photo's of completed work displaying the services he provides for us.

I'm concerned about spending $1200/month in the off-season to only generate leads from customers who have called all the other guys too.

What is your experience / words of wisdom?

Double-A

Good advertising pays. I'd be sure your local publication is read by the folks you work for and others like them.

If you do 100 jobs a year, then your cost is only $120 more per job for advertising. Tiny 'taters on the size project you're normally doing.

Do it but track it. Ask the folks that call where they got your name from. If they're not calling after a few months, stop advertising with that publication or at least slow down to 2x per month and move your ad money someplace else, like radio or even TV.

Ads on with your local cable company run on a "as needed" basis (their need, not yours), can be cheap cheap cheap. They might even produce the ad for free if sign up for an ad package with them.

__________________
"My clients’ wishes are the center of my attention." -- David Guido, a contractor in Woodstock, N.Y.
New York Times, July 20, 2006

MattCoops

If you build 100 docks within a year I'll definitely want to buy stock in your company.

__________________
Matt with Cupan Custom Tile & Paint of Lowell, Massachusetts
Design and installation of ceramic tile and natural stone for floor, wall, and countertops
(978) 601-8774 | cupantile@gmail.com | view tile pictures and more

Susan Betz

There's the rub. I hate buying print advertising for that very reason. The ads have to be very carefully placed, because it's sooooo expensive.

I'm placing two our first print ads this last quarter. One in the North Florida Barn Book, and one in the Ocala HITS (Horse Shows in the Sun) program, running January to March. It'll be about $1K each. Not too bad, but all I can think is how much online advertising I could get for those bucks...

__________________
Fences of Distinction, Ocala, FL
http://www.fencesofdistinction.com

casey344

We have not built that many docks ... maybe 30 or 40 this year. I am embarrassed to say I do not know.

Putty Truck

I could not imagine not advertising.

The biggest companies ever in the whole world, the most famous names ever, the most common well-known logos, advertise in the billions per year. Just think: if you advertise, someday you could be as well known as Coke or Goodyear!

Word-of-mouth...the absolute worse form of getting business. If I depend on my last customer telling someone about me, I would starve. WOM depends on how respected the mouther is to the mouthee. For example, if some 'tard of a neighbor is telling me the sky is blue and his dock builder is the best, I'm going to believe the opposite.

Ever wonder how many jobs you lost to Word-of Mouth?

Mike Finley

That doesn't even begin to make a lick of sense to me. Even referrals end up getting bids from other contractors beside yourself. Do you really think the only way you can land jobs is when you're the only contractor they call?

Tiger

Most of my work isn't competitively bid.

Dave

MattCoops

Do you do any work around Lake Wylie, SC?

I have my boat there.

__________________
Matt with Cupan Custom Tile & Paint of Lowell, Massachusetts
Design and installation of ceramic tile and natural stone for floor, wall, and countertops
(978) 601-8774 | cupantile@gmail.com | view tile pictures and more

woodmagman

What you have stated is not really what you should be concerned with. The point of advertising is creating qualified leads, that have the ability to be turned into revenue. Does this advertising create qualified leads? If yes, then why would you not spend the money?

KillerToiletSpider

Our company is not even listed in the phone book.

__________________
A flush is better than a full house.

mahlere

how many different 'customers' do you have each year? you do a lot of work for GC's and designers/architects/etc,....correct?

it's different than doing service work directly for the homeonwner..and needing 5 calls/day/truck...

woodmagman

You must then be listed with carrier pigeons....because without a phone I suspect you have a little trouble on windy days doing smoke signals...

Putty Truck

I don't know how to respond to that.

casey344

No, that is not what I think and it is rarely the case.

KillerToiletSpider

It works for us, I doubt many companies could make our system work.

__________________
A flush is better than a full house.

Putty Truck

Me too. I would hate to see your GCs collectively go with someone else. Instant "sign the book" time for the lot of ya.

Like I said earlier, even Coke has a 2.6 billion dollar budget and they are the best known company in all of history. And they are listed in the book.

KillerToiletSpider

In most cases, the architect, and or designer specify that we be used, in other cases we are the house plumber for the building, and they will not allow another contractor, we have built a nice niche market, and take pride in delivering a quality job.

__________________
A flush is better than a full house.

Putty Truck

I just can't see that much job security in relying on architects, designers, and an association.

We've all seen massive change-overs in management that shakes out all the contractors--its happened to most of us. How do you think you got those positions? You got them when the last plumber was fired.

Nope. Can't see not having a good to great ad campaign as back-up...just in case.

Mike Finley

Then why did you state it as your concern?

Usually people advertise where the leads are. If all your competition is there already, either your competition are complete idiots or that's where the leads are.