[mattdolan16]

Ok so if you have read some of my other posts you'll know I'm a new contractor in the business. Just wondering how and where you guys advertise and where you find most successful?

We are in a generation of technology and obviously the web is a good place to start. I know I'll have to get a website built.

Elevator ads? I always stare at those when I'm in buildings Downtown. Any sujjestions?

 

[HARRY304E]

Ok so if you have read some of my other posts you'll know I'm a new contractor in the business. Just wondering how and where you guys advertise and where you find most successful?

We are in a generation of technology and obviously the web is a good place to start. I know I'll have to get a website built.

Elevator ads? I always stare at those when I'm in buildings Downtown. Any sujjestions?

Never sign any contracts for any advertising if you cannot pay them in full for the ad then don't do it.

If they will not bill you so you can write a check then don't do it.


Never give them your credit card #'s they will lock you in and it is a real PITA to get them off your card.

Build your own web site there are a lot of tools on line that will help you do it.

 

[B4T]

For me.. it has always been the side of my van..

When people see the same design for many years.. they will think of you when the times comes..

If you are one of the guys bidding on the job.. you have a better chance because the customer already "knows you" and that is better than a stranger.. :thumbsup:

 

[B W E]

For me.. it has always been the side of my van..

When people see the same design for many years.. they will think of you when the times comes..

If you are one of the guys bidding on the job.. you have a better chance because the customer already "knows you" and that is better than a stranger.. :thumbsup:

I don't have anything on my can yet, but I know that works well from what friends have told me.

For me, the only active advertising I do at all is Criagslist. A bunch of guys here think CL is no good, but I've gotten a ton of work and many repeat clients. One of the more recent jobs was a $10,000 all cash project. Considering it's free, and it's something you can do in your down time, it's silly not to. You just have to be good at discerning which calls are legit and which are people just looking for the lowest price.

A lot of people say CL is just for bottom feeders looking for the cheapest trunkslammer. However, where else can you go to find electricians? Nothing as large scale, expansive, and free.

 

[480sparky]

There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all marketing strategy. What works for one EC in one market will fail miserably for another elsewhere.

Don't try something and expect overnight miracles. For instance, if you have a Yellow Pages ad come out, don't think it's an automatic failure just because your phone isn't constantly ringing with people saying, "Hey, I just saw your ad in the phone book........."

Commit to a method for at least six months. Track where your customers are coming from. If a method doesn't produce, drop it and try something else. I tried YP for 4 years, and only had one verified customer from it. So it's no longer an option for me.

90% of my work comes from WOM. The rest comes from truck vinyl. YMMV.

 

[mattdolan16]

Word of mouth is huge forsure. My uncle runs a one man service company repairing appliances in Seattle. He has to turn work down constantly and the only advertising he does is word of
Mouth. He said when he first started though he was paying 3000/mnth for advertising. Back when people used yellow page books a half page ad apparently Costed big money.

Any idea what it costs google to have your ad come up first. People generally goto google I assume and type in "electrician Vancouver".

 

[480sparky]

...........Any idea what it costs google to have your ad come up first. People generally goto google I assume and type in "electrician Vancouver".

It costs Google exactly $0.00. Canadian, of course.

Now, how much would it cost YOU to have your ad come up first? Exactly $0.00. Google doesn't accept payment for SEO rankings. And it's a guessing game on how they do it.

 

[mattdolan16]

Hmm interesting. Something to look into

 

[mattdolan16]

Any of you live in a city and try elevator ads?

 

[480sparky]

Hmm interesting. Something to look into

You can look into it, but Google is rather quiet about how they rank search results. If you manage to crack that nut, you need to forget about your service truck because you'll be able to buy and sell Bill Gates several times over by tomorrow morning.

 

[mattdolan16]

My dads wife is a computer nut. She owns her own business and has made her ad become first. She said she can do it for me. I will keep you posted as to if it works.

 

[knowshorts]

My advertising budget for the past 6 years = $0.00. It's all been word of mouth.

Your results may vary.

 

[bobelectric]

I still keep my little phonebook listing that still pays for itself.

 

[mattdolan16]

My advertising budget for the past 6 years = $0.00. It's all been word of mouth.

Your results may vary.

My uncles too. Nothing is more powerful than word of mouth. When starting though my uncle was paying $36000/yr for advertising. Now he's a one man service guy making $170,000 pay. Not over the top rich but very comfortable and no staff to worry about. Not bad for a guy who does $0 in advertising now.

 

[bobelectric]

My uncles too. Nothing is more powerful than word of mouth. When starting though my uncle was paying $36000/yr for advertising. Now he's a one man service guy making $170,000 pay. Not over the top rich but very comfortable and no staff to worry about. Not bad for a guy who does $0 in advertising now.

Your uncle is fuller bull

 

[mattdolan16]

Easy. It's 170,000. I make that now working for someone else. Welcome to the oil rigs. The people upstairs are making money on me

 

[480sparky]

....Now he's a one man service guy making $170,000 pay..........

Net or gross?

 

[benski]

I don't have anything on my can yet, but I know that works well from what friends have told me.

For me, the only active advertising I do at all is Criagslist. A bunch of guys here think CL is no good, but I've gotten a ton of work and many repeat clients. One of the more recent jobs was a $10,000 all cash project. Considering it's free, and it's something you can do in your down time, it's silly not to. You just have to be good at discerning which calls are legit and which are people just looking for the lowest price.

A lot of people say CL is just for bottom feeders looking for the cheapest trunkslammer. However, where else can you go to find electricians? Nothing as large scale, expansive, and free.

I use Craigslist too only because it's free but is by far the worst site to get new customers. Most people that contact me from there are bottomfeeders and just want the cheapest price possible and are delusional at what electricians charge. I'd say 1 out 30 contacts I get from Craigslist is a legit contact. I get idiots that text me at 11:30 at night that say "yo dude i need electrical how much do dat cost"

How else do people find electricians? Ever hear of google?:laughing: Google up "california electrician"

 

[jwjrw]

I use Craigslist too only because it's free but is by far the worst site to get new customers. Most people that contact me from there are bottomfeeders and just want the cheapest price possible and are delusional at what electricians charge. I'd say 1 out 30 contacts I get from Craigslist is a legit contact. I get idiots that text me at 11:30 at night that say "yo dude i need electrical how much do dat cost"

How else do people find electricians? Ever hear of google?:laughing: Google up "california electrician"

I knew you were a Craigslist electrician........it all makes sense now....:whistling2:

 

[mattdolan16]

Net or gross?

Not sure. Even if it's gross it's still a comfortable living. He has no worries. I personally want more than that but I also want staff