Transcript Marketing Your Business

MARKETING
YOUR BUSINESS
WORD OF MOUTH
PROS
• FREE ADVERTISING — SIMPLY DO A GOOD JOB AND
WORD WILL SPREAD ABOUT YOUR WORK
• HOMEOWNERS TALK TO OTHER HOMEOWNERS
• YOU MAY GET SEVERAL REFERRALS FROM A SINGLE
JOB
• IT’S A SMALL WORLD — YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT
MAY COME FROM ANY SINGLE CUSTOMER
CONS
• THE PROCESS CAN EASILY BACKFIRE…IF THE WORK
IS POOR QUALITY, THAT WORD ALSO SPREADS
• BE PATIENT — REFERRALS CAN BE A SLOW PROCESS
TIP: DON’T FORGET ABOUT MAINTAINING YOUR CUSTOMER’S CONCRETE.
RESEALING NOT ONLY PROTECTS THEIR INVESTMENT, IT PUTS YOUR
FACE BACK IN FRONT OF THEM, CONTINUING THE CYCLE OF SATISFIED
CUSTOMERS AND GOOD WORD OF MOUTH.
TELEVISION ADVERTISING
PROS
• REACH A VERY WIDE AUDIENCE, INCLUDING BOTH
HOMEOWNERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS
• CABLE COMPANIES USUALLY HAVE AFFORDABLE
RATES FOR NON-NETWORK, NON-PRIME TIME
ADVERTISING
• ONE MONTH OF ADVERSTISING MAY CARRY YOU
FOR AN ENTIRE SEASON
CONS
• FILMING YOUR OWN COMMERCIAL CAN BE EXPENSIVE
• TIMING IS EVERYTHING — DON’T ADVERTISE IN
DECEMBER IF YOUR SEASON STARTS IN MARCH
• YOU MUST HAVE A WEBSITE AND/OR BROCHURE
TO HANDLE THOSE INQUIRIES — BE PREPARED!
TRADE SHOWS
PROS
• NETWORK WITH OTHER PROFESSIONALS IN YOUR AREA
• EDUCATE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS AND OTHER
CONTRACTORS/BUILDERS ABOUT YOUR PROCESS
• TARGETED AUDIENCE OF PROFESSIONALS
CONS
• CAN BE EXPENSIVE TO PREPARE FOR: BOOTH DESIGN,
BANNERS, BROCHURES, PHOTO ENLARGEMENTS
• NOT FOR THE MEEK — YOU WILL MEET & GREET
(POTENTIALLY) THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS
• NOT FOR THE UNPREPARED — DON’T LET YOUR
COMPETITORS OUTPERFORM YOU AT A SHOW
HOME SHOWS
PROS
• REACH THOUSANDS OF HOMEOWNERS AT ONCE
• OPPORTUNITY TO EVALUATE YOUR COMPETITION
AND THE MARKET IN GENERAL
• TARGETED AUDIENCE OF HOMEOWNERS
CONS
• CAN BE EXPENSIVE TO PREPARE FOR: BOOTH DESIGN,
BANNERS, BROCHURES, PHOTO ENLARGEMENTS
• NOT FOR THE RUDE — IF YOU ARE NOT “PEOPLE
PERSON”, HIRE SOMEONE WHO IS
• NOT FOR THE UNPREPARED — DON’T LET YOUR
COMPETITORS OUTPERFORM YOU AT A SHOW
NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING
PROS
• REACH A VERY WIDE AUDIENCE, INCLUDING BOTH
HOMEOWNERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS
• SPECIAL INSERTS OR LOCAL COMMUNITY FEATURES
OFTEN TARGET THE HOMEOWNER DEMOGRAPHIC
• A SINGLE TARGETED, WELL-POSITIONED AD
MAY CARRY YOU FOR AN ENTIRE SEASON
CONS
• HIGH-PROFILE POSITIONING IS EXPENSIVE
• POSITION IS IMPORTANT — DON’T SETTLE FOR A
CHEAP AD BURIED IN THE BUSINESS SECTION
• YOU MUST HAVE A WEBSITE AND/OR BROCHURE TO
HANDLE THOSE INQUIRIES — BE PREPARED!
WEBSITE AND SOCIAL
MEDIA
PROS
• IT’S YOUR 24/7/365 FULL COLOR BROCHURE
• UNLIMITED NUMBER OF PHOTOS AND INFORMATION
• SAVES TIME — REFER LEADS TO YOUR WEBSITE
WHERE THEY CAN FIND ANSWERS TO COMMON
QUESTIONS
• WORKS IN CONCERT WITH ALL OTHER FORMS OF
ADVERTISING, FROM YOUR BUSINESS CARDS ON UP
• FACEBOOK AND PINTEREST GETS YOU SEEN BY
MORE POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS
CONS
• REQUIRES ADDITIONAL ADVERTISING — THE WEBSITE
WON’T GET ANY TRAFFIC ON ITS OWN
• SEARCH ENGINES ARE NOT THE BEST WAY TO
SPREAD THE WORD — YOU MUST STILL FIND WAYS
TO LET PEOPLE KNOW YOU EXIST
POSTCARDS & DIRECT MAIL
PROS
• INEXPENSIVE TO PRINT & MAIL (AS LITTLE AS 31¢)
• SHORT, FOCUSED MESSAGE
• FULL COLOR EXAMPLES OF YOUR WORK
• LEAD THEM TO YOUR WEBSITE
CONS
• REQUIRES A MAILING LIST & LABELS FROM A LIST
VENDOR (TARGETED BY ZIP CODE, HOUSEHOLD
INCOME LEVEL, OR OTHER DEMOGRAPHIC)
• MULTIPLE MAILINGS MAY BE REQUIRED TO
GENERATE A RESPONSE
• 3% RESPONSE IS CONSIDERED A SUCCESS —
OUT OF 2500 POSTCARDS MAILED YOU WILL BE
LUCKY TO GET 75 RESPONSES
SPECIALTY ITEMS
PROS
• BASEBALL CAPS AND T-SHIRTS FOR YOUR CREWS
ARE AN INEXPENSIVE WAY TO REINFORCE YOUR
BRAND AND DISPLAY A PROFESSIONAL IMAGE
• PEOPLE ALWAYS NEED FREE PENS OR CALENDARS
CONS
• EXPENSIVE
• GIVING AWAY BALLOONS AND FRISBEES DOESN’T
DO MUCH TO PROMOTE YOUR WORK, AND MAY
SEND THE WRONG SORT OF MESSAGE
TIP: THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO SPEND YOUR MONEY — LEAVE
THE FRISBEES, KEYCHAINS, AND MAGNETS TO THE REAL
ESTATE AGENTS AND TOWING COMPANIES
BROCHURES
PROS
• PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY HOMEOWNERS, LOVE GLOSSY
FULL-COLOR BROCHURES
• ALLOWS YOU TO SHOWCASE YOUR BEST WORK
• A PROFESSIONAL BROCHURE SENDS THE MESSAGE
THAT YOU ARE NOT SOME FLY-BY-NIGHT
CONS
• LIMITED AMOUNT OF SPACE FOR YOUR PHOTOS
AND INFORMATION
• EXPENSIVE TO DESIGN AND PRINT
• STATIC — YOU CAN’T CHANGE THE INFORMATION UNTIL
YOU REPRINT THE NEXT BATCH
TIP: DESIGNING A BROCHURE REQUIRES EXPERT SKILL AND
PROFESSIONAL SOFTWARE — DO NOT GO OUT AND BUY SOME
COMPUTER PROGRAM IN THE HOPES THAT YOU’LL SAVE
YOURSELF MONEY BY DESIGNING YOUR OWN BROCHURES.
PHOTOS
PHOTOS ARE THE MOST VALUABLE AND IMPORTANT PIECE OF
THE PUZZLE… EVERYTHING RELATED TO ADVERTISING YOUR
COMPANY WILL DEPEND ON THE QUALITY OF YOUR PHOTOS.
YOU MAY GET YEARS OF ADVERTISING OUT OF ONE OR TWO
PHOTOS, SO TAKE THE TIME TO DO IT RIGHT. CLEAN UP THE
JOB SITE, SETUP A TRIPOD FOR A STEADY SHOT, AND IF THE
SLAB IS HALF-COVERED IN SHADOW, COME BACK AT A TIME
WHERE THE SUN IS IN A BETTER POSITION.
WAIT UNTIL THE LANDSCAPING IS DONE, THE GRASS IS
GREEN, THE FLOWERS ARE BLOOMING, AND THE HOUSE
LOOKS LIKE A HOME. YOUR BROCHURES WILL BENEFIT.
TAKE A CLASS. LEARNING HOW TO USE YOUR
EQUIPMENT IS MUCH CHEAPER THAN HIRING A PROFESSIONAL
PHOTOGRAPHER.
PHOTOS
DO…
• USE A TRIPOD WHENEVER POSSIBLE
• CLEAN YOUR LENS
• WATCH YOUR SHADOWS & REFLECTIONS
• CLEAN THE SITE UP FIRST (LEAVES, TRASH)
• TAKE YOUR TIME
DON’T…
• USE A DISPOSABLE CAMERA — UNLESS YOU HAVE NO
ALTERNATIVE (PLASTIC LENSES, LOW-QUALITY)
• TAKE JUST ONE PHOTO FROM ONE ANGLE
HINTS
• TAKE CLOSEUPS TO SHOW THE DETAIL WORK
• ALWAYS USE THE HIGH-QUALITY SETTINGS ON
YOUR DIGITAL CAMERA
• ANY PHOTO IS BETTER THAN NO PHOTOS AT ALL