Successful Commercial Advertising

Marketing Commercial Business (What works for you)

  • Personal Mailings you do yourself? If so how many at one time?

    Votes: 1 7.1%
  • Using a mailing house?

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Yellow Pages

    Votes: 4 28.6%
  • Cold Calls by phone

    Votes: 3 21.4%
  • Cold Calls by visiting the place of business

    Votes: 6 42.9%

  • Total voters
    14
  • Poll closed .

Dan Flynn

PWN Founder
If you're comfortable with this question and would like to vote. A nice little post to go along with it would be nice. If not just vote, it's private.
 

Ron Musgraves

Administrator
Staff member
All of them work; the ones you have selected are good. I know you realize you need a campaign of a few of these.


This is what I do.


I start by faxing a brochure.

Then we mail the customer something. Rolodex card, brochure

Then take the list and start phoning. Making appointments to see those interested.

We still cold call some of the others even if they didn’t show interest. Just to introduce ourselves so at a later date if they need someone they remember us.


What is the right number???? As many as you can handle.

The more you send out the greater your chance they will call. Faxing is free once you own the software and you can send as many as you want. Mailing I try to use post cards to keep the mailing expense down.

The customer retention of your product is what you’re going for. Just doing one or another won’t allow the customer to remember you. Always do two or three different things and they will remember you long after you have sent your message……



Back to your choices, I would use yours in this order.



Personal Mailings you do yourself
Cold Calls by phone
Cold Calls by visiting the place of business

I would do those in that order.

If I could only do one off your list, it would be cold call by visiting the place of business.

Can’t really vote for just one.
 

archie hodges

New Member
yellow pages you have to do.. but cold calls...no way. fine another to get the phones to ring. i choose to be making money working and let my tv ads bring in the business it shows what we do. all i have to do is make the appointments to do the work.."KEEP THE PHONES RINGING" i think i am better at making money working than spending time trying to knock on doors begging for work..i would say in todays world be professional and let the avon lady do cold calls..good luck and have a great year...
 

Jon Fife

New Member
hi archie,

if you don't mind telling me, what stations do you advertise on and what programs?? i.e. news, home improvement shows, espn, etc. i have thought about polling my customers to find out what t.v. shows they watch and what radio programs they listen to, but if you could offer me some insight that would be great!. Also, how often do you run your commercials, and what are you paying for your commercial package?? typically, what kind of call volume and leads can you expect from commercials?? Again, if you don't want to answer any of this for fear of competitor eavesdropping, i completely understand. i am in nashville,TN, and i am just trying to get a feel for this because it is something i am considering doing at some point. have a great week!!

take care,

jon fife
nashville,TN
(615)837-3663
 

Scott Stone

New Member
Excuse me, but did I miss something? For commercial work, the TV ads and radio ads don't seem like they would work. The reason being that most people are not expecting to find the information in that way. In my experience, limited as it may seem to some, Cold calls and cold phone calls are the only way you are goingt o get your message across. Sure my time would be better spent managing and running the business, but if the calls aren't made, the business will not grow. I would accept a professional sales force doing the calling, as long as they represent you. but for commercial work the only acceptable way of paid commercial advertising is to go for trade magazines, and they don't work 3/4 of the time, unless you are working on getting your name out there. Then it helps people to recognize the company name.
 

Jon Fife

New Member
hi scott,

i am sure you are right; the reason i was asking archie about commercials is because i do wood care, and i believe archie does also. that is why i was asking him about commercials, because that is useful advertising info for residental work. when archie mentioned tv commercials, i believe he was referring to leads he got doing residental work. i do no commercial work, but i am sure you assertion that cold calling is the only way to go would be correct.

take care,

jon fife
nashville,TN
(615)837-3663
 

Dan Flynn

PWN Founder
Think about how many times you had a service done from a cable commercial. Probably none. If that works it's in a you got lucky area. That area is probably the only one in the US that it works in.

Unless you are just trying to get your name out for other advertising you plan. You have to play a commercial on a some what local station. It would have to run all the time. Like the carpet companies you see, or a some what big furniture store in your area.

The best residential advertising is, asking and following up on referrals and direct marketing your own material.

Just my opinion,
 

archie hodges

New Member
good answers all. all i do is decks etc, and vinyl homes and yes cable tv ads works for me.. i do hgtv espn tnn tbs are any others.its cheap and everone watches cable.. they see what i do and what we can do for them...that along gets us in the door.. and for a small fee for a 30 sec ad that by it self is what its all about.. it works for me..maybe people in texas don't watch tv..but if it did not work in the business world people would not be doing it. it's great for small business like us.i have used it for 4 years and it's all i do..good luck.
 

Beth

New Member
Marketing to a commercial audience is not the same as marketing to a residential audience. When someone is not at "work" they are not as likely to think about procurement for work as they are for themselves. Additionally, the number of commercial decision makers is smaller than the number of residential prospects, so going after commercial business via a residential media is not as effective.

Having said that, we use a number of methods which include all of the following:

phone book
flyers to specific complexes with a specific commercial message
post card mailers
ads in specific business oriented publications
cold calls
walk ins
the web
networking

The sales cycle for commercial business will be longer than for residential business. Don't get frustrated. Just remember that it is normal, and keep working on it.

Beth
 
Last edited:

Ron Musgraves

Administrator
Staff member
I can’t believe yellow pages has gotten 5 votes and is even close to leading the pack. come on, that’s ridiculous.
 
Last edited:

Rick - Pro Wash

<br><b>Community Supporter<b><br>
My only advertising is the yellow pages and all my rolling stock is custom painted "Yellow" with vinyl graphics. Yes, I know, yellow has a bad name because of some crazy franchise thing.

But this TV commercial stuff interests me. Most of you are saying it might work for residential business, but it won't work for commercial business? I don't see why not. Don't all of the decision makers ( and their assistants, and their employees ) live in a residence of some type? Don't they all watch TV just like you and me?

It seems that if the messege was presented properly and in our case, say "Commercial and Residential" in the ad and list some of the types of work that you do, that it would reach the right people, it just wouldn't be reaching them during business hours. If I know a guy who can power wash my driveway, then I know a guy who can power wash my store front and drive-thru. They don't have to be different people, do they?

Really, I just hate cold calling. I'm looking for something that will work with very little continuous input from me. Call me lazy. Actually, if the TV commercial was good enough, it would convince people to send me checks for absolutely nothing. Boy, wouldn't that be great?

Just dreaming!

See ya,
Rick
 

Dan Flynn

PWN Founder
Hey Rick

I think it could be a good idea too. But I think that if done, it would really have to run a lot. Pretty much the same as some local furniture stores that do it. They play it so much, you find yourself singing along. At that point it will help with other advertising you do as well. If played enough I think the recognition will come into play.

Just goes to show you. If you have enough money and the right management, any business can really do very well with a large advertising budget. I don't think that playing a commercial a few times a day here and there on the weather channel will do much.
 

Ron Musgraves

Administrator
Staff member
All of them work; the ones you have selected are good. I know you realize you need a campaign of a few of these.


This is what I do.


I start by faxing a brochure.

Then we mail the customer something. Rolodex card, brochure

Then take the list and start phoning. Making appointments to see those interested.

We still cold call some of the others even if they didn’t show interest. Just to introduce ourselves so at a later date if they need someone they remember us.


What is the right number???? As many as you can handle.

The more you send out the greater your chance they will call. Faxing is free once you own the software and you can send as many as you want. Mailing I try to use post cards to keep the mailing expense down.

The customer retention of your product is what you’re going for. Just doing one or another won’t allow the customer to remember you. Always do two or three different things and they will remember you long after you have sent your message……



Back to your choices, I would use yours in this order.



Personal Mailings you do yourself
Cold Calls by phone
Cold Calls by visiting the place of business

I would do those in that order.

If I could only do one off your list, it would be cold call by visiting the place of business.

Can’t really vote for just one.

Roladex cards !!!! Lol
 

Mark

Moderator / Sponsor
I actually received a letter from a new supplier for
us. (ULine Shipping Products) with a rolodex card,
it has been years since I have seen rolodex cards.

Not sure where my rolodex card file even is??
 

Doug Rucker

PWN ADMIN TEAM -
Staff member
A yellow page rep called me last week, said he could promise me "best location" on any page I choose. I said, "you got anything else"

Poor Guy
 
Funny how things change. In 2005 we paid around $1000 a month for yellow page advertising. We were in a small credit card sized ad. Shelly also had a similar ad for her business.

They talked to us like crap with all their talk about EARNING spots with seniority OR we could pay out the rear and get better placement. They thought they really were the shisnick.

I got the C%stco's from that ad, so I guess it was worth something. Other than that I got a lot of residential calls and questions along with a slew of sales calls. It was basically worthless.

By 2007 they were dropping prices. The same ad was in the $300 range.

By 2009 they were practically giving away ad placement if you would sign up for their SEO program (which was fairly cheap).

I haven't kept a yellow page book dropped at my door now for at least three years. They are worthless here in this market now. The book weighs about 10 lbs anyway.

To me, the yellow pages are a perfect example of why you don't overprice your product just because you can and why you never forget that the customer is the one paying your bills. I just got a call from my yellow page salesman a couple of years ago looking for a job selling. I told him to take a hike - maybe he should take out an ad in the yellow pages if he can afford it, I told him.
 

cullen adams

New Member
Wonder how much longer it will be viable to print the yellow pages. The other methods are still relevant today. So would the yellow pages if it weren't for the internet.
 

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