Best Media??

duckcountry wrote: And I use simple flyers to attract attention.  These go on door jams.  Here is the first one for next year.  The are printed 3 to a page to save money and not waste it.

Boy, am I late to this party.

Some advice on this little door jammer. I believe your offer would seem more attractive as if it were a deal. Right now it looks like regular price. Regular price is not very exciting.
$59 Two Rooms--Any Size (normally $79)

If may suggest a deadline to stop them from putting it in that drawer in their kitchen. You know the drawer that aliens will discover 3000 years from now in an archaeological dig filled with coupons. Putting a call to action with it may help too-

Offer expires 3/3/2009- Call Now!

It may not seem like it but making any of the wording into a weird font can decrease readership by 700%. Some of the font you use is a little over the top and distracting from the offer/service. The more jumbled the faster the trip to the trash.

There is no such thing as wasting money on advertising. There is wrong media, wrong target market or wrong message.This type of ad will fail and it has nothing to do with the cost of the device (flier in this case), it really does not say anything.

I really believe when you fall exclusively on price (which is done here that is why it is at the top), it will choke the ad to death. Right now the only thing that would improve this ad is lowering the price... who wants to do that?

Why does the carpets stay clean? You may know, everyone on this forum may know, but they don't know.

If we can find ways to tell the potential customers why, they might get convinced.

As far as $59, maybe everyone charges that. Maybe you are more. The homeowner does not know, don't assume they have been keeping notes on carpet cleaning (other than in the mummified drawer). Let them know it is a deal.

Anyway, hopefully I do not get flamed being my first post. I really do want to see people succeed with their ads.


Paul

 

As you can see you went through effort to investigate me. I did not try to sell a thing.

I not only have a business in marketing (the ebook is a small part of that business) I also own a window cleaning company (for almost a decade).

Because our industries are very similar I like to get involved with relative businesses. I am certainly not spying nor any other deceptive behavior.

We live in a negative society so I understand your skepticism.

One thing I have been working on is bringing relative services together. Not so much on a forum but on a local level. When I first started my business I was fortunate to be contacted by a house cleaning franchise (Merry Maids) because they wanted to add window cleaning to their services.

We worked out a deal and I was basically subbed out. I wore my shirt, drove my vehicle, I was basically servicing these customers as if they called off a flier. I wont get into the structure of the deal, but I was so busy from their clients I could not advertise. We were both making a lot money from resources we did not have.

If we figure out ways to leverage each other (more so in this economy) we will be strong in a country of dying business.

I initially came on this forum to get a feel for carpet cleaners. The problem was you had a marketing section and I am a little bit of a marketing lunatic.

I am not here to sell anything. If you all do not want advice from a guy that is in a relative business that has great success at marketing, I will leave.

Marketing is relative. I sell my window cleaning service exactly the way you do, to exactly the same people. If I can create a postcard for a window cleaning company that generates over $100,000 in sales, I would hope my advice would be of use.

Breakthroughs are usually made by looking somewhere else for inspiration and applying it where nobody else does. No need to recreate the wheel.

I will NEVER try to sell anyone anything here. I will only give my advice on marketing, and it is needed here.

I totally understand if members do not want me here, but why not have a different perspective? It's up to you guys.

Paul

p.s. I have switched my website in my profile to my blog. I do not sell on my blog it is only free advice and ideas on marketing, and sometimes life.

duckcountry.. let us know how your flyer does..

John L wrote: duckcountry.. let us know how your flyer does..   Onslaught.. Don't leave.. I would like to see that flyer of yours if you could post it here please.. Others probably would like to see it too..   Your profile said Minneapolis.. But your Window cleaning is in Madison WI..? I think i saw your vehicles running around from time to time..

Nope, I do nothing in cheese country. Just around Minneapolis

Whoops, sorry John. I can show you examples of a postcard that made well over $100k in sales on one mailing. I will also show one that is about to mail.

These are 11x7 flat mailers, just a giant postcard. These ideas could easily work for a 2 sided flier.

http://www.screencast.com/t/AuB5DTmU
http://www.screencast.com/t/Xd9zGYN7t4r

http://www.screencast.com/t/7x2gYnit1
http://www.screencast.com/t/fWrZTPsm

Think this could not work for carpet cleaners? Think again...




Edited by Onslaught - 03/March/2009 at 9:54am

I run 2 businesses and I am in charge of a $250,000 marketing budget for another.

I do this between peddling on street corners

Thank you very much for ignoring me, I will have no problem doing the same

I liked the stunned postcard. It seems it would be easy to make a similar one for carpet cleaning. I have also found that anything that works well in one service industry will work well in another. For fliers I like canvasing a neighborhood after I have cleaned and received a great testimonial from one or more of the neighbors. I include the testimonial from the neighbor which gives credibility to the flier.  I also have a sign that I could put up in the yard that said were happy we called Boulder Carpet Cleaning Masters to clean our carpets. In one subdivision I had about 8 signs up and probably landed 24 great jobs. I think both of you guys have some good ideas and look forward to seeing new stuff from everyone.