I Could Use Some Help With Marketing

[LHolmes03431]

Hello,
I am a sixty five year old plumber who has owned small service plumbing businesses in FL and NH. I only do service calls and drain cleaning now, years ago I would just put an ad in my local yellow pages and I would get all the I needed. I've recently moved to Massachusetts and have tried to get enough service calls to keep me busy but I cannot seem to figure out how to get the calls to come in on a budget for a one man operation. I have tried the yellow pages, built a website and have used Google AdWords which just cost me a lot of money without any results. I have hired a company who told me that they would enhance my website and mange it for $600 a month and that I'd have calls coming in after about three months and yet again no results. Can anyone recommend a good company to work with and give me an idea of what kind of a budget I will need? I am only one person and would like at least a few service calls a day which would help me survive. Any help and guidance would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Aggie83]

$600 sounds like a lot for a website... are you in a big city or rural area.?

 

[LHolmes03431]

$600 sounds like a lot for a website... are you in a big city or rural area.?

About an hour outside of Boston.

 

[DFBonnett]

I found that a business card sized ad in the local weekly driveway newspaper worked well.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

Try getting on the NextDoor social media app. Find some (if they exist in your area) some 55+ communities and advertise in their newsletters. Ditto for condo communities and or HOA associations. Do good work at a fair price in these areas and word of mouth will prevail in short order.

 

[Aggie83]

In addition to NextDoor, you could look for Facebook groups for your area that would be appropriate-- "Buy, Sell, Trade", "Rant and Rave", etc. I find that folks often post on those looking for a plumber, electrician, and that the same post adverts. As MItchell noted, word of mouth can get you busy.

 

[Geofd]

Try the tab news paper , depending on were you live in mass there are bi-weekly inserts in local papers I used them for years for exactly what you are looking for service and drain cleaning that worked great for years, now that paper is gone, the owner got sick
But they are out the, penny saver, is one I've tried those Internet ones, they just took my money,another thing I did was make flyers,put them on cars, in apartment complex door way, supermarket cork boards

 

[Steve_K2]

another thing I did was make flyers,put them on cars, in apartment complex door way, supermarket cork boards

This is what seems best to me (who's not a plumber himself but is the proud father of one): If I found a persuasive flyer at my front door, I'd keep it for future needs.

My son was/is in a similar situation a few years ago. He said what helped most (?) was attending realtor's meetings. If a house on the market needed a sewer inspection, the realtor might as well choose him. After a lot of great Yelp reviews, he no longer needs to pass out flyers or advertise or even have a website.

Sixty-five? Augh. Too old to work, too young to stop working. Best of luck to you.

 

[havasu]

Speaking for the majority of persons who pay close attention to people I once may need for future repairs, there is one local plumber who places his business card onto a magnetic backing. He also adds a few pointers with what to do in the event of an emergency, such as an earthquake (yes, I live on the west coast) and homeowners simply place this magnetic business card onto the water heater for future use. It will tell you where to locate your water main shut off valve, your natural gas shut off valve, where to find your electrical panel and shut off the main switch. Most homeowners find this information extremely valuable, and keep it handy, such as on your water heater.

I know this plumber is always busy, and now has a fleet of trucks ready to help residents in our city. I believe this is great marketing.

Similarly, I have helped local politicians with their campaigns. I've used similar marketing as the plumber but have added the politician's business card on a magnetic backing, with important phone numbers, such as police and fire emergency numbers (911), the non-emergency police and fire phone numbers, and phone numbers for their utilities such as electric, water, public works, etc. These magnetic business cards have very valuable information, and we recommend the residents place this business card directly onto their refrigerators.

Just a thought from a layman's perspective.

 

[Steve_K2]

Let me add, one senior to another, that you can learn to build and maintain a website yourself. Wordpress is one option I learned for a small community organization a few years ago. By now there may well be better alternatives.

$600/month to maintain your website is not a good use of your money. Until your business is thriving, you'll have time to learn this new skill. Why not use it?

 

[Steve_K2]

I found that a business card sized ad in the local weekly driveway newspaper worked well.

Maybe. In our area, though, it seems the local weekly driveway newspaper goes straight to the trash. If it's not left on the street to turn into mush.

 

[DFBonnett]

About the same here, but the two local ones here were very effective when I was getting my business up and running. Another thing I found effective was magnetic business cards.