Do you have a source for that research Radioman? It seems to contradict much of what I have heard, albeit anecdotally.
Hi Ray, I will dive into my records next week and see what I can find. On our own research we found that leaflets are very hit and miss.
Due to my consultant background I was very hot on monitoring where the enquiries came from and charted those against the expenditure for those adverts. A simple enquiry form kept in the office and in the van.
First issue was did they actually get delivered? We found by targeting a post code and then door stepping random properties the leaflets had not been delivered. Common problem when paying companies to deliver them for you. To do it for ourselves was monumentally time consuming. Another issue was it is like a shotgun approach to marketing, not specific enough, not targeted enough. For example we found a better hit rate by putting a simple post card through the doors immediately adjacent to where we had a job site. For example if we where doing a bathroom or similar job in a road, we sent the boy off to post the cards through all the doors in the road. The card said something like " we are currently working at number X, if you would like advice or estimates on any of the following works please come and have a chat" then a list of works, company details, etc. We definitely picked up work from that approach.
Also another problem with leaflet drops is the other trades that do it: Garden clearance, roofers, tree surgeons from the local travellers site, etc etc. Gives the wrong impression. We also found that local press adverts worked 10 years ago, but have zero effect now unless you include the words "discount for OAP". That alone told us of the age group that still used the paper as a source of tradesman. Not our target market for £10,000 plus bathrooms and kitchen. Ok for tap changes and shower leaks though but that was not enough to cover the cost of the advert.
Our best bang for buck was Facebook, specifically a group for the town we where based in. I made sure we posted regularly with before and after pictures of jobs and got clients to post as well.
Second was the web site. Not a diy job but a pro production, maintained and updated. I was very very sceptical at first but it was a real money spinner for us. Research showed that in our area, which is a high income commuter dormitory town, the 25 to 40 age groups use social media and the Internet almost exclusively for sourcing info and trades.
Lastly for now, here's one activity that practically no one does: every 3 months we called each and every customer from the same 3months last year and did a follow up call. I can tell you it can be very pleasant but can also be unpleasant, but I reckon we kept more customers that way than we gained by advertising and marketing. It was dinned into me when I was at GM Tech in Michigan many many years ago,
A business loses 1/3 of its customer base every year due to a number of factors you cannot control, so you have to replace those customers every year just to stay the same and staying the same means moving backwards.
Regards
Tim
