[David_Annable]

If your Marketing Budget is set at 10% of turnover for an established business.

Say for instance turnover £30,000 marketing budget £3,000.

If budget increased to £5,000 would turnover increase to £50,000 if given a couple of years?

I know there are a huge number of variables, but generally speaking.

Dave

[lee_gundry]

i dont think you can work it out that way.

marketing is hit & miss approach,until you find what works for you,then you can spend your marketing budget on the areas you get results.

i have a ad in the yellow pages & gross approx £500.00 per year from the ad,yet i still use the ad for people who want me to clean their carpet & use the yellow pages for reference to my number.yet other cleaners gross 35-50k per year from their ads.I run a full page ad in the local paper & average 4k of work from 1 night advert.

WHAT WORKS FOR SOME DOES NOT WORK FOR OTHERS.

i have produced a marketing manual on my OWN marketing methods.THIS HAS WORKED WELL FOR ME it includes marketing ideas that i have fine tuned over the last 11 yrs.

monitor your inquiries & consentrate on the better feed back.


Lee G

[Mike Halliday]

it depends where you spend your marketing money, if you spend £100 on a half page ad in the paper and get 3 jobs I don't think spending £200 on a full page ad would bring in 6 jobs

with some things it will work  if a 1000 leaflets bring in 3 jobs consistantly then I would think 2000 would bring in 6, so doubling how much you spend will work.

if you spend £50 sending out newsletter to your customers every 6 weeks and get 3 jobs will spending £100 to send them out every 3 weeks get 6 ? I don't think so.

Mike  

[David_Annable]

Thanks

I agree that you can concentrate on what works, but the problem with that, is that you end up only using 2 or 3 strategies.

If one of your strategies isnt as sussesfull as it has been in the past, then you start to strugle.

If on the other hand you have got more strategies in place, you should get more work.

I am thinking of spending more on 2 or 3 more  strategies that may bring in more work over time. Whilst also spending more on things that have worked in the past.

Dave

[Mark Betts]

I tend to concentrate on say 3 or 4 "strategies" that I know work.

Then, experiment with another couple just to see.

THat way you still have regular work but at the same time research new marketing areas.

Ones that I know work for me are.

Newspaper ads

Schools

Thank you letters with vouchers for referrals.

1 year and 2 year remonders.

Mark

[mark_roberts]

If your a new business then you'll spend a lot more on advertising.

Don't worry so much about how much it costs but worry more about rates of return.  I work on the principle of at least 4-1.  £1 invested=£4 back.

As marketing is telling the best bang for your buck is to get off your backside and go tell people your a carpet cleaner via BNI, chamber of commerce, knocking on doors etc.

I have yet to find a method that I can treat as a tap ie. when I want more work I turn the marketing tap and a specific number of jobs will come in, apart from ringing last years commercial customers as that works 99% of the time.

thanks
Mark

[Mark Betts]

Mark

Are you in BNI ?

Is it working for you?


Mark

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Newsletters work fine for me but I do have a big client base I just do them on a 3 monthly basis, keep upto date with records and you'll be suprised how many new clients it brings in as well. Yellow Pages used to be good but I get so booked up general enquirers won't wait.

Shaun

[Dave Parry]

Shaun, what content do you put in your newsletter ?
Like the idea, but surely theres not much to say, unless you have new equipment, or special offers.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Blah blah blah, just tell them how good you are, what you do that is different, stain removal, a funny story, ask for recommends, info on ncca and iicrc, are you using solutions? then tell them that you are now detergent free with no enzymes no bleaches and you can drink the stuff it's so kind.

Client loyalty is high I can get a months work from old customers and probably another week out of recommends, natural work coming in looks after the rest of the month and 3 weeks and then I send another.

I send them January, April, July, mid September (a little earlier than 3 months) as I like to pick up new customers around Xmas ( popular time ) to build database.

Shaun    

[mark_roberts]

Mark

Yes BNI worked very well for me the two years I was in it.  I left recently as had no time for it and my contact list was running out.  You MUST be there at the weekly metting usually 7am-830am but you also need time for one to ones (meeting other members and getting referrals for them).  BNI is all about giving to get (givers gain).

The type of members a chapter would need for a carpet cleaners to get good work would be carpet retailer, architech, estate agent, letting agent, painter, plumber, builder etc etc.

Its an excellant way of getting contacts and also building your self confidence in talking about your business, giving presentations etc.

If you've got the time join.

thanks
Mark

[Ian Gourlay]

If you do not get a satifactory return from your local Newspaper Advertising  ie classified or small box. (not Major Disaplay Advert) would you carry on advertising in order to have a precence to back up other marketing.

Or forget it.

Obviously various wording changes have been tried?

In my other Marketing methods ie door to door telephone I have found by saying I am in Yellow Pages and Local directories it has helped me get a job or at least a hearing.

[Mark Betts]

Ian

No, If my classified advert was not pulling in at least enough to "cover" the cost of the ad, I would drop it.

As with any form of advertising.

But as my classidied ad does work, some weeks better than others its an on going advert.

Cheers


Mark


PS

I tend to refer potential client to my website in my small ads, they have all the info they want about me there as apposed to a Yellow Pages ad which is up against every other Tom Dick an Harry when they look.


PPS  MR MODERATOR !!!!!  I think this word filtering thing is getting  abit out of hand !!!    Just typed word for "Richard" above and came out thingy!!!!! hahahaha