Lesson 3: Advertising To Increase Your Bottom Line
Learning how to advertise your business will help direct customers to you which will generate more revenue for your profit margin.
Most people love what they do, but they hate advertising. It's no wonder, too, because it can be difficult to write good advertising copy and to find a place where consumers you will actually want to work for will see your copy and give you a call. Moreover, placing good advertisements can get a bit expensive.
There are, though, several easy ways to advertise that will increase your customer base.
Your Vehicle: You spend a lot of time moving from place to place in your work vehicle. People see your vehicle in front of your customers' homes. Why not turn it into a moving billboard? Put your business name, phone number, and website on the doors and back of your vehicle. Be sure to make is large enough for customers to read. This is a fairly inexpensive way to get some quick, yet effective advertisement. You can even purchase inexpensive magnetic advertisements if you feel like you might want to remove them for some purposes.
Free Publicity: Consider some pro bono work to increase your visibility. This could include donations of product to the less fortunate or helping out in times of need like natural disaster. Some community papers allow you to submit your own press releases detailing the work that you have done. You might also consider printing some fliers for your business advertising the free work you have completed to give to your current customers.
Internet Marketing: With the explosion of the internet, there are a number of business with websites. In fact, no business should be without one. Once you have a site, though, there are several things you can do to increase your traffic. First, consider search engine optimization. Search engines work by finding particular words and directing customers to sites based on a ranking of the number of words on the site matching the word searched for. Optimizing your site for particular terms related to your product will increase your ranking and the likelihood that customers will be directed to your site.
You might also consider reciprocal linking. A reciprocal link is text or a banner ad on one site that links to another site with a link back to the original site. Reciprocal links are a commitment between parties that tell customers "I like and trust the content on this other site." It also involves an element of trust between the sites. You must remember not to bury your reciprocal links where customers cannot find them.
The next lesson discusses how quality copywriting in all of your materials can help generate customers for you. This quick read could help you increase your revenue. Be sure to watch for it!
Now that you’re on the way to a healthier business, be sure to visit the HomeHammer website and sign your business up in our directory today.
We are the world's largest home improvement site, and the way we stay large is by making sure we have the most extensive database of contractors and home professionals around, so make sure you’re on that list!