Marketing: The Good, the bad and what a waste of money!!

[jds720]

Looking for life lessons and trial and error stories!

My newest mistake, to small of signs! I ordered 8 12"x18" stick in the ground signs, and even with a good color match, way to small to see unless your on top of them! At least it was only $9 per sign, ill try to make them make me money!

[stevenf]

Contacting real-estate agents has been a waste of time. I guess they have to sell your service to the homeowner once you sold it to them.

[Scagguy]

$9 per sign? Are these metal signs? Even so, at $9 a piece, you got hosed really bad.

[RBatten]

go to banditsigns.com. You can get 18x24 for about $3 each. $4 with the H frame stake.

[jds720]

You think $9 is bad, locally most places wanted $24-29 per sign for the same thing!!!

[DUSTYCEDAR]

put them up they will help

[luckydooley]

Holy cow! I'm getting 18"x24" signs for about $4.30 each. Thats two sides two colors.

[Az Gardener]

My tax guy gave me some big clips with a plastic covering and a magnet on the back very nice/clean. I have the guys put them on the street side of the dump bed with some marketing material clipped to them so anyone walking by can just pull off a newsletter or list of services. We pull a 16' enclosed with 14" cab over dump trucks they don't stick to the trailer (:dizzy: aluminum) so we put them on the back of the dump bed. They put them on when they arrive and put them in the cab until the next stop.

Most of the neighborhoods we are in have lots of walkers and joggers. I am even going to work the schedule to be sure we are in the best neighborhoods at the most optimum time to get in front of prospects.

Just started so I don't know how it will work. I do know that expensive magazine advertising has not produced much for my colleague's. They also tell me my new trailer signs will only garner complaint calls about bad driving habits and broken windows :cry:. We will see.

[kolawns]

You think $9 is bad, locally most places wanted $24-29 per sign for the same thing!!!

That's about right!

[DLAWNS]

My only advice would be to find customers yards that look good and that are highly visible where people walk a lot or drive slowly and you would be surprised at how many people will notice it. Just don't forget to ask for permission, lol.

[jds720]

so 2 of the signs i put out are already gone!! no more stick in the ground signs for me!! next month: direct mailing lol

[MattL]

Last year was my first year trying out lawn care. I'm only 18 and I just went door to door talking to people and handing out my flyers. It seemed to work well, although I'm guessing most people don't have time for that. I think people liked it tho as they got to meet me and get an idea about what kind of person I was.

[rnd]

Visit RNDSIGNS.COM (http://rndsigns.com). See hundreds of lawn signs with molded injected plastic stakes used for notification and advertising that sell for pennies. 6x6 inches up to 8x11 in size. RND has been the leader in lawn signs since 1985.

[RBatten]

so 2 of the signs i put out are already gone!! no more stick in the ground signs for me!! next month: direct mailing lol


I know that around here Code Enforcement cleans the right of ways regularly. Your lucky if your sign stays up more than 3 days.

The best way to put our signs is to zip tie them to poles at least 7ft up. They are hard to put up because you need a ladder, but they are also hard to get down! Code enforcement doesn't have ladders in the truck. I have see some use a shovel or scraper to take them down when they are stapled to a pole. This won't work if you zip tie them. You will need the very large ones sold at Home Depot and they run about $1 each and you will need two per sign. Very effective. They will stay up for quite some time.

[IMAGE]

I sponsored 2 holes at a golf course. They have a "pro tips book" with a page for each hole on the course. They printed over 35000 books, because each round of golf comes with the book. I got the exclusive ad space on the pages for the 2 holes I sponsored. I spent $1000 bucks on that and didnt get 1 call... ouch.

[AdamChrap]

You need something that makes potential customers remember you. check us out at www.1-800-MOW-MY-LAWN.com Plans start at $49.95 with unlimited calls!

[DoetschOutdoor]

Is there a way to find out if other guys have already done the 1800mowmylawn thing in our area?

[jds720]

id like to know some more about he 800mowmylawn lets hear it guys anybody using?

[AdamChrap]

Is there a way to find out if other guys have already done the 1800mowmylawn thing in our area?

E-mail me sales@1800-mowmylawn.com with the zips and I can tell you.

id like to know some more about he 800mowmylawn lets hear it guys anybody using?

We only have a few companies signed up as of now and only for a week or so as we are a new start up company. We have been using the number ourselves for a few years and are now offering it out in the areas of the country we do not service. e-mail me for more info sales@1800mowmylawn.com