Here’s a new video I just created to give you some new ways to network online and get business. You’ll really like the new social media site called Ning. Join the carpet cleaning group at http://carpet-cleaning-business.ning.com then create your own group.
BLACK FRIDAY DEALS…Keep watch for an email from me on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. I’ll be giving some incredible offers up to 50% OFF on some of my stuff to help improve your advertising.
I received a call yesterday afternoon as I was leaving my office. My assistant said it was the AT & T Yellow Pages to finalize my tiny one-inch ad.
Once on the phone, I asked about the details of my little ad to confirm everything was correct. The phone rep didn’t know anything about the ad.
Instead, her motive was to sell me a paid listing on the Yellowpages.com website.
Hmmm…that sounds weird (My salesman radar was up)
Like all yellow page reps, she used the typical tactic, “You’ll never be found if you don’t purchase this ad.” So since I’m interested in online advertising, I started asking questions.
I pulled up the Yellowpages.com directory and first noticed the paid banners had “no follow” links. This means Google doesn’t spider your incoming link. I asked her about the link value and she had no idea what I was talking about.
Next I asked, “How many people a month are searching Yellowpages.com for carpet cleaners in Pensacola (my city).” Surprisingly, she shared the number with me. On average 260 people per month are searching on their site.
So here’s where really knowing about the internet can help you make a wise choice. Around 1000 people per month are searching for carpet cleaners on Google for my city. So that’s four times the traffic of Yellowpages.com.
Now, the big question…
“How much is an ad on Yellowpages.com?” It was $230 for a higher position and $85 for a lower position. And get this, a ONE YEAR commitment was required.
Let’s compare Yellowpages.com directly to Google Adwords. If 1000 people are searching on Google, I may get 20-60 clicks from an Adwords campaign. In my city the click for top position is about $1.80.
Worst case scenario, I’m paying $108 to show up on EVERY single Google search for carpet cleaning in Pensacola. Keep in mind, these numbers are assuming my Google Adwords account is set up well. If it’s not set up right, I could easily spend three times this amount for the same result.
Google Adwords=$108 for 1000 impressions.
Yellowpages.com=$230 for 260 impressions.
An impression is the number of times your ad is seen. Not everyone clicks your ad.
In other words, if you’re advertising on Yellowpages.com with 260 impressions per month, you may get anywhere from 5-50 clicks to your site per month. You’d be paying anywhere from $5 – 45 per click. Ouch! With Adwords, you’d be paying only $1.80 per click.
If you test out Yellowpages.com for a month and find you’re paying $30 per click, you can’t cancel. With Adwords, you can cancel at a moment’s notice.
The other great thing about Adwords is you spend whatever you want. If you only want to spend $50 in a month, you can do it. If you want to advertise for just a week, you can do that too.
So that’s my rant. I just wanted to make sure you were educated on this subject so you’ll know how to respond. More often than not, you can get better advertising on Adwords MUCH cheaper.
* It would have no commitments
* You could start and stop it at any time
* Results are immediate
* You could easily see if it really works or not
* Changes to the ad can be done instantly
* Over 70% of your target market uses it
* Return on investment of 4-to-1 is easily doable
* You only need to invest $25 a week to test it
Well, I’ve found the near perfect advertising media. It does have one minor drawback though. You really need someone to show you how to use it effectively.
What is it? It’s Google Adwords pay-per-click. And it’s the best advertising many cleaning companies are doing from small cities to big cities.
To hear the replay of a recent Q & A webinar on Adwords basics, click below.
You’ll also learn how to get complete Adwords training by getting in on an exclusive webinar I’m holding this Thursday night. See details by clicking the link.
Thanks for your comments and questions about Adwords.
What I want to know now is HOW you want to learn about Adwords?
Would videos be the best way for you to learn?
Would webinars be good?
Do you want a type written how-to booklet?
Would you prefer to learn online?
Would you rather have a physical product mailed to you at a higher cost?
What price range should a training course like this be?
Leave any other comment you can give that may help…
Here’s what we’re doing…
This Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 7pm central, I’ll be holding a short webinar to answer all the questions from my blog.
Yes, you can attend at NO CHARGE regardless of whether or not you ask a question.
You can win A FREE ONE-HOUR personal consultation with me to spruce up your Adwords and your SEO strategies. This private consultation has a $200 value.
And now, I’ll also be giving away one of the NEW Google Adwords training packages for cleaners. It’s not even out yet, but coming soon.
If you want a chance at winning…
All you need to do is ask a question about Adwords on my blog. One winner for each will be randomly chosen. No, you don’t have to be on the webinar to win.
Just leave your comment by clicking “See Comments” below and you’ll be registered for each drawing.
I really want to know what obstacles you’re having with running a profitable Google Adwords campaign and what would be the best way to teach you how to use Adwords.
Give me your feedback.
Keep in mind, only real questions and comments will be considered for the drawing. I’m looking for useful comments and questions. Yes, you can leave a comment on this post as well as the “What do you want to know about Gooogle Adwords” post below to increase your chances of winning.
When I was there, I figured out something that may REALLY help your advertising.
See, when I talked with several cleaners at the Roundtable, I found most of them weren’t using Google Adwords. And the few that were, weren’t using it the most profitable way possible.
Some are paying $6 per click. YIKES! If you’re spending this much on all your clicks, something is wrong.
Pay-per-click campaigns like Google Adwords can easily be one of the most profitable advertising media for you. Lots of cleaners are getting up to 15 to 1 returns.
But you gotta set your campaign up correctly. Using a few tricks won’t hurt either.
So I want to know exactly what you want to learn about Adwords.
- What don’t you understand about how pay-per-click works?
- What’s keeping you from making lots of money with Adwords?
- Are you having trouble getting it set up?
- List any other question or concern you have…..????
Give me your comments. Tell me what you’d like to learn about Adwords.
Win a FREE one-hour consultation…
I’m going to give one person a personal ONE-HOUR consultation to help get your Google Adwords campaign making you the most money possible. This is a $200 value, but you can win it FREE just by making a comment.
Any comment can win as long as it’s a thought out question. The winner will be chosen randomly.
Tell me what you want to know about Adwords by seeing the “Comments” link below.
This is an excerpt from our most recent Ad of the Month Coaching Club webinar. If you’d like to see the entire video and get all the ads and training to stay busy during the holidays, go to www.Hitmanadvertising.com/coaching
We’re coming up on one of the best opportunities for making money in the cleaning business. But it will only happen if you market yourself well.
Start with these Four Items Below and Plan NOW!
Send a newsletter or postcard to your current clients for Thanksgiving.
Use newspaper advertising. This is the BEST time of year.
Use Google Adwords. Turn off your campaign when you get too busy.
Contact those who refer you and ask for referrals this holiday.
Thanksgiving Newsletter/Postcard
Create a Thanksgiving Newsletter or Postcard to mail your current clients. If you’re in the Ad of the Month Coaching Club, you’ll get a nice oversized postcard/newsletter you can use in your own company.
Mail them either on Monday, November 2 or Monday, November 9. Mondays are the best day to send a mailing for our industry.
In the postcard, thank your clients for their business. And give them some type of gift if you choose. Or, just wait until right at Christmas to give the gift.
IMPORTANT: Tell them to book their cleaning appointment early because you normally stay booked up.
If you’re new in business, do the same thing with your “neighborhood”. Simply thank them for their business for the year and tell them you LOVE being their neighborhood cleaning company.
At the beginning of December, you’ll want to mail another newsletter/postcard.
Newspaper Advertising
Now’s the best time of the year to test newspaper. Use one of the ads in the member section that put a bit of a spin on holiday cleaning. Remember that newspaper is timely, so make your ad holiday driven.
Above is an example of a good holiday newspaper ad.
Google Adwords
Use Adwords to get more website traffic. And the great part about Adwords is you can turn it off when you get too busy. Consider trying the “Appointments Available Today” or “Same Day Appointments” headline.
Then when you get busy, turn your Adwords campaign off until you need it again.
Contact them and thank them for the referrals they’ve given you. You may want to bring a box of donuts or candy along with you if you go in person. Or, send them a restaurant gift certificate in the mail. You don’t need to give them something huge, just give them a little thanks to get their attention.
ASK FOR THE REFERRALS! This is very obvious, but it can be easily forgotten. Make sure you ask. Tell them that their clients are going to be looking for someone to maintain their floors before the holidays. And then tell them you’d love to be the person they recommend. Then ask, “Will you please refer us?”
There is a psychological trigger in asking this question. Make sure you ask!
Here’s an article I recently wrote for ICS Magzine on using social media online. I HIGHLY recommend you set up these FREE sources for your cleaning business NOW before your competitor takes all the good keyword phrases.
Are you getting cleaning jobs online? Maybe some, but not as many as you’d like? Here are some ways to get free cleaning jobs with social media.
Each year the internet becomes more social. The amazing feature of the Net is the ability to interact with your favorite shows, movies, actors, friends, and businesses. That’s where social media comes in handy.
Are you an online socialite? It isn’t difficult. Here are some ways to increase your online social status:
Merchantcircle
This is one of the hottest sites for local online traffic and social networking. You can blog about your company and leave links back to your website. Go towww.merchantcircle.com to sign up.
Facebook
First create a personal profile at www.facebook.com. Then create a fan page for your company at www. facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/pages/create.php. After that, put up link on your blog or home page that allows web surfers to become a fan. Also, send a message to all your Facebook friends asking them to become a fan.
Hot Frog
Now here’s a great way to get a free listing that may show up in the top ten of searches for your city. Go to www.hotfrog.com and register now.
Squidoo
Here’s a hot new social media site. The best part about Squidoo is you can add Youtube videos on your lens (Squidoo calls your webpage a “lens”). Your Youtube videos will rank higher and may even show up on the top of your search results. To create your lens, go to www.squidoo.com
LinkedIn
A great way to interact with other businesses is LinkedIn. If you do commercial work, Linked In can be a huge way to get to know prospects. Start by befriending other business manager and owners in your area. Then attach your cleaning blog to your profile page. It’s an easy way to get testimonials from clients. Set up a profile at www.linkedin.com
Twitter
Use Twitter to interact on a large scale with dozens or thousands of people at a time. Here’s the trick though, you need a free application called Tweetdeck to make sense of Twitter. Tweetdeck helps keep track of your comments and posts. Otherwise, you get lost in the posting insanity. Get a Twitter page at www.twitter.com and then www.tweetdeck.com/beta for your Tweetdeck.
Local Bulletin Boards
Find a local bulletin board and make posts about cleaning when appropriate. Just do a Google search for “Bulletin Board (Your city)”.
Blogs
In addition to your regular website, you should have a blog website. It’s best to have a blog that is on your own separate domain name. Your web designer can easily set this up for you. Use your blog to tell about what’s going on in your company. Routinely ask for comments to your blog posts to encourage social interaction.
Myspace
Don’t worry about Myspace. It’s not geared for our target audience.
Don’t use social media as a stage to sell. Remember, people who get on social media sites are looking for ways to interact. Instead, use it as a stage to allow your prospects to get to know you.
Sure, you can make sales offers on occasion. But don’t turn it into a sales pitch every time you make a post. Social media is best when you use it to tell the story of you and your company. Give informative tips. Occasionally let them in on some special offers.
If you use it right, you’ll gain new cleaning clients. Plus, your website ranking can be improved when you create a link from a social media site to your website. It’s free, so use it!
Newspaper Advertising
