What advertising has worked for YOU? What worked for me is

[Majestic]

These advertising vehicles have worked for me:

a) Business Networking (being part of BNI/Business networking international in my case)
b) A monthly ad in my local suburban newspaper
c) word of month (of course)
d) Advertising on Craiglist (not a VERY high success rate, but it is free advertising so I can't complain over the business that did come in)


These vehicles have NOT worked for me:

a) Advertising on Kijiji
b) Advertising in the Yellow Pages (HUGEEEE Mistake and very pricy)
c) Magnets on my car
d) Facebook (so far, working on it though)


I'd love to hear about everybody elses success and not

Majestic

 

[Dameize]

I havnt started just yet but from some competition ive been watching facebook seems to work really well and someone else the newspaper.

 

[BryanLee]

I don't pay for advertising.

Word of Mouth. This can either make or break your business. I make a point to be the kind of person/business that my customers want to tell others about.

I use the usual social networks but I don't get business from my own profiles that i notice. They are most useful when someone else is promoting you. There is a big difference between me saying "Hey! Use my business!" and someone else saying "<Business Name Here> is so amazing! I recommend them to all of my friends!".

I highly recommend using Yelp and encouraging your customers to leave reviews. I get a lot of calls from my yelp listing. They either find me directly on Yelp or via search engine results in which yelp places very well. You may notice that some of your reviews get filtered if they are posted by a user who doesn't really use yelp. Either way, I cant say enough good things about them.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Word of mouth/referrals
BNI
Local Chamber of Commerce

 

[NWPhotog]

Just for those that don't know, BNI is a for profit business and when I checked into it the cost was not cheap imo. I think the better you are at being social the more likely it is to be successful for you. Being the typical antisocial geek I passed on it.

 

[NerdHouse]

In all honesty, Google Adwords has helped me tremendously. That's about it.

 

[Majestic]

It is definitely true the more social you are, the more networking you do it definitely does translate to the most profitable outcomes in your business. That said, there are upswings and downswings.

Sometimes my networking became dry so to speak so I find that advertising gets you business and referrals from areas you would not necessary tap into.

My biggest clients came from small advertisements that translated from residential to their commercial businesses. My biggest client came directly from BNI actually.

Just like we need multiple streams of income I Feel we need multiple streams of advertising to keep us afloat always..

Any other suggestions for advertising? How's it working for everybody.. What IS?

I have yet to finally get my website up and to work Google AdWords.

Majestic

 

[tempusfugit]

I highly recommend using Yelp and encouraging your customers to leave reviews. I get a lot of calls from my yelp listing. They either find me directly on Yelp or via search engine results in which yelp places very well. You may notice that some of your reviews get filtered if they are posted by a user who doesn't really use yelp. Either way, I cant say enough good things about them.

eff yelp.. Half my legitimate review are filtered, and then competitors who pay yelp have 13 reviews 13 days in a row that are so obviously fake its sick.

My customers have well written reviews, have reviewed other places before mine, get filtered.

Single review, crap reviews like "omg computer place across the street is the bestest!!@21!!!!" stay up forever.


edit: yelp and google reviews are still a major source of clients for us, its just frustrating that someone can pay yelp, have their business show up on the yelp page for MY business, and then when the client clicks on them they have less filtered reviews.

 

[jamesp4330]

Another for Google adwords. My best response has and will always be word of mouth. But Google Adwords is great for targeting areas and certain services.

 

[tminer]

BNI has brought me alot of good clients. We're actually having our christmas party tonight. Im not a real social guys (unless i've been drinking lol). It was kinda awkward the first couple of meetings (for me) but except for a couple visitors its usually the same members every week, so you get to know them on a first name basis. It does cost about $400 a year but i made that back in the first couple weeks. Also mine is a lunch meeting where some other chapters are at breakfast.

Google Adwords also has brought me some business

Also, a webiste the ranks well for organic results is a big plus.

And of course word of mouth.

 

[NerdHouse]

If you are within the first few results of the SERPS for computer repair x where x is your location such as city, county, state, etc. you will probably be in a decent place as far as leads and phone calls and jobs are concerned.

Being at the top of the page for AdWords helped me tremendously. I just wish I had more money to pour into AdWords. I would do a lot more.

I'm now working on figuring out how to get my site into the first few spots for organic search results via SEO. Obviously it's a chess match and those who are already at the top spots are there for a reason, they know what they're doing. But being up there helps a whole bunch besides word of mouth.

 

[Mr.Mike]

I've actually done pretty well with phone books. The demographic in my immediate area are boomer-aged and always use the old-fashioned yellow pages.

I also have two radio spots on a local station that is a testimonial by the station owner. He approached me with an idea that I do their IT in exchange for advertizing. I have recently gotten more calls since they went from AM to FM.

I have an ad sign posted at a popular golf course here in town on the 5th hole.

I change my Craig's list every other week and usually get a call or two a month.

My website is pretty good, but I have not bothered to go with any type of SEO yet. Likewise, I'm not a facebook user although I am looking as Linked-In.

What is also taking off around here are QR codes. I've begun to put them in my advertizing, including the phone book. Anyone else using them?

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Just for those that don't know, BNI is a for profit business and when I checked into it the cost was not cheap imo.

It's 1 dollar a day. And some dues for the local chapter.
Compared to yellow page ads? Local newspaper ads? Radio ads? Pretty cheap!
Gets your name known in other businesses....typically more well known business owners. Approx 2 years into it, I brought in a car dealership, a law firm, a physical therapy office, a home building company, a travel agency, a bunch of small 1x computer home jobs.

My colleague has been at it over 3 years in his chapter, he's brought in even more than I...including a big dental office that we have on a big monthly support contract.

 

[curley]

Advertising is so fickle. Especially in this economy. I have found doing meet and greets. Rub elbows, most people throw out adverts...referrals from friends, family, businesses...all want someone they trust.

Be consistent in your message and be consistently delivering it.

 

[PC-Man]

Word of mouth, google adwords, online ads on free local classified websites

 

[NWPhotog]

Yes, the cost is $100 to join, an additional $365 per year corporate fee, plus chapter fees, plus possible penalty fees. In addition you have to buy your meal at the weekly meeting so an additional $40 a month. If a person is outgoing and social I can see it as a reasonable investment. For me the whole for profit angle was a complete turn off.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Yes, the cost is $100 to join, an additional $365 per year corporate fee, plus chapter fees, plus possible penalty fees. In addition you have to buy your meal at the weekly meeting so an additional $40 a month. If a person is outgoing and social I can see it as a reasonable investment. For me the whole for profit angle was a complete turn off.

"Buy" a meal? That is up to the local chapter and whoever makes decisions there.
Some chapters may have their meetings at a restaurant, a chapter I belonged to had one at a local restaurant...instead of "rental fees"...the restaurant just charged the chapter for buffet style, fixed price per seat. So instead of a place charging the chapter "rent"..which is a good portion of the monthly dues, we as members got a nice breakfast instead. My colleagues chapter (different than mine) does the same thing.

So "no, not a yet additional 40/month in addition to chapter fees"...if done correctly.

"Penalty fees"...aka "late fees". Similar to other things you pay for, if you're late, you get docked. Simple accounting..keep up with bills on time, that's more a local accounting issue rather than a fault of BNI.

My colleague and I sat down last week to review business brought in via BNI....he's been in his BNI longer, he has brought in over 7 grand per year average..and it's going up big time this year for him because he recently brought in a huge dentists office.
Last year I brought in nearly 4 grand....and I'm close to closing a deal with a new client that will bring in 500 bucks/month fixed income as a regular monthly client.

As others have mentioned.....personality type is key. It's not for the pale mushroom complexion types that never leave their office and get out in the real world..., you have to be able to work with people. You are your first line of sales.

 

[NWPhotog]

"Buy" a meal? That is up to the local chapter and whoever makes decisions there.
Some chapters may have their meetings at a restaurant, a chapter I belonged to had one at a local restaurant...instead of "rental fees"...the restaurant just charged the chapter for buffet style, fixed price per seat. So instead of a place charging the chapter "rent"..which is a good portion of the monthly dues, we as members got a nice breakfast instead. My colleagues chapter (different than mine) does the same thing.

So "no, not a yet additional 40/month in addition to chapter fees"...if done correctly.

"Penalty fees"...aka "late fees". Similar to other things you pay for, if you're late, you get docked. Simple accounting..keep up with bills on time, that's more a local accounting issue rather than a fault of BNI.

My colleague and I sat down last week to review business brought in via BNI....he's been in his BNI longer, he has brought in over 7 grand per year average..and it's going up big time this year for him because he recently brought in a huge dentists office.
Last year I brought in nearly 4 grand....and I'm close to closing a deal with a new client that will bring in 500 bucks/month fixed income as a regular monthly client.

As others have mentioned.....personality type is key. It's not for the pale mushroom complexion types that never leave their office and get out in the real world..., you have to be able to work with people. You are your first line of sales.

Look. You seem to be trying to minimize the excessive expensive and time cost of BNI. I have no doubt it is a good investment for those that are salesman types. For the more typical tech type person? NO, plain and simple.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

For the more typical tech type person? NO, plain and simple.

For the "typical tech"...as in a high school kid A+ bench tech working at GeekSquad or BestBuy....correct...

But for business owners of computer companies (I gather there are a few of us here)..."Yes". This has been backed up by several other posts here by other members of this board (in this thread, and other threads)...so "Yes, pain and simple" for them, so I don't feel I'm unique in my position and opinion of BNI. I realize I'm in the minority here in that I go after the "bigger fish"....business clients (because that's where $125 or $150/hour rates happen and full monthly support contracts happen), and I realize many here just want home users...so I'll agree it's not AS beneficial for those that go after home users. Although I know I've brought home enough "home users" jobs from my BNI also that alone could have had it pay for itself.

I don't know what kind of experience you have with other types of advertising...
Chamber membership isn't cheap...but I do enjoy doing those also, and I've gotten good business clients out of that. For the techs that go for home users, the Chambers won't help that much.

minimize the excessive expensive and time cost of BNI.

What is your experience in other types of advertising costs?
Local newspaper ads for the year
Smaller local newspaper ads?
Yellow pages ads?
Radio air-time ads?
Direct mail campaigns? (including printing materials like flyers, postage)
E-Mail campaigns by things like Constant Contact
Local TV channel ads?

We've done all of those, and I'm sure I forgot a few....

 

[tminer]

BNI is a great place to get business clients, I have also got enough home user jobs alone to easily cover my costs for membership and meals. If you are stritcly trying to get home users then i probably wouldnt advise it.

All i have to pay is my annual membership and my weekly meal which i order from the resturants menu and i pay what a normal customer would pay for lunch. Unless your eating leftovers or a bag lunch then your probably gonna have some expense to eat anyways and this way its a tax write off you can easily justify.

Late fees, penalty fees, chapter fees? Our chapter doesnt have anything like that. Although chapters are supposed to follow the same rules, not all chapters are ran the same. But i've never heard of anyone paying these.

Plus you generally get to know people in other industries pretty well that can help you out and answer questions. For example in our chapter we have a banker, a commercial insurance agent, a consumer insurance agent, a medical insurance agent, a CPA, an attorney, an investment advisor, a printer, a vinyl graphics/marketing guy, etc, these are things we as computer techs need or have questions about. So thers alot more to it than just paying out fees, lol!

Plus you can go to other BNI chapter meetings in or out of your area if they dont already have a computer person/company.