Hi AdviceIT,
Im in Melbourne and i recommend using some online sites like truelocal.com.au or another one that has provided me with some good leads is oneflare.com.au.
Oneflare i joined about 1 month ago and basically customer goes to their website and says i need help with XYZ and puts their location in.
It then emails businesses in that location they selected and the catergory they need help with. The first 5 businesses to quote back with a fixed price or hourly rate get sent to the customer. Then they pick one out of the 5. The good part is oneflare send you a message to your phone saying please call customer on... and you can then talk to them and work out a deal.
One client i got off Oneflare is so happy with my work they have used me 3-4 times now and recommend me to other people.
Overall i strongly believe word of mouth is still the best method of advertising. I also bend over backwards to do a good job for clients. Add that WOW factor to your job and people remember you and recommend you to everyone they know. Things i do to add the wow factor is - followups - always follow up on your jobs- i add it to the calendar 1 week after completing the job. Ask them how everything is going and anything else you can help with. Either email follow up or a phone follow up. Email is good because you can list other services but phone calls probably should be your first priority.
Document how they are setup, record IP addresses, usernames & passwords. I store clients data in their account on my customer portal or in the ticket they logged. Having information ready for the client if they need it really impresses them and lets them know you know what your doing.
I have tried the whole flyers in the mail and i got a couple of calls but to be honest it took up alot of time. Social media is ok and i have received a few jobs from friends of friends but ago can take up alot of time.
Buffer App is a good program to use if you do alot of social media marketing. Buffer allows you to send one message to Facebook, LinkedIN, Google+, Twitter without having to post in each one. You create the article and then schedule it to post at a particular time of the day- I read an article about what days,times is best to post and get the best results.
I saved the article so havea read through this:
http://blog.bufferapp.com/best-time-to-tweet-post-to-facebook-send-emails-publish-blogposts
Being in IT i often would be up late working and would do my social marketing late at night- No one would read the posts or share ect but found following this guide you do get more hits/likes but in general dont get that much work out of it to be honest.
As you mentioned earlier i have tried some methods you mentioned:
Google Adwords: i received a voucher for Adwords Express and i have to say it was a complete waste going with the Adwords Express. They pick your keywords and i got stupid key words totally unrelated to my business. If you go with Google Adwords you at least have a say in what key words you can choose. Since i had Adwords Express i haven't really tried it since.
Another you didnt mention but probably falls under flyers is Community Notice Boards - IN my local supermarket there is a notice board where you can put your business cards or flyers. This has given me a few hits and i have one of those flyers where it has your name and number at the bottom of the page where you can tear it off. I also have a QR code on the flyer so people can scan it and add my details to their phone.
My next plan is to goto nearby University and TAFE colleges as they always have noticeboards for students and hoping this might be another avenue for work.
Hope that helps.
Both times over 150 persons looked at his posting. Now, he has finally gotten something useful thanks to 4YCR.
