Building Your Home Service Empire: Proven Marketing Techniques
Dec 15, 2023Episode 6
Chance & Alex
Ever wondered how a business can catapult from zero to $30,000 within 3 months? We've done it, and we're ready to pull back the curtain on the marketing strategies that powered our home service business, The Smart Fix, to such heights. Our secret? Laser-sharp focus on Google, leveraging a robust Google business profile, littered with quality photos and shining reviews. Not to mention, we didn't completely abandon the old school—door hangers and business cards still work magic when done right. Prepare to soak up indispensable advice on what to include in these materials and how to gear your marketing for exponential growth.
But that's just half the story. We're also giving you a tour of alternate marketing avenues, perfect for local businesses looking to connect with their target market. With firsthand knowledge, we'll unpack the advantages of PPC or paid advertising on platforms like Nextdoor, and how platforms like Facebook groups can be harnessed for rapid expansion. Never underestimate the importance of understanding your region's competition and the wonder of innovative outreach. Ready for a treasure trove of insights? Buckle up, and let's get started!
Ever wondered how a business can catapult from zero to $30,000 within 3 months? We've done it, and we're ready to pull back the curtain on the marketing strategies that powered our home service business, The Smart Fix, to such heights. Our secret? Laser-sharp focus on Google, leveraging a robust Google business profile, littered with quality photos and shining reviews. Not to mention, we didn't completely abandon the old school—door hangers and business cards still work magic when done right. Prepare to soak up indispensable advice on what to include in these materials and how to gear your marketing for exponential growth.
But that's just half the story. We're also giving you a tour of alternate marketing avenues, perfect for local businesses looking to connect with their target market. With firsthand knowledge, we'll unpack the advantages of PPC or paid advertising on platforms like Nextdoor, and how platforms like Facebook groups can be harnessed for rapid expansion. Never underestimate the importance of understanding your region's competition and the wonder of innovative outreach. Ready for a treasure trove of insights? Buckle up, and let's get started!
Speaker 1:
So we grew the SmartFix zero to 30,000 super quick. I would say a hundred percent of it had to do with marketing. So let's specifically talk about what did we do to market the SmartFix, to get it so big so fast? Yeah. And then maybe some you know other people out here can benefit from that. I know you know you've got two main categories of marketing right. You have your digital, and then you have what people would refer to as traditional. Yeah. So let's, let's hop into digital. You know, 2023, that's probably more of what we should be focusing on a little bit. So let's, let's hop into that side. What does it look like exactly we did in the digital realm of marketing?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, For the, for the SmartFix, we really focused on one channel primarily and you know that's a recommendation I would give most people is focus on one platform, one channel. One way to get customers pick one channel and focus on that so they can own it and get most of your customers from there. The one that we chose and the one I recommend most people choose for home service based businesses, like handyman companies, is Google, because everybody you need something around the house, like you aren't on Facebook, just like, oh, you know, hey, a handyman company, like yeah, I should call them. You know, it's like your door broke or somebody punched a hole in the wall and you go to Google and you just look for somebody hey, I need somebody to patch a drywall near me.
Speaker 1:
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
And so that's where we focused. We wanted to capture the transactional intent of the customer, the demand capturing that was already here. Instead of trying to create demand, we wanted to capture the demand, and so we focused 100% on Google and how long did it take us?
Speaker 1:
again, I kind of know, but how long did it take us to get to the top? I know that's pretty cool to see.
Speaker 2:
So a little tricky question, because actually a little misnomer just because you were your at look where you're ranking, that does not mean that Christina over on the other side of town is going to see you ranking in that same position, right? Lots of factors that depend on where you show up. So I would say, locally, here in Victoria, we were showing up number one on Google for the local business pack. Within 30 days From there we started to slowly increase our reach. So now we're number one out in Quero and Goliad and Edna in a lot of the other surrounding areas.
Speaker 1:
But we specifically focused on that area too. The maps, part right, the location based. We didn't even really touch on the website, seo, the organic part. We mainly focused on building it with reviews, building it with posts, building our Google business profile and the maps listing, because that's the first thing anybody sees honestly it is and it has all the information they need, right there. Yep, I feel like that's what we did good, as we focused in on that exact area. Google the maps listings.
Speaker 1:
And once we got that, we're like boom, we're good. And then we started doing some other stuff as well. But, it really didn't take as long at all to get to the top and I feel like, with just a few little tips on how to do that, it wasn't too hard for us to get to there, and that's what got us to $30,000 within three months of opening the business.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah, with the Google business profile right Anything of it from a customer perspective, to your point. You have everything that you need right there. You look for a handyman company and you can see their photos of past projects. You can see their Google reviews. So, social validation of what your neighbors and other local customers have said about this business and you can very quickly see it. Ok, this business has 23 five stars and this one has one and this one has a 2.5 star rating.
Speaker 1:
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
Who are you, the customer, going to go with? 23, five stars, 23, five stars, and so what we focused on is that, yeah, it really is kind of like a, like a gem within the service based business. Not so much. For a lot of other types of business the local pack doesn't play as relevant of a role, but home services I mean. Man like talk about simple ways to gain customer attention and make yourself stand apart from your competitors.
Speaker 2:
It's so easy yeah have better photos and have more better reviews. Yeah, and while there's lots of other things that go into it, there's like 2000 ranking factors and you know Google cares about other people referencing you across the web and you know, hey, are you on like Facebook and Instagram? And you know you have show everywhere else. That is really it, Like if you are a business owner, you want to get more business in your area.
Speaker 1:
Yeah.
Speaker 2:
Focus on a Google business profile create it get reviews, get high quality photos, start posting on there, and I mean it's, once you get to the number of views and photos that your competitors have, you can gain a lot of business. Oh yeah, and then from there you can team up with an SEO company or some type of marketing person to help get even more traction after that.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:
That's what we did on the digital side. What about on the traditional side?
Speaker 1:
So traditional. You know there's tons of different methods. There's billboards, door hangers going, you know, door to door handed.
Speaker 2:
I love that yeah.
Speaker 1:
Are all kinds of different traditional methods. You know. For us, you know, all that we really focused on was the door hangers and business cards. So print it off, a templated, honestly door hanger from this to print. We've obviously customized it a lot more since then. Yeah.
Speaker 2:
But you don't need anything fancy.
Speaker 1:
You don't need anything crazy.
Speaker 2:
No, you don't need anything crazy I mean, what would you say is important to have on a door hanger like that?
Speaker 1:
Yeah, yeah, really good point. So the door hanger is what I did specifically for. The smart fix is I focused on this area's issues. So, like South Texas, foundation is a huge deal. It causes a lot of drywall cracks, the storms, a lot of bad weather. So shingles on the roof pulling up the once again, the foundation shifting causes doors to tweak and close right. So I just listed out all of the stuff that was more specific to my area. Yeah, and then on top of that I listed out stuff I wanted to do Right.
Speaker 2:
So oh, okay.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, ever. We all have our comfort zones, so like I'm very comfortable replacing doors and windows and doing drywall work. Yeah, so I put that on after the drywall cracks and this more specific stuff for the area.
Speaker 2:
So you matched up what my customers need and what I can actually do with.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I put all that onto a service list and started going door to door.
Speaker 2:
And the first few door to doors I was a little bit more nervous, so I just kind of knocked and hung them up there and then ran away and then walked away Like I hope they don't answer, kind of thing.
Speaker 1:
Uh-huh, and then I started, you know, knocking and waiting a long time and they would come out and I'd try to sell it. But the thing with handyman specific stuff, it was a little bit harder to sell because it's it's one of those services that, like, they'll contact you when they need you type of thing.
Speaker 1:
So, unless I saw something outside, I then switched from staying and waiting to like okay, if I see that they have something broken, this is a house that I'm going to stay and wait at. Compared to if I see that this house is immaculate, I'm just going to leave a door hanger and go to the next one. Yeah, because I feel like that's the best way to maximize my time, because, you know, at the beginning I was probably doing like within two hours, 30 door hangers by waiting at every single door, whereas with that kind of mixed, you know like okay, if I see something I think needs attention.
Speaker 2:
Yep.
Speaker 1:
At least from the exterior. I'm going to wait and then, if there's nothing, I'll just put it on. Then I started getting about 60 to 70 door hangers per two hours. So just it doubled my you know time to be able to actually hang door hangers, exactly Hitting twice as many people. Yeah, yeah, and so for Haineman services that's paid off drastically relative to the holidays. The holidays starts slowing down for almost every business in the world.
Speaker 2:
Except for Amazon. Except for Amazon.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, and other products serviced, but home services specifically, almost everybody slows down. Yeah, holidays, but I will say all of this month has specifically just been people, and I don't know if this is like an actual statistic or something, but the only work we've had this month is referrals and door hangers. Huh, every other month I've had very few door hangers and very few referrals. I haven't hung door hangers in probably three or four months, so it's like so they're keeping them around for their new year.
Speaker 2:
They're keeping them around, yeah.
Speaker 1:
And it's almost like now they're getting some time. Maybe these are the people like, so maybe these are the people I should go out and do another door hanger, you know, like through the holidays because people are at home more and they're thinking about it. But maybe they're not searching for that stuff because they're searching for the Christmas presents or other. I don't know. I just it just kind of made me think, like I wonder why that is, but it is. It's very accurate we, because last month we didn't get very many phone calls at all After Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah Is everybody's kind of traveling for the holidays with family. They don't want somebody necessarily coming into their home and doing a bunch of stuff. They want it to be quiet. But they're also thinking about 2024. Yeah, the new year. What needs to be fixed and that's probably why you're getting a lot of those calls is they have it, they stowed it away and now they're like huh, 2024 got to start the new year off fresh.
Speaker 1:
Or the you know. The other guy said to like hey, I'd really like you, like you to come by before Thanksgiving.
Speaker 1:
My family's coming into town, but it wasn't like one of those things where he needed to search it up. There wasn't anything that was like broken. He was just like you know what? My family's all coming. I have this guy's info, I'm going to reach out to him. Yeah, and it was the same thing with the clients this week too was like they reached out because they're all going to be gone and for them they have more trust within me. So they're like this is actually perfect time for you to come out, because we won't be there and all the work's exterior. So just come out and, you know, fix all our screens. So it's almost like maybe in the slow months go do more door hangers, because they might not be searching for those services at that time.
Speaker 1:
Yeah and then in the you know months where people are outside at their home Doing more stuff, they're gonna be searching you up more. I don't know if that's a hundred percent correct, but it definitely feels that way right now for sure. So just a cool, that is interesting, yeah so what would you say?
Speaker 2:
Because you mentioned, hey, those people who are calling me, I should go back and put more door hangers on their door and that's awesome. Yeah when you've already put door hangers? Yeah, but whenever, growing the smart fix from zero to thirty thousand dollars within the three months, how did you identify the neighbors to go and actually put? Yeah, door hangers on like there's millions of homes, right? How did you know which ones target?
Speaker 1:
so I actually kind of started what I would say just balls to the wall. I went to the richest neighborhoods?
Speaker 1:
Yeah, the absolute country clubs the richer neighborhoods and and started there because in my eyes it was like I want to. You and I had discussed we want to target middle to high-income people. So I went straight to high-income and was like, at, these are the people because I want to charge premium prices. I know I do better work than 90% of the people here, so let's Go for the, the big fish, right, and to me that's not that it wasn't much different, knocking on their doors as it would be somebody else's. Yeah, so that's I just. I just Went straight to the high-income and for me, I knew the area. I knew, hey, these people Are, are going to be my income, just off of baseball. For what? Yeah, and Anybody can know that. I mean, if you live in a town, you drive through the rich neighborhoods. Everybody knows the rich neighborhoods.
Speaker 2:
I mean, you know trick-or-treating, you know yeah, yeah, like. Go to the rich neighborhoods, hand door hangers out in In those neighborhoods and I guarantee it'll be worth your time one thing that we also did is Back in the early days we went to and this is actually a trick, trick I learned whenever I was at true green is we went to Google Maps and the map view, where the satellite, where you can actually see the homes and then just like going around and looking at what communities had, like pools in the background or big yards or stuff like that, because like you got a pool, like you have to maintain that that's a lot of money right?
Speaker 2:
they probably have a lot of stuff going on. They probably have a family, they're busy. They don't want to fix a hole in the drywall that their kid made running and playing with their friend.
Speaker 1:
And I feel like that tactic. The Google Maps is really good if you're in a much bigger city too.
Speaker 2:
Oh yeah, I don't like.
Speaker 1:
Let's say you're in Dallas, uh-huh. Well, there's a lot of neighborhoods.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, and I guarantee, you don't know, there's probably good next to bad, yep.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, exactly so. But yeah, door hangers has been Really the number one traditional method. Uh-huh has been the number one digital method and honestly, we haven't really changed it much, like we know, stuck with those two. That's what works. It's also what works more specifically in our market, like I know you know very well, like other markets might Benefit more from PPC or benefit more from certain. Like my cousin uses next door a ton. He does a lot of paid advertising and stuff like that through next door. Yeah, but like we don't use that a lot here, yeah.
Speaker 2:
It's very regional yeah it's also Competitive. Yeah, right here we were able to go to grow the smart fix from zero to thirty thousand dollars. We were able to overcome our competitors pretty quickly.
Speaker 2:
Oh yeah if you're in Dallas, then you have a lot more competition. They have a lot more Google reviews, a lot more trust and authority and pictures on their profiles that it's going to take you longer to overcome them. And so, looking at those alternative methods PPC, local service ads next door and g's list yeah, you know, go into Facebook groups and just like, find your neighborhood ones and just post like, hey, I do handyman stuff. If you guys need anything, contact me.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, there's lots of different ways that people can get in front of their target customer other than just Google, yeah, and door hangers, yeah other than what we just did.
Speaker 1:
We just wanted to share. This is what we did, yeah, but there are a ton other ways and maybe we'll talk about that in the future.
