Advertising for work??

[Mcgoo's]

Hello all,
I am currently working on a large project in Bristol, but due to the pay being quite low (£12phr) and the hours also quite low (39), I am looking to do some extra work. I am new to the area and don't know many people so the word of mouth jobs which where rife at home are basically non-existent here! I just wana know if there is anyone in the same boat and if so, what is the best (and cheapest of course) way of advertising yourself?
Thank you

 

[Guest123]

A professionally designed leaflet is in my opinion the best marketing tool available. One of the forum's sponsors is offering a special deal of 5,000 A5 printed full colour on TWO sides for only £80, so you and a mate could half the cost and take a side each.

You need to put out a thousand at a time to get a decent response.

 

[philtheflush]

i find business cards are better as people keep them

 

[Mcgoo's]

I have recently acquired buisness cards, but i don't really know where to give them out or how to give them out, what way do you do it?
thanks for the replys

 

[Mike Jackson]

I'm trialling A6 cards at the moment. We used them years ago when my father first started out self employed and found people were inclined to keep them over a paper flyer. I'm targetting specific areas to see how sucessful it is and whether word of mouth will spread beyond my targeted areas. Stuck 200 out today and will stick another 200 out tomorrow in a different area.

 

[Mcgoo's]

Pardon my ignorance, but what do you mean stick them out? Do you just go round posting them?
Cheers

 

[PlumbBobBob]

yes, the same as i do. whenever i have a quiet time i go out leaflet posting.

 

[Mcgoo's]

I never even thought of that! Looks like the girlfriend is gona have to get the hat and gloves on tomorrow night! Did you find that you got many hits through this? But I suppose its hard to tell where the work comes from...as long as it comes!!
Cheers

 

[PlumbBobBob]

probably get two or three calls from every 300-400 leaflets. sometimes i get calls from leaflets i delivered over a year ago. patience is the key.

 

[Guest123]

Expect a response rate of 2% per thousand which is 20 call/jobs depending on the value and the product you are advertising. A thousand leaflets door to door should take about 4 hours to put out if you have no long driveways to endure.

 

[philtheflush]

my business cards are posted through the letter box but watch your hands those pensioners with there own teeth can give you nasty nip when theres a sign for no junk mail

 

[Phil]

Expect a response rate of 2% per thousand which is 20 call/jobs depending on the value and the product you are advertising. A thousand leaflets door to door should take about 4 hours to put out if you have no long driveways to endure.

A thousand in 4 hours is good going system, I could only manage 300 a day. It depends as you say the area or whether you're engaged in dialogue. I always seem to be dragged into something.

I was savaged by a dog once after I entered through the garden gate, I ran back with it biting my legs. From then on I always carried a swiss army knife.

 

[Mike Jackson]

Half the ones I leafleted today were up or down massive flights of steps. I'm not sure I actually want to work in them, mind you I don't really want to work anywhere unless it's a bungalow with a driveway and garage and the boiler in the garage.

 

[Phil]

I hate it when you go to the front door with a leaflet and theres no letterbox so you have to start snooping round the back with curtains twitching.

I remember one time I came across a huge detatched house, almost a castle with turrets, a flag flying and everything, I thought I'll have a bit of that and proceeded leaflet in hand to the front door,...... no letterbox!
So I had to walk round the side and I came across a wooden gate so I entered it and came into a kind of courtyard. My eyes scanned all around looking for a letterbox...... nothing. I went back out the gate and continued around the house until I couldn't get ant further so I went back into the courtyard.

I then became aware that I had my baseball cap on (big mistake) and that I was being watched by a worried looking lady at the window (burgular?) so I thought "abort......abort" just get the hell out of there. As I started to make my escape I was confronted by the owner who wanted to know what I was doing on private property, I explained I was just looking for the letterbox and I was only delivering leaflets.

He than pointed at the gatepost "you mean that" ......yes there it was on the gate post an actual letter box.

He took a flyer and I left, about a year later I had a call from someone who said on the phone we met while you were delivering leaflets and gave me his address (I didn't recognise it, why would I?).

Couldn't believe it when I realised it was there!, And I've been back 5 or 6 times to do other jobs and we always laugh and joke about it. He probably thought I was just some £20 a day meathead who was just deliverying leaftets for beer money, he didn't realise I'd be the one turning up to do the job. :smoking:

Never go out door to door dressed as a chav!

 

[gaspastemania]

Stick a free advert on gumtree , you will get a few sales calls for couple weeks but if you keep re posting your add those calls soon die off. I also put my biz cards in shop windows which have had work off in the past from small jobs like toilets to boiler changes and heating upgrades.
Out leaflet dropping on weds see what happens there ,,,patience is the key

 

[jut]

Google maps is a free place for advertising.

 

[Osp]

Expect a response rate of 2% per thousand which is 20 call/jobs depending on the value and the product you are advertising. A thousand leaflets door to door should take about 4 hours to put out if you have no long driveways to endure.

... but don't the long driveways give bigger and more profitable jobs?

 

[PlumbBobBob]

not necessarily, they have long driveways because they like to hang onto their money.

 

[Mcgoo's]

I'm going out posting tonight, I don't have leaflets but do you guys reckon its alright just to post b'cards?

Thanks 4 all your help guys!

 

[dontknowitall]

Yes - that's what I did a few years ago and I still get the odd phone call. As was said earlier, people tend to keep business cards (and not leaflets). Leaflets are fine if you want to give more information but I find that most people just want to know the telephone number of a local plumber as if he can't do a job he'll probably know someone who can.

 

[Mike Jackson]

I've been out today, 4 hours to just over 100 flyers. I picked a rural area where I've done a few jobs before and because of it's position I thought not to many people would choose to post flyers. I stopped for a cuppa with a chap I fitted a boiler for about 4 years ago and he told me that in all the years that he's lived there he's never received any advertising for local heating engineers. Hopefully that means I haven't crippled myself today for nothing.

 

[Guest123]

... but don't the long driveways give bigger and more profitable jobs?

Actually no, because they are mortgaged up to the eyeballs. Best customer are ex council house tenants, regularly do home improvements and have the money to pay you, while the ones with the big houses, 2 cars in the driveaway etc. are the ones who expect you to do a job and then wait for payment.
Been there, done that and bought the tee shirt!

 

[armyash]

Does anyone have a template for the leaflets they have distributed or know where I can find a good professional looking one? Thanks

 

[Guest123]

http://www.ukplumbersforums.co.uk/plumbing-forum/30272-new-flyer-deals.html

Buy a copy of Serif Pageplus X5 and you'll all be designing stunning looking leaflets in no time and it's very easy to learn. The software also comes with trade specific templates. A newer version is out now so X5 is available at a great price. Serif are a good British company with their own helpful forum similar to this one.

Web Design, Photo Editing and DTP software | Serif – Inspiring Creativity

 

[GQuigley67]

gumtree has actually generated quite a bit of work for me, also word of mouth

I'm looking into getting new business cards as my current ones are crap, also leaflets made up, just don't know about design or an eye catching deal to wheel in the customers lol

 

[Guest123]

Gerry off topic, can you recommend a good scrappie near here as I don't have time to keep going out to Broxburn.

 

[GQuigley67]

glasgow area ?

 

[Guest123]

Yep, anywhere between Falkirk, ***bernauld, Airdrie and Glasgow.

 

[GQuigley67]

I think the one I used in Falkirk payed the best, it's not far from falkirk stadium not sure of the name but its in an industrial estate, PTS, screwfix, B&Q are also not far from it

 

[Mcgoo's]

I went out posting on Thursday night and got a call on Friday morning and had the womans kitchen taps changed (and put an isotation valve on the hot as for some reason there was one on the cold which was right beside the stopcock and not on the hot?!) in 40mins that evening. I only posted into 70 or so houses, so I'm going out tonight again to post more.
Cheers for the advice guys!

 

[Guest123]

Well done Mcgoo, door to door is still the best form of advertising. Why not try the TMSPrint leaflet deal on this forum?

 

[P4ULT]

mcgoo what job are you on in bristol.

 

[Mcgoo's]

I'm on southmead's new hospital, it's huge!!

 

[P4ULT]

how did you get on it i been trying to find out? pm if you want.

cheers

 

[Mcgoo's]

I'm sorry but I don't know how to pm??!! I got a call from "site services ltd" asking me to do 4 weeks doing cast iron and plastic soils and vents in Sept/October time last year and I've been here since, the pay isn't great but at least it's steady! The agencies to ring are- Vital, Site Services, Skyblue Solutions, Ranstad and Hayes.
Hope this helps