Marketing by billboard?

[Steve]

I don't see too many lawn care business owners advertising on billboards. I think the reason is, they just don't give you enough of a return on your advertising investment. What's your take on this? Have you ever done this before and if so, what kind of results did you have?

__________________
- Subscribe to my Lawn Care Marketing Blog Feed and get daily tips sent to you. Free!
Download your Free trial of Gopher Lawn Care Software.

Lawn care business tips

it looks very expensive.

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (SerranoLandscaping @ Oct. 02 2007,11:47)]it looks very expensive.

IT IS!!!
I know people who have spent over $30K and that wasnt for very long (less than 1 year).

Much better place to advertise is with a wrap on your trailer or truck. Cheaper, lasts longer, and it moves!
Gets a lot of attention.

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Team Gopher @ Oct. 01 2007,10:03)]I don't see too many lawn care business owners advertising on billboards. I think the reason is, they just don't give you enough of a return on your advertising investment.

What's your take on this? Have you ever done this before and if so, what kind of results did you have?

IMO...a waste of a lot of money that could be much better spent on better ads...wraps, yard signs, banners, postcards, etc.

[Steve]

It makes you wonder, how much of marketing is about ego and less about getting business. A billboard might do wonders for your ego, but not much for your bottom line.

[LawncareMarketingMagic]

Fortunately, for the savvy small business owner a lot of marketing is about ego and not getting results. They make the mistake of trying to copy big business, Madison Avenue image type advertising and as a result they end up wasting a TON of money. Sad.

To the questions, "are billboard a good marketing medium or just waste of money?" To be honest, it really depends.

It definitely isn't the best way for any LCO just starting out to grow their business. Heck, it's not even a good idea for many established businesses. The main reason for this is because it's a fixed fee each month, no matter the number of leads it generates. Smart marketers know not to commit to anything they can't turn on or off as needed. If it's not working (as most billboards don't), they're stuck paying the monthly fee for as long as the contract runs.

Now, if by chance a LCO can afford the huge fees without sacrificing other more effective methods, they definitely DON'T want to copy most billboards you see. The problem with them is they're missing at least 2 key elements of any effective marketing message, an offer and a call to action.

To maximize the effectiveness of a billboard (or any other marketing methods for that matter!), I'd offer something of value as an incentive for taking a specified action. Something like "First Service FREE For Mentioning This Billboard! Call XXX-XXXX Today!"

Or, "FREE 21 Point Lawn Care Analysis For Visiting www.LawnCareWebsite.com. Log On Today!"

Add something like this and it will definitely increase the effectiveness of any billboard.

I think flyers are the best way to advertice. Is working for me and i've spent a little over $150 for ink and paper and I was able to print out around 3,000 color flyers. So far i got 5 jobs.

I think Billboard Ad's is deff a loss of $$$.