Unique Advertising IDEAS for Small Business
There are a 101 different ways to advertise a handyman business. Some methods obviously work better than others (as you can see in my monthly reports), and some methods yield results 1, 000 times what you put into them. In this article, I’m going to discuss some ideas that are a little outside of the box, but could just be those golden nuggets you’ve been searching for.
Here are 3 ideas for advertising your handyman business you may not have thought of.
#1 Hang Out with Your Customers
Last weekend a good friend of mine gave me a free ticket to a PGA golf tournament that was in a very affluent part of town. I’m not a big golfer and I’ve never even considered watching a tournament. But, this was a chance to experience something new, and at a minimum, a chance to have a couple beers with my buds.
The golf course was located in one of the nicest gated communities in town, and I noticed something that seemed to be consistent with everyone in attendance – they all had money. Additionally, I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve never seen so many good looking people.
While sipping on a Bud Light (only beer available), I couldn’t help but let my business mind go wild. I was trying desperately to figure out a way to get some of these people to hire me as their handyman. How could I effectively reach these people and get them to buy my services?
A little while later I was sitting at a table in a covered tent perched above the 18th hole green. While being surprisingly entertained at the event, an older retired dude started talking to me. The details of the conversation aren’t important, other than the fact that he was loaded. His retirement home was on the golf course, placing the value of his home at 1 mil minimum. This guy was definitely in my target market.
After conversing for a while, the tournament came to an end I shook the guys hand and went on my way. 5 minutes later, I realized how I could get some of these people to hire me – All I had to do was simply go where they hang out and I would naturally end up connecting with some of them.
Looking back, I should have simply handed him my card and said “By the way, I run a handyman business in the area if you are ever in need of anything, please don’t hesitate to give me a call.” He probably would have, too.
The point of this story is that simply hanging out where your ideal customers hang out can bring in highly targeted business. Who knows, somebody you meet at an event like this could have 10 friends that end up hiring you. A great way to penetrate a market that you otherwise couldn’t reach.
So, where do does your target market hang out? Are there any events in their neighborhood that you could attend? Why not go check it out, have some fun, and grow your handyman business in the process?
#2 Recruit the Media
I concept here is to get people to talk about you and control their conversation. Getting publicity to promote a business is very common. But, I don’t see many handymen taking advantage of this marketing method. It’s probably because most small business owners just don’t realize the opportunity.
Have you ever watched the Today Show and wondered why they were featuring such a lame story? I have, too many times to count. I mean, is there really nothing else to talk about where they need to interview somebody that put up a viral video about kittens? Seriously.
The reality is that finding a newsworthy story that boosts ratings can be very difficult when there are no natural disasters or celebrity mishaps to report. Journalists have to constantly research blogs, videos, magazines, and other resources in order to come up with stories. This is where you’re opportunity comes in.
