Very interesting, I enjoy trying to solve the "effective" marketing puzzle. Here is a summary with some personal exp. added... Working as professional power washers, we seem to always be looking for ways to improve upon our marketing strategies. One question always seems to dominate my thought process whenever and wherever. “How do I get a better rate of return on my flier distribution?” True, cost is a concern although in most cases 1 job will cover your expenses. (Stamps, envelopes, etc…)
You are driving along on a Sunday afternoon, and happen to notice a neighborhood that could use services from all of your qualifications, certifications, and just years of power washing know-how.
You get excited thinking just how blessed you are to have the Power Washing Gods smile down upon you. You grab your pin and pad jotting down streets and addresses, sometimes doubling back just to make sure you wrote down this pertinent information correctly.
Because you are the consummate professional business manager, of course you have a nice batch of fliers already prepared. Listing all the services your company provides, guaranteeing fair pricing, and quality work, because we all are out there representing the Power Wash Community So well.
Your batch of fliers is prepped and ready to go. You head to the P.O. say a prayer, and drop your fliers. All that is left to do is sit and wait for that phone to start ringing, and email request to start pouring in.
Sounds familiar?
If so, this is something that is referred to as Spray & Pay. Galvin, D. (2013) states, “a lot of pressure washers buy large quantities of post cards cheap, and then distribute them to every address they can find, then pray for someone to call.”
The error in this marketing approach is that there is no strategic plan, and lack of a designated targeted audience.
I found this statement to be quite beneficial when I started to prepare my next marketing blitz. “If you have everybody for a prospect I can guarantee you will have nobody as a client!” (Galvin, 2013).
If you were to take anything from this information, the underlying tone would be the need to have and or develop a NICHE. Power washers all seem to have the same mindset or think, their services could really help just about everyone. I’m kind of guilty of this thought myself. (Galvin, 2013).
Power washers are fortunate to be in a niche business that has niches within. The more narrowly you define your market the easier it will be to target potential clients, also costing you less to advertise and market your services. (Galvin, 2013).
Try to approach your next marketing blitz in this manner, for the sample; we will look at “House Washing.”
Now we know our target market is the homeowner, but what homes and surfaces are you looking to clean? Are you cleaning vinyl siding, stucco, wood? A well-defined niche helps you identify your clients, thus costing you less money, time, and energy when trying to get their attention.
ATTENTION HOMEROWNER
“Attention Homer Owner:” (General): As stated, a general attention grabber, to be used if you are already working in an area, and you’re familiar with the homes.
“Attention Running Brook Estates Residents:” (Narrower): works well for developments. This opening will grab the homeowner’s attention because their development is listed on the postcard/flier.
“Attention Homeowners with a wooden deck:” General attention grabber that has been narrowed down to a specific niche, deck restorations.
Having a specific marketing niche will garner the potential clients that you are trying to attract. Think of it this way, you have now drafted a personal ad for a specific type of client that you would like to work with. You have their attention, because you know who they are. Your response rate of return will increase and the cost of each client will decrease. (Galvin, 2013).
Special thanks to Mr. Dan Galvin, owner of East Coast Power Washing and the founder of SuccessInPowerWashing.com for providing such insightful information.
Reference:
Galvin, D. (March, 2013). Spray and Pay. eClean Magazine. March, 2013, pgs. 26-27.