One of the challenges facing business owners is how to increase “noise” about their businesses while holding the line on expenses. Many companies spend thousands of dollars annually on “push advertising” (Yellow Pages, direct mailers, newspaper advertising, television, etc.) in an attempt to get the word out about their products or services yet they spend very little in “pull advertising” and this is a mistake.
“Push” advertising refers to all efforts to get the word out to a large group of “potential” customers in order to hit the very few that “may” be interested in your products or services. More often than not businesses investing in “Push advertising” do not receive a sustained return on their investment. “Push” advertising is 100% commercial therefore your message comes across as an “ad.”
“Pull” advertising, if used correctly costs very little, tends to provide “stickiness” (visit our website for more information on “stickiness), can pull at the heart stings of a community and can draw customers to your company or website when they are in need of your products or services.
Sovran Communications Group is a marketing and SEO advertising agency exclusively representing carpet cleaning and restoration services companies nationwide. Our only goal is to help clients position their businesses so that they stand out from the competition. We analyze our client’s business model, their competition, their marketing (or lack thereof) and their online efforts to determine the best methods to “brand” their company. Each client is different and for this reason we do not sell a “one size fits all” approach to branding their businesses.
When representing carpet cleaning and restoration clients, our recommendation is to invest 70% of their resources into “Pull” advertising and 30% into “Push.”
In an effort to help our Facebook fans increase their business and their “stickiness” we are recommending the following community “Pull” advertising campaigns. Not only will these efforts bring your company new business opportunities, they’ll make you feel good as well.
· Adopt a Family – With the holidays approaching, many impoverished families are looking forward to a very grim holiday. Your company can make a world of difference to a child or family in need by simply “adopting” them for the day. There are many fine organizations (Salvation Army, Social Services, Local Veteran Associations, etc) that maintain a list of children, veterans or families that have been screened and are in need of assistance. Your company can set aside a budget (as little as $100 for a Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner) and then contact the association and find your “family” for the holidays.
Once you’ve “adopted” your child or family, create a press release and forward it to your local newspapers so that they can do a community story on your good deed. A well written press release can bring your company tons of free advertising and the good will you’ve exhibited in helping someone in need will make you feel good for a lifetime.
· Sponsor a little league team or a public or private school sports team. No one spreads the word faster than “Soccer Mom’s” and what better way to reach them than by helping their kids? Team sponsorships can be as simple as paying for the kid’s jersey’s (with your company name on them if it’s allowed), sponsoring a banner, purchasing an ad in their newsletters, etc. With school budgets tightening, there’s many different ways your company can support your favorite school or team for relatively little money.
· If you've seen a news article where a child’s bike has been stolen, a family has lost their home to a fire or flood, someone has stolen a donation jar at the local convenience store etc., your company can contact the press and offer to help out. You can purchase a kid a new bike; provide a family with a meal gift certificate that’s just lost everything (oftentimes you can partner with a local restaurant and purchase the gift certificate for half its face value) or offer to make a donation to replace the funds lost as a result of theft of the donation jar. Whatever life altering events that happen in your community, offer to help out. The press LOVES a happy ending and so do its readers.
For most companies, the majority of their business is derived from the community in which they live. Try giving back – you’ll save money, increase business and make a difference in someone else’s life.
For more marketing ideas and to learn about Sovran Communications Group, please visit us online at www.sovrancommunications.com
Sovran Communications Group is a carpet cleaning marketing agency exclusively representing restoration service and carpet cleaning companies worldwide. We employ some some of the brightest and most creative people in the industry so that our clients have the same level of expertise as "the big boys do." We specialize in web development, social media and SEO for carpet cleaning and restoration companies, carpet cleaning marketing and advertising, crisis management and business consulting.
