[Rich]

We have all talked about marketing and advertising a lot in here at one point.

What form of advertising or marketing brings the most leads for your company? What form brings the least?

ie-website, business cards, referrals, online advertising, phone book, etc...

if you don't keep track, how do you know what is working?
do you ask leads how they heard about you and from where?

 

[timhag]

The majority of my leads comes from word of mouth, I also have a network of friends in other fields roofer, electrician, plumber, Realtors, and a development company. I pass my card to everyone i come in contact with, I don't have a website nor do i advertise in the phone book. I usually know where my lead came from b 4 hand and if not i ask where they got my name.

 

[Brian]

By far the most effective for us is retention marketing. We stay in front of our customers with quarterly mailings and the ROI is great.

Our web site is number 2 in generating leads.

Brian Phillips

 

[George Z]

Search engines for almost 80% of all new business.
A lot of eggs in one basket, but it works

 

[vermontpainter]

George

We are new to dabbling in seo as well. I think you have said that you have a firm handling it for you, but how long did it take for that to become such an effective tool? Any tips?

 

[EricTheHandyman]

Word of mouth is the only thing that works for me. Do a great job and your clients will love to talk about you to everyone that they meet. Do a lousy job and the same is still true....

I recently joined a BNI group which is also bringing in some work, but here again it's word of mouth.

 

[George Z]

George

We are new to dabbling in seo as well. I think you have said that you have a firm handling it for you, but how long did it take for that to become such an effective tool? Any tips?

We pay someone to keep adding links, submit sitemaps monthly
and who knows what else.
They built a Content Management System and I can keep changing
and tweaking it anytime I want.
Having said that, it is about five years old and the fourth website,
so it takes time.
Tips?
Content and good old information for your visitors.


It is not the only place we advertize.
We have yellow pages, directories, local paper, signage on lawns and vehicles,
a BNI type group networking etc.
But Google it is, hands down! Nothing comes close.
Everyone is slow here, but we are having the best 2-3 months ever.

 

[vermontpainter]

Nice to hear that it can work so well! Thanks George.

 

[PressurePros]

There is no single form of advertising that will put you on the map. That is why you hear the word "marketing" all the time. Marketing is the collective endeavor of all advertising. Advertising sucks. Marketing rocks. Does that make any sense?

Now if you are talking about ROI. My website and my yellow pages ad generate the largest returns. (Dollar returns, not leads)