Behind the internet, (and of course word of mouth, still the best) what is the best? Billboards? Yellow Page? City Bus? Radio? TV? Home shows?

How do they stack up in terms of bang for buck? I'm thinking yellow pages are just about obsolete, except for the 10 or 15 people that don't have internet yet. Billboards and bus ads get your name out, but not so much to people who don't have a vermin problem. Radio and TV are expensive, but fast becoming obsolete for the same reason as the yellow pages. I'm thinking that a police car with your number on the side is a pretty good idea. It has to be memorable or it just becomes an autozone commercial that makes you stop at advance to get wiperblades.

Dollar for dollar - Referrals, standard website, mobile website, vehicle wrap or clear legible lettering as well as a phone directory listing in your market area. As far as the vehicle remember the 50/50 rule - the business name and number have to be clearly read at 50 yards and 50 mph. I believe a parked or rolling "billboard" would create more impressions than a home show. I have too many miles on my current truck to invest in a wrap but I will be getting another vehicle in the spring and will invest in a wrap or lettering at that time.

X2 exactly what Mike Kerr said

There is no silver bullet in advertising There is not one method, and I pray there never will be just one method.

Just imagine the kind of world there will be if there was only one place to call for any wildlife removal work. Who do you think would get the call?

There are two methods of advertising

1) Offline Marketing (traditional marketing methods)
2) Online Marketing - (Found on desktops, mobile phones, tablets and embedded in social marketing.)

Offline marketing is just as important as online marketing. You can't be successful and prosper in a competitive market without both of them included in your overall business marketing plan.


Getting referrals starts with phone numbers and logos and keeping them is important to your business findability.

You keep phone numbers - I repeat you always keep phone numbers. Its pretty hard to get referrals and return business if your loyal customer can't find your your current phone number. There are many ways to get a phone number besides the a local land line and a cell phone. Google voice is one one way http://google.com/voice/ , there is also http://www.kall8.com and http://grasshopper.com.

Logos get one like it and keep it. You can't brand your company if you don't have a logo, get one and keep it. I have had a burly trapper with a live coon cap since 2004 and short of changes recently always kept the same color scheme. The original logo is the web site avatar for every site I create . You always keep logos too.

Business cards yes. Magnetic business cards even better.

I was taught years ago to always hand out three business cards, one for the customer and two for his friends to personally recommend me .

Never miss an opportunity to to make your customers like you and recommend your services. First impressions are priceless. Eye contact is important. Sell confidence always be upbeat and positive in front of customers.

You should farm your customers just like a farmer sows a corn field. Customer farming starts by keeping a well maintained customer list and a plan to stay in contact with them. I have done this using refrigerator magnets and fly swatters .

You want referrals it starts with doing what you promised - getting customer satisfaction and finding a way to stay in contact.

Yellow pages I don't use them and throw them out but many people still do. You probably need to be in them and increase your findability.

I have done a bunch of podcasts related to advertising that should be able to help you.

http://www.sitesbyrobb.com/home/seo-the-...h-robb-russell/

That 50/50 rule is good info, and I believe you are right. People see billboards all the time, but they notice billboards that are parked in their neighborhoods working.

Business comes from all over. Yesterday my wife handed me the phone and said it's Anytime. ( That's Mike Flick's Company ) I took the phone and it was Mike's gal, telling me that they had a customer in Mequon that had something in the vent fan. She was less than two miles away and I propped open the outside vent door and after much banging around with the fan on, the retarded English sparrow finally left.

The lady was able to cancel her appointment with Sears and was quite happy about the whole experience. Since I was able to get the bird out without destroying anything, I was in a pretty good mood myself. By the way, as I write this, it is 5:30 on Sunday evening and I am listening to my wife in the other room taking on a brand new job. ( I'm not making this up ) Where we got that call from, I have no idea.

P.S. I owe Mike a job and will certainly try to repay shortly! ( After all, we're only 121 miles apart. To Salys that's right down the road )

I think you owe me one too!

You have to do everything, despite what the tech nerds say don't discount the yellow pages. Old folks like books and even as the current young get old they revert to books. My missing link was a website but the yellow book still pulls them in.

Dave, you're in Mon friggin tana. The yellow pages and telephones are a new fangled idea.

Uggg you gottem right, singing wires, smoke signal, beating drum still good. we smokem pipe now drink 'em wiskey.

Wish we had armadillos, paint your company logo on them and turn them loose. Or maybe paint your competitors company logo on them, I don't know? It would look pretty snazzy though, and work undoubtably better than freeze branding skunks.

You know Andy I have been around armadillos most of my life and never thought of putting my logo on them.

The last thing I want is my brand on a non native , unprotected species that I re-released back into the environment with a target pointing back at me.

I've been leaning toward the "all of the above" method.

We have wrapped vehicles, internet advertising, websites, Pest Co. referrals, previous customer referrals, Angie's List, BBB website, TV interviews, Yellow pages, we've done a Home Show, TV ads running periodically and radio ads during certain seasons.

They all bring in a certain percentage of business and every market is different. I just found that out the hard way when I outsourced my Google marketing. Search terms from one area do not necessarily work in another part of the US. I nixed that quick!

If I personally had to pick methods of advertising to come in after 1) internet and 2) happy customers/word of mouth, it would be YP followed by vehicle wrap then radio.