[The Jester of Wibbly]

Interested to find out what success or flops you have had in advertising?

Or best return against spend?

Let's avoid the door knocking or leaflet comments as we know these are best practises anyway   

[Stoots]

It has varied.

Canvassing/leaflets/online advertising you win some and lose some. so sometimes you get a great R.O.I sometimes its terrible.

I assume you are talking about paid forms of advertising as obvioulsy the cheapest is doing it yourself.

Overall, facebook ads have been the best return for spend for me.

[Splash & dash]

Dont bother with advertising most new jobs are from referrals or web site
We are that busy don’t need the amount of work that we are getting enquiries from been thinking about getting rid of the web site but it’s very useful for commercial and gutter jobs that are lucrative well paid jobs

[Shrek]

Yell.com was a big flop for me , and those TVs in doctors surgeries were also a flop

[Bungle]

And breathe....

[robbo333]

I've had success with leaflets 5k or 10k at a time, Google Adwords and more recently Google My Business.
Google My Business has paid for itself the best, as it's free.
Leaflets always pay for themselves (except when the distributors put them out in the wrong area!!!).
Google Adwords pays for itself but gives me the most grief customers.
This year I will be doing:
Very targeted canvasing (I get bored with canvassing quite quickly if it's not going my way).
Very targeted leafleting
Google My Business

[Don Kee]

Van signwriting.

[Nick Day]

It was Henry Ford who said that he paid out millions in advertising, but only half of it works...the only problem was is that he did not know which half.

[Klean07]

Local newspaper advert didn't bring much in but continuous ads in local village/church magazines bring in a steady flow of work. Yell has started bringing in more work for me since I bought the areas that I service!  Costs me £18 a month!

[dazmond]

sign writing on the van

logod workwear

business cards

leaflets

i dont bother with facebook and i dont have a website,never used YELL,google adwords or any of them type of things or advertised in local parish magazines...

most of my new work over the last 5 years or so has come from word of mouth and recommendation....

[Stoots]

 it depends on whether you are looking to grow or just stay ticking over.

A website and word of mouth should be enough to stay where you are once full.

However if you want to grow fast that's when you start spending £££££

[Smudger]

Biggest flops

Billboard at service station
Yell
Trade show for cleaning contractors
Council run magazine

All the above brought in virtually zero

Best results (reverse order in value)

Local paper and parish mags
Leaflets
Social media
Sign written vans
Ad boards
Referrals (current customers)
Networking
Website

First 4 bring in a steady line on work - standard windows / cleaning
Ad boards on roof cleaning etc usually bring in another enquiry’s/job
Refs - good steady flow of add on and new work
Networking larger work from other trades etc - usually commercial stuff
Web - the daddy

Darran

[Tom-01]

Has anyone done local radio or tv?

[Smudger]

Yes, you just reminded me,   we sponcered a show and had 3 ad's per day - this was very local station that was internet based not FM  - result was naff all - but tempted to do a 'real' radio station one day

also

telesales worked well

Darran

[Mick Kent]

Canvassing by far for domestics.
Networking do’s for Commercial