Have you ever wondered why the newspaper business is going so badly? It's not the Internet's fault per-se. And, it's not that every 20-something would-be journalist (or tile-pro like me) has cut out the middle man by publishing blog content directly to the Internet. Besides content creation as well as journalists are expenses for the news media. No my friends, it's Craig's List's fault.
Image via Wikipedia
Image via WikipediaThat's right Craig's List, the free Internet classifieds, killed the newspaper businesses. Historically, classified ads have been the key source of revenue for the local paper, and since Craig's is giving it away for FREE their Golden Goose has been cooked. No more eggs. Scary for them but good for us...at least when it comes to marketing.
Image via Wikipedia
Image via WikipediaMore people turn to Craig's list every day to find the things they want. And we want them to find us. Right? And Craig's isn't charging a single penny. Whoa! How much did you pay for that Yellow Book listing?
OK, when it comes to marketing for the low-overhead-trade-contractor (LOTC), this one's a no-brainer. Post your trade service in your local Craig's List.
After making my customers happy, I am all about return-on-time-invested (ROTI). I just put my services add up on Craig's List under the heading skilled trades. It took me all of ten minutes.
I guarantee the post will drive prospective customers to this blog, now and into the future. And you want to know how I will know Craig's is driving traffic? I offered a 5% discount off my bill for customers who mention a title from one of my blog posts. That is provided I convert the prospect to a paying customer, but that is a post on sales which I will leave for another day.
In closing, here are three marketing objectives for the low overhead trade contractor.
1. Keep it simple
2. Keep it cheap
3. Verify it's effectiveness
So what are your favorite ten minute marketing plans?
Yours truly,
Malcolm
