Is it worth paying to advertise (Sponsored ads)

[M-B-Electrical-Services]

Hi all.

I have been running my Sole Trader business for just over a year now and have been quite successful in keeping myself in work.
Word of mouth and regular repeat business is keeping me afloat but I always have my eye on the next 3-6 months and I'm starting to wonder how long this streak of work is going to continue.
If it all dries up, I will be up the creek without a paddle and I can't allow that to happen so I'm considering paying to have my business pop up on google's search feed for local electrical searches.

Do any of you Sole Trader/Business owners do this and do you feel the cost is worth the reward?

I have a free ad on Yell.com but to be honest, who even looks at Yell.com when google is the primary search engine these days.

It's a tough decision to make as a business owner as I have to justify all expenses.

 

[123]

Do you have a good website? Also Google My Business (I think it's going be integrating into google maps) is pretty useful to get you up the search listings without having to pay (much) for it.

I know a few that just use Facebook for advertising and it works quite well for them (it's not for me at all though)

 

[M-B-Electrical-Services]

Do you have a good website? Also Google My Business (I think it's going be integrating into google maps) is pretty useful to get you up the search listings without having to pay (much) for it.

I know a few that just use Facebook for advertising and it works quite well for them (it's not for me at all though)

Hi bud.

I do have a website yes, by all means take a look and give some constructive criticism if you wish: About | MB Electrical Services - https://www.mb-electricalservices.co.uk/about/

I am on Google my business too but I don't get many hits (if any) but I'm not paying anything to push it right now as I'm unsure how it works and the costs involved. I'm led to believe the cost is based on the amount of clicks you receive but I'll have to look a bit deeper into that.

I'm on Yell.com as I said but again, not paying for sponsored links etc.

Facebook.....I'm not on it and, if I'm honest, I'm not a fan of it. It's too intrusive and I have concerns about the type of client it may attract. Don't get me wrong, I was brought up on a council estate and there's nothing wrong with that but I'm also very familiar with the type of people that you could end up dealing with and I don't want to open myself/business up to that kind of work.

I've been pointed towards Linked-In a few times but I've yet to look into that.......

 

[loz2754]

Hi bud.

I do have a website yes, by all means take a look and give some constructive criticism if you wish: About | MB Electrical Services - https://www.mb-electricalservices.co.uk/about/

I am on Google my business too but I don't get many hits (if any) but I'm not paying anything to push it right now as I'm unsure how it works and the costs involved. I'm led to believe the cost is based on the amount of clicks you receive but I'll have to look a bit deeper into that.

I'm on Yell.com as I said but again, not paying for sponsored links etc.

Facebook.....I'm not on it and, if I'm honest, I'm not a fan of it. It's too intrusive and I have concerns about the type of client it may attract. Don't get me wrong, I was brought up on a council estate and there's nothing wrong with that but I'm also very familiar with the type of people that you could end up dealing with and I don't want to open myself/business up to that kind of work.

I've been pointed towards Linked-In a few times but I've yet to look into that.......

Nice looking website.
It's address is just 1 letter different from my own!

 

[M-B-Electrical-Services]

Nice looking website.
It's address is just 1 letter different from my own!

Really!! That's amazing that!

Are you Sole Trader too or Ltd with employees?

 

[loz2754]

Really!! That's amazing that!

Are you Sole Trader too or Ltd with employees?

Just me.
I use Google Ads but it can be quite expensive. You can pause it though at any time.

 

[DPG]

Hi bud.

I do have a website yes, by all means take a look and give some constructive criticism if you wish: About | MB Electrical Services - https://www.mb-electricalservices.co.uk/about/

I am on Google my business too but I don't get many hits (if any) but I'm not paying anything to push it right now as I'm unsure how it works and the costs involved. I'm led to believe the cost is based on the amount of clicks you receive but I'll have to look a bit deeper into that.

I'm on Yell.com as I said but again, not paying for sponsored links etc.

Facebook.....I'm not on it and, if I'm honest, I'm not a fan of it. It's too intrusive and I have concerns about the type of client it may attract. Don't get me wrong, I was brought up on a council estate and there's nothing wrong with that but I'm also very familiar with the type of people that you could end up dealing with and I don't want to open myself/business up to that kind of work.

I've been pointed towards Linked-In a few times but I've yet to look into that.......

The website looks good.

 

[M-B-Electrical-Services]

Just me.
I use Google Ads but it can be quite expensive. You can pause it though at any time.

I'll look into starting that up then as I feel I need to get myself noticed a wee bit. No point in spending all that money on a website if it isn't being noticed!

How long have you been trading for and how are you getting on? (if you don't mind me asking)

 

[M-B-Electrical-Services]

The website looks good.

Thank you very much! I appreciate that.

 

[LukeD]

Depends if you want to be on the end of a phone all day long giving free info and quotes etc etc ? Instagram/facebook and your own customers are the best advertisers.

 

[M-B-Electrical-Services]

Depends if you want to be on the end of a phone all day long giving free info and quotes etc etc ? Instagram/facebook and your own customers are the best advertisers.

You're right Luke. I seem to be doing ok for now with my own customer base without any advertising.
If the worst ever came to the worst, I could always go subbying for a bit.

 

[LukeD]

A good customer will always recommend you .Ive used this method for 30 years. I have little time to mess around with "cold callers"

 

[M-B-Electrical-Services]

A good customer will always recommend you .Ive used this method for 30 years. I have little time to mess around with "cold callers"

Agreed. I seem to be doing ok on recommendation alone but, as I said, I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket so to speak.

Gotta have your eye on 6 months time for a small business like mine with just over 12 months under my belt.
There's a ton of competition out there at the moment too with a huge amount of small electrical sole traders knocking around.

 

[jedisparks]

Hi exponential,

Just wondering if you went any further with your advertising? Trading for 17 yesrs and I haven't advertised for about 5 years - just repeat customers and word of mouth has kept me very busy. BUT, this year the demand has completely dropped off and have been quiet for the first time in ages.

Anyone else notice a bit of a slow down?

 

[M-B-Electrical-Services]

Hi exponential,

Just wondering if you went any further with your advertising? Trading for 17 yesrs and I haven't advertised for about 5 years - just repeat customers and word of mouth has kept me very busy. BUT, this year the demand has completely dropped off and have been quiet for the first time in ages.

Anyone else notice a bit of a slow down?

Hi bud,

I rang the people who built my website to ask the question about it and he was quite honest in saying that you've gotta spend a few quid to keep your business at the top of the list on google etc. He's going to send me a price list and I'll decide from that whether I think it's a viable option. I'll post an update when that comes through for any that may be interested.

I have definitely seen a significant drop in enquiries over the last couple of months! It's a worrying trend to be fair and I have found myself wondering if I'll be able to see the next few months through! I think with the recent increase in energy bills, that has made people think twice about spending any money.

Another thing I've noticed is the saturation of the sole trader sector. I have never seen so many sole trader electricians on the roads! People are being undercut left right and centre including myself. It seems to be a race to the bottom which is driving our trade down somewhat.

What are your thoughts on it?

 

[LukeD]

Hi bud,

I rang the people who built my website to ask the question about it and he was quite honest in saying that you've gotta spend a few quid to keep your business at the top of the list on google etc. He's going to send me a price list and I'll decide from that whether I think it's a viable option. I'll post an update when that comes through for any that may be interested.

I have definitely seen a significant drop in enquiries over the last couple of months! It's a worrying trend to be fair and I have found myself wondering if I'll be able to see the next few months through! I think with the recent increase in energy bills, that has made people think twice about spending any money.

Another thing I've noticed is the saturation of the sole trader sector. I have never seen so many sole trader electricians on the roads! People are being undercut left right and centre including myself. It seems to be a race to the bottom which is driving our trade down somewhat.

What are your thoughts on it?

NEVER EVER join in the race . Its suicide .Whats going to happen is the arse will fall out , many will bin their tools /vans etc .Those that work well, charge the right money will always have work . Just stick to good wealthy people who pay on time .

 

[M-B-Electrical-Services]

NEVER EVER join in the race . Its suicide .Whats going to happen is the arse will fall out , many will bin their tools /vans etc .Those that work well, charge the right money will always have work . Just stick to good wealthy people who pay on time .

Well my wife who helps with the admin side of things is quite stern when it comes to clients asking for a drop in price etc.
We are running a business not a charity. I feel our prices are fair so in future, we are no longer going to entertain this penny pinching method of obtaining work.
We do a nice, clean and professional job and the price reflects this.

You have to know your worth really, I'm not 100% there yet with my confidence in pricing but it'll come with time.

 

[LukeD]

Well my wife who helps with the admin side of things is quite stern when it comes to clients asking for a drop in price etc.
We are running a business not a charity. I feel our prices are fair so in future, we are no longer going to entertain this penny pinching method of obtaining work.
We do a nice, clean and professional job and the price reflects this.

You have to know your worth really, I'm not 100% there yet with my confidence in pricing but it'll come with time.

You charge 20% for doing the right work. 80% for turning up on time to do a quote ,start the job when agreed and leave the place clean .This is what really matters to a lot of busy wealthy clients !

 

[M-B-Electrical-Services]

You charge 20% for doing the right work. 80% for turning up on time to do a quote ,start the job when agreed and leave the place clean .This is what really matters to a lot of busy wealthy clients !

Couldn't agree more Luke.

Funnily enough, my web designer has got back to me on pricing and he's asking for £50 a month for a maintenance package where all website/email maintenance and social media/google advertising is included in the price.

That's £600 a year to pay out but if it brings in a couple of grand in business then I guess it's a pill worth swallowing.

I'll ask if I can opt out at any stage and if so, I might give it a shot for 3-6 months to see if I get any extra business.
You've got to speculate to accumulate I suppose.

 

[jedisparks]

When I noticed that my phone had been a bit quiet I thought I'd try and be more active on Facebook. I joined a few of the local community groups. I quickly noticed that if someone asks for a recommendation for an electrician within half an hour there's 7 or 8 replies with names put forward and they're all names I've never heard of. So I agree, there's a lot of sole traders sloshing about.