Ask the Experts | Effective Forms of Advertising for Contractors

Question: Which have been effective forms of advertising for your business?

Drew Cameron; EGIA faculty member and HVAC Sellutions Founder:

Unless you can convince me that you know what you’re doing with marketing, I’m going to believe that this stat is telling me that the message is probably wrong.

The message shouldn’t be all about the company, their offer, their opportunity, blah blah blah… it should be talking about the viewer or the listener. Most contractors get that message wrong. You want your message to be all about the viewer or the listener, depending on whether it’s on TV or radio.

There’s a great video by Simon Sinek that talks about how he helped a homeless person on the streets of New York. The “ad” on their little piece of cardboard was all about them and not about the people that would be giving money. Simon changed the person’s sign to include a message about the giver and quadrupled the amount of money the homeless man received.

The sign was also disruptive. I know this works because I consult with a client in Richmond, Virginia every month and the hotel that I stay at is right up the street from a corner that two homeless men stand at.

On one corner, there’s a man with a sign that tells people to “Keep Smiling” and “Have a nice day.” His sign is all about the people in the cars.

On the other corner, the man’s sign is all about him, with things like, “I’m hungry,” “I need help,” and “I’m a veteran.”

I see more hands reaching out the window to give the first man money than people giving to the second man. The first man’s signs are all about the giver, not about the taker.

So, you want to tell a story that resonates with the people you want to attract and be disruptive in that space.

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