“It is a rare gift to build a business only on word of mouth recommendations. Most businesses, at some point or another, will have to advertise because good advertising brings in more business.”

When you are trying to bring in more business through advertising, what matters to you? Here are some questions you may ask!

Why should I care about advertising? Advertising is an investment. If you were investing in stocks; would you care about your return on investment? Of course, you would! If your advertising investment is not bringing a good return you aren’t making money, you’re only spending it, and bills aren’t getting paid. Most businesses don’t have unlimited advertising budgets so it’s important to invest your advertising dollar wisely!

How do I make more money? The answer is simple. More trucks in your shop or calls to your phone (if you are working as a mobile repair or towing service). You already know approximately how much you make on a repair or service call, and how many repairs you need to make a profit given your expenses. But fluctuating advertising costs can hurt the bottom line and cause stress. Advertising is almost always a necessary expense (sometimes you’ve gotta spend money to make money) and being in control of your advertising cost is a great way to maximize profit. So, a flat rate for advertising is a win-win.

How can I get more trucks to fix, to make more money? Well, first off you need to target your audience. Only advertise to real people who have the potential to put money in your pocket. You can spend money on a specific, targeted ad, or put an ad in a home improvement magazine. Which one of those ads is more likely to get trucks in your shop? Are you advertising to real commercial trucking businesses or are you paying for worthless “views”? When you spend money, what else is being included? Do they list your business on Garmin and Rand McNally truck GPS devices as part of your flat rate? Or is it a whole lot of promises and ‘trust us’ language?

How do I know my ad is in the right place? Compare your results! Does your advertiser encourage you to get a unique phone number to confirm what they are reporting to you? Are they reporting to you at all? If you stop advertising with them, is there any decline in call volume? Views don’t matter, calls to your business do. If you are being told you will get X number of views a month...be skeptical!

“Ten thousand views of your ad that deliver Zero calls, equals Zero Value”

Can someone else buy their way to the top? If you have a big budget and aren’t worried about the efficiency of your advertising dollar, this could work well for you. But what that means is a higher cost for you and your customer. It also means that fleets searching for repairs have less choice. Fleets might stop using a particular service if they are unhappy with the single vendor that has an area completely covered. If there is a flat rate, it means a level playing field whether you are a multi-state or national business, or you are just starting out with one.
You know your business better than anyone, and you know what works and what doesn’t for your business. The job of an advertiser should be to help you fine-tune your message, make sure that your phone number is showing up in front of the people that need it, and allow you to make changes as needed. If you have to wait a year before the next copy is printed, that ad might not generate a great return on your investment.

“Advertising can have a huge impact as well, but you need it to work for you.”

So, ask questions, and listen to the answers. At the end of the day, you may have a few advertising opportunities that work well for you and some that don’t work at all. Different locations, services, and seasons can all have an impact on your business. Advertising can have a huge impact as well, but you need it to work for you. That means knowing the right questions to ask and what results to look for.

Listen carefully and you will get a feeling pretty quickly from people you advertise with. Are you just a number to them, or do they care about you and your business? Are your calls returned, emails responded to? And do they make recommendations that end up being more expensive, or do they tell you not to spend more money because it won’t change the results?

“There is no shortage of people who will take your money if you’re offering, but only a few are going to be the right choice for your business.”