Our focus is on strategy, email marketing, website SEO, and copyright content development. Our key values are integrity, the golden rule, and adventure. Throughout your journey in home service marketing, you have most likely come across a lot of website SEO and social media marketing for how to grow your Instagram, Facebook, etc. You’ve probably also come across many business coaches and mastermind groups. Their marketing and ads are very appealing and can get you going if you don’t guard yourself. Here are some thoughts inspired by advice from my parents and grandparents over the years to keep in mind so you can guard yourself against potential marketing scams.
Digital Marketing or Coaching Scams – If it sounds too good to be true, it is…
This is as old as time. And yet, with the fancy ads and marketing you can get easily caught up on paying for subscribers, paying for a coaching course, etc. So, if it sounds like a get rich scheme it probably is. But what are some other things you can do to check?
Well, here’s a red flag – if you cannot cancel or have to sign up for an annual (or god forbid longer) term contract – run away. Think about the cable companies vs. Hulu TV. Cable or dish companies want you to sign up for 12- or 24-month contracts. If their service and price was so great, they would no need this. So then came Hulu with monthly subscriptions that is a much better solution. I’ve heard of some coaching classes getting businesses to sign up for six-year contracts! Yikes.
A good resource to check out, if you don’t get caught up in the moment, go to the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Do some research to be better informed. Is the business accredited? Have there been complaints filed? What are the complaints about and how are they resolved. Reading through will help you understand if it is a legitimate company or not.
Digital Marketing Value and ROI – You get what you pay for
Well, this is a dichotomy from the first point… Yes, if it sounds too good to be true, they want a long-term contract with no cancelation (or prepay in the context of a load), and they have a sketchy rating or disputes on the BBB -watch out. But on the other hand, if those things check out and the price is high you may still want to consider it.
Take for example vehicles. You have base models, intermediate, and high-end models. There is a wide price difference, nearly $15k between each level on new cars. Is it worth it? Well, you should weigh that, but it is clear that you are getting more for the extra pay.
The same goes with a marketing service. I can’t believe the amount of digital marketing feeds on Instagram, new and old. And the prices of services are going down. But for a local service that knows your business services, knows the area, and has a playbook there is value. And you clearly get what you pay for if you hire a cheap service that is staffed overseas…
Limited Time for Marketing - You can’t put 80 lbs in a 50 lb sack
My father-in-law would say this one. And I would always say, “you can try”… The fact is there is only so much time in the day. You can try to create more time by limiting activities, by hiring outside help, or reducing hours sleeping. But there are only 24 hours in the day and you can’t put 80lbs in a 50lbs sack. Be cognizant of trying to do too much, and trying to take too much on. Consistency wins in marketing, so find a pace or solution that will work over the long-term.
We offer our digital marketing to home services companies that are wanting to grow to the next level, have higher rates of customer returns, and don’t have the time to put consistent effort into marketing. We focus on creating high-quality content for both social media and website local SEO, growing social media engagement, and developing and growing a loyal lead base through email marketing. This takes the burden of these activities off your plate so you can focus on performing your home services, training staff, and other aspects of scaling your business.
If you are interested in similar content, please check out our article on Recession Proofing your Home Services Business. You can see a list of our services here.
The Selway Group 