9 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
9 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

i have a business that allows me to make $40-50 per hr.. how to go about marketing it?

by ScottM17909
7 replies
Market info
I started up a small mobile headlight restoration business. Headlight restoration is process that involves reconditioning foggy/oxidized headlights using a sander, buffer, and a clear coat. Research shows nearly 1/3 of cars on the road have unsafe/oxidized headlights. Many drivers are also unaware there is a service to restore their headlights rather than replace them(very expensive $200-300 average per lens) Do-it-yourself kits don't provide professional/long lasting results. The national average price for this service is between $75-150 per pair. I charge $50-60(depending on what i list the promo as) which is a steal for most people. Each pair takes ~35 minutes from start to finish. driving on average is 10-15 per appointment in my city.

Business info
First thing i did was make a website which was obviously very cheap for me to build. My initial supply/startup costs was less then a $150(proper tools/website). Next i immediately got in contact Deal site platforms like Groupon, Amazon, Living Social, etc and pitched them my service and ran a promo after my company info was verified. I actually got hundreds of 100s of orders between all the platforms but the problem is most of these group buy sites want you to discount your price by 50% and then take 30-50% of each order on top of that. On average customers pay $30 for a groupon and my cut is $18. ~87%(yes i keep track) of my customers via deal sites/group buys pay an extra $30 for a cleat coat upgrade with a year warranty up front in cash that i do not have to share with the deal sites so i am able to make the deal worthwhile. My average net profit is 45$ per order(including gas/supplies exp) and i can do about 7 or 8 on a good day. These deal sites over the past several months have translated to a lot of traffic being sent to my site and as a result i have very good placement in search engines(just about any keywords pertaining to 'headlight restoration' in my county will show my site/yelp reviews as #1/top)

once i made some money i invested it back in the business made business cards, implemented scheduling software(book straight from the website) and used fiver to create a logo, professional voice greeting,

Question
I am currently looking to stray away from the group buys and advertise solely via web and through my site. I have tried passing out professionally made flyers, postcards, etc and have had little success that route. Does anyone have any recommendations on how to bring this niche business to the next level/have experiences with social media marketing?



here is also a link to my site affordableheadlightrestoration.com

Any input on site would be greatly appreciated.

I would also be glad to answer any questions anyone may have
#$150 #$4050 #business #make #marketing #started
  • Profile picture of the author Mindz
    hmm it seems to me like you have a local audience as you have to get to the car to actually do the work. My suggestion would be the flyer business card route just put them everywhere you can. Also don't overlook the power or local radio ... get spots and get them spin every time you can when people are getting off work would be ideal or going as they have something to keep them thinking.
    Signature
    A Great Deal On Short Stories That Sell On KINDLE!! FIND OUT MORE
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10275294].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author ScottM17909
      Originally Posted by Mindz View Post

      hmm it seems to me like you have a local audience as you have to get to the car to actually do the work. My suggestion would be the flyer business card route just put them everywhere you can. Also don't overlook the power or local radio ... get spots and get them spin every time you can when people are getting off work would be ideal or going as they have something to keep them thinking.

      i did make business cards via vista print and spend days passing them in college, business, and mall parking lots solely on cars who need them(target maketing) but i never got a single order via business card. Im thinking business cards are just too small and it doesnt make an impact leaving on peoples cars. According to city ordinance you are not allowed to leave flyers on peoples car for business purposes plus ive read flyers are just an annoying from of marketing in general with low conversions but who knows maybe i should give it with some professional postcards/flyers and see how it goes..

      I will definitely look into radio broadcast. The only problem is that sounds expensive, but i agree it is definitely worth looking into. On google alone i get about 10-15 orders a week of work which translates to 550-650 a week for 15 hours of work which isnt a bad gig if you ask me. i know with the right marketing, i could be getting alot more since there are so many cars on the road that need this service.

      thanks for the reply. it is appreciated.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10275304].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Ken Toulou
    The problem I had with radio advertising is that the audience isn't real fast to respond to your ad. And the radio stations don't want to run your ad unless you contract for more ads than I was willing to go in debt for.

    It may work out for you if you are willing to become a long term advertiser with them.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10275336].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author ScottM17909
      Originally Posted by Ken Toulou View Post

      The problem I had with radio advertising is that the audience isn't real fast to respond to your ad. And the radio stations don't want to run your ad unless you contract for more ads than I was willing to go in debt for.

      It may work out for you if you are willing to become a long term advertiser with them.
      thanks for the insight ken. im not planning on being a long term advertiser and i have small budget for marketing still so i doubt it would work out but at this point i need to figure something out because business is slow
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10275542].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    Scott,

    I must say, your thread captures my interest. Fascinating read, fascinating business model (and of course business problem, from your perspective).

    Website

    Superb site overall. But there is plenty of room for improvement and you should certainly address this before concentrating on your traffic plan.

    Provisional Suggestions:

    1. Overall Conversion Optimization.
    2. Logo Design.
    3. On-Page SEO.
    4. Slider (Ex: Improve those headlines, "Before & After," etc.)
    5. Symmetry of Content Blocks (Same Width as Header & Footer).
    6. Redesign Call to Action (and lose the flag).
    7. Avoid "Pop-Up" Booking Forms.
    8. Shorten Booking Process.
    9. I see no newsletter.

    Leads

    It should be a relatively easy task generating local leads, and you should consider - as I believe you rightly are - not sacrificing such a high level of loss from discounting.

    Provisional Suggestions:

    1. Business Synergies. You need to draw up a list of local businesses who could offer you business synergies, where their target audience can be referred to you and vice versa. You then make appointments and, after which, in-person visits. The general idea is to pass one another new leads.

    2. Local Referrals. You currently sacrifice an enormous figure when discounting your service. What you can do is offer a fraction of that figure to locals, instead. This works superbly for web development, so I see no reason it won't work here. Everyone knows someone who might benefit from your service. What you do is offer these people a monetary incentive for sending people your way.

    3. Social Media. With enough knowledge, local social media channels are relatively easy to dominate. You are, in most cases, not competing with chaps like myself and other experienced marketers. Instead: local mom and pop stores and small to medium sized local businesses. Make a concerted effort, then, to dominate locally across appropriate social platforms, and be sure not merely to gather followers but to engage them.

    4. List Growth. Most digital businesses benefit by implementing a system of email capturing on day one of operations. Now, while your service may not seem ideal, this couldn't be further from the truth. You could do with 2 newsletters: one for the public at large; one for past customers (and I'll get onto them in a moment). Every driver in the world is only too aware of the dangers of driving. Your OP immediately caught my interest, like I say, and your insights are fascinating and obviously authoritative. What I suggest is an opt-in form where you receive a subscriber and, in exchange, they receive a combination of an informative incentive (PDF or, better, PDF and video), coupled with ongoing advice on how to easily and inexpensively stay safe on the road.

    5. Cross-Selling & Up-Selling. I'm totally clueless about the service you offer, so here I'll defer judgement entirely, but I recommend you consider cross-selling (related products) and up-selling, extensions to your service. Which is where the second newsletter comes in.

    Anyway. Some ideas to consider. I could talk all day, but I best crack on.

    All the best with your venture!

    Cheers - Tom
    Signature

    I Coach: Learn More | My Latest WF Thread: Dead Domains/ Passive Traffic

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10276394].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      I'm going to riff on one of Tom's suggestions.

      Look into possible commercial partnerships. For example:

      > Make deals with local car dealers to bundle your service with their sales. "Buy a pre-owned car during our Constant Running Sale, and we'll send someone to your location to buff out your headlight lenses so they look, and work, like new."

      You still likely have to offer the dealer a discount or a cut, but you can avoid that 87% discount.

      > Position your service as a perk for another business. Apartment complexes or property managers, for example. Every new rental gets a certificate for your service (paid for by the complex or manager). When they use the cert, you get a chance to make the add-on sale in addition to the original sale.

      Get creative, and set up a number of these kinds of deals, and you may never have to give up 87% of your front end again.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10276570].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author 6figure101
    Google Adwords and Bing ads - you can set it up for local searches only!

    Craiglist and other free classifieds
    Advertise your website on your own vehicle.

    How about writing an eCourse and show others how to make money doig this in their city and sell it online! You might start making more money selling the course over having to go out and doing some manual labor!

    Either way, good luck!

    Good luck!
    Signature
    I am currently looking to add 3 driven members to my new (FREE) Mastermind group - Are you interested?
    - Join my MasterMind Group -
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10278942].message }}

Trending Topics