Home service contractors use numerous marketing methods to attract new clients. One of the most common methods is word of mouth. In order to take advantage of it, the contractor simply needs to do a good job on whatever project they’re working on. Take concrete companies for example. If a concrete contractor is hired to pour a concrete driveway, he should focus on the workmanship. A well-laid concrete surface will encourage the homeowner to recommend that concrete company to friends and family members. In addition, people who visit the house may comment on how great it looks; this is another referral opportunity. Building a website is similar. For concrete companies, websites like www.concretecontractorsportlandor.com showcase past concrete projects and convincing people to hire you. When featuring your projects, make sure to include concrete sidewalks, pavers, walkways, driveways, and retaining walls to show a variety of services. This will let potential customers know that your company can handle anything they need done. Paid advertising is a step down from websites because you it requires continuous investment. Concrete professionals will pay for ads on Bing or Google and each time someone clicks on the ad, they’ll pay a variable dollar amount called the “cost per click” or “CPC”. CPC is calculated based on the level of competition in the space. The more competitors that are paying for ads, the higher the bid price. All three marketing methods work well, but they’re best used on combination.
Category Archives: Home Improvement
Advancements in Dental Service Market Leadership
Whenever a business wants to be the top rated company in a space and get the name recognition that comes with being the leader, they have to create a strategy and tactical plan to get there. In the dental services niche, that requires first having a central office location that the vast majority of the local residents can easily reach by public transportation. After building the main office, the dental clinic must start advertising online. Online advertising for dentistry begins with building a dental website like https://www.albanydentalpros.com for clients to visit and schedule appointments. Next, the advertiser’s job is getting the company into high quality directories that many of the customers frequent – places like Bing, Yelp, Facebook, City Search, Yellow Pages, White Pages, and so on. The ideal method of insertion would be to contact a data aggregator directly and have them disburse the information to all of the other sources, but it can be very costly to have that done, especially compared to the alternative. So instead, most dentists opt to have their business manually added to individual websites for a lower price. Once that’s been completed, customers gradually start to trickle in from online sources. People visit Yelp and other directories like it for food recommendations, home improvement, doctor visits, and much more because of its ease of use and its ability to look at start ratings and reviews.
At this point, the leading dental company has built an office and established an internet presence. Now, it’s time to take the marketing up a notch. To increase visibility, many dental clinics opt to pay for radio ads to gain a broader reach. This marketing channel reaches tens of thousands of people at once and can be costly, but typically does increase calls. The only tough part about radio is attribution; it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where a customer first heard about the dentist without directly asking them. And even when questioned, many people will simply not remember where they first heard a brand name. Everything seems to merge together. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it means that the various advertising methods are working together, but it does make more difficult to spend ad money effectively.
After radio ads, a leading dentist may choose to purchase “CPC” ads. People see the ads when searching online and the company pays each time a customer clicks on it. This is the final method that serves as the icing on the cake. With only a few hundred dollar a month, dentists can fill their calendar with new appointments. Customers will call in to schedule teeth cleanings, routine dental check-ups, and oral exams.
The 7 Benefits of Paving Your Driveway with Asphalt
Your driveway is one of the most important parts of your property. It’s the path to your home and it’s used constantly, every day of the week. Cars and trucks park on it, people walk on it, and it’s widely considered part of the home’s aesthetic appeal. Like anything else however, the driveway requires maintenance. Depending on the material, a new driveway can be costly, which is why we recommend paving your driveway with asphalt.
Benefits of Asphalt Driveway Paving
- Asphalt Is Cheaper Than Concrete
Asphalt costs $2.50 – $4.00 per square foot, while concrete costs $4.00 – $6.00 per square foot. Do the math. If you have a large driveway, you save a lot of money by opting for asphalt pavement.
- Installation is Fast
A good driveway paver can install an asphalt driveway in a couple hours. While it does require a professional contractor to do it, that’s fast.
- Maintenance Requires Resealing Every Few Years
Unless the driveway experiences damage from an event, such as a tree falling on it, you’re unlikely to have to make any sizeable repairs. In order to properly maintain asphalt, you simply need to reseal the driveway every few years. With vehicles driving over the surface and changes in weather patterns, the pavement will experience small cracks. Sealing these is enough to keep the surface in great shape for at least 15 years.
- Asphalt Doesn’t Crack in Freezing Temperatures
Upstate New York, and Albany in particular, experiences warm summers and freezing winters. Although concrete is generally considered more durable than asphalt, it cracks in freezing temperatures, while asphalt does not. Asphalt driveway paving is the best option in Albany because of the local weather. Your driveway’s pavement needs to withstand cold winters, snow, and ice. The only potential issue with asphalt is overheating, which can soften the surface. However, Albany’s high temperatures don’t generally go above 90 degrees, so this isn’t a concern.
- Your Property Value Increases
An asphalt driveway is a relatively inexpensive way to increase the property value of your home. In addition to making the property more aesthetically pleasing and easily accessible, your home’s sale price could jump up to $10,000 simply by having a new driveway.
- Asphalt Is Safe for Vehicles and People
When asphalt is paved, the surface is very smooth. There are no rocks sticking out and there’s no chance of anything striking vehicles that drive on it, as long as the surface has cured before its first use. The driveway surface is also safe for pedestrians to walk on because it minimizes trip hazards and siphons off excess water due to its slope. In the wintertime, the dark colored pavement absorbs sunlight, helping to melt snow and ice faster than on other surfaces. Add some rock salt to the driveway and you’re back to normal in no time.
- Fixing a Small Hole or Crack is a Breeze
If you have some small cracks or a hole that you need to repair, fixing them is easy with asphalt. Drive over to your local hardware store, such as Home Depot, pick up some quick dry asphalt and patch it yourself with a trowel. If there’s extensive damage, you may have to reseal it instead.