The start of the year is a good time to take a look at the year's numbers and see where you think you can improve your plumbing and HVAC business in 2008.

Even when you have strong marketing fundamentals, you always need fresh ideas to give the business that extra push.

Some suggestions for 2008 include:

- CHERRY PICKING THE BEST WORK: 

The multi-thousand dollar jobs change the profit picture for PHVAC businesses completely.  We are always working on new strategies to cherry pick the most lucrative work for our clients before their competitors even get a chance to make their pitch.  This is an area that is always worth the extra effort, because it's vastly more profitable for most contractors.

 - DIVERSIFYING YOUR ADVERTISING: 

It's good business sense to diversify your marketing from becoming too dependent on a single source.  That's because conditions in the market can change very rapidly.  A lot of contractors come to us with this very issue - they have had a good few years from a single revenue source, but they have suddenly found the going a lot tougher.  If you still rely solely on Yellow Pages or word of mouth then WAKE UP IN 2008!

-  TOTAL CAMPAIGN TRACKING: 

This is a way of tracking where every single call comes from, where you can see the effectiveness of your marketing dollars in real time.  If you don't know where all your calls come from then this an area you can definitely improve your business in 2008.  The reason is that knowing where every call is coming from is the first step to improving the effectiveness of your marketing and advertising year-on-year.

- CAMPAIGNS FOR REPEAT CUSTOMERS: 

This is a different angle from cherry picking the best work; this is cherry picking the best customers with a lot of repeat business for you.  So it is worth thinking about how you can get the customers that give plumbing and HVAC businesses work week after week.  We have developed several unique strategies for targeting them. 

- PUT SOME EXCITEMENT BACK INTO IT: 

Finding new ways to grow your business should be exciting and interesting.  Think about some new ways to get that entrepreneurial fire roaring; your business is always just a few great ideas away from greater success - it ought to be enjoyable pursuing them.  If there is one consistent character trait amongst our most successful clients it's that enthusiasm - they want their business to grow, and enjoy it.

These are all strategic areas where even the most profitable business can look ahead to 2008, thinking of ways to sharpen up their contractor marketing and advertising.

If you are looking for ideas to implement your plumbing and HVAC business plans in 2008, or a dedicated advertising agency to work with you to grow your business contact us today (email and phone numbers to the right).  Don't forget to tell us a bit about your business too. 

If you are looking to have direct mail, door hangers or promotional collateral printed for your plumbing or HVAC business we are able to get some great deals on the printing costs.  All of the printing is HIGH QUALITY - full color on both sides, compare these with the prices offered by your local printer and I think you'll see why we are excited.

MORE LEADS FROM THE SAME MARKETING SPEND: When you can save on the printing it means you can produce more marketing pieces from the same spend; or to put it a different way - it's a great way to increase the return on your advertising and marketing investment. 

If you are interested in us helping you get a great deal on your printing (and remember we can obtain quotes for shorter and longer print runs, and other printing collateral including full brochures, flyers, and presentation folders) then email us your requirements today or call 1800 630 0083 (US only). 

Plumbing slogans are an issue that are never too far away from a discussion about advertising for many contractors.  Part of the reason for that is perhaps the big name plumbing companies that spent the fifties and sixties pushing their slogans and jingles hard.  As a result many contractors think that it's the fast track to contractor marketing gold.  It isn't.

If you have heard slogans and jingles before and know them well, it's probably because gigantic sums have been spent over a great many years.  It's the stuff of market share, and of dominating markets.  If you're looking for big branding - "top of the mind" awareness, then you need to be thinking about big budgets and putting yourself in a position of market dominance in your local market.

If you're looking for more of your marketing dollars to get the phone ringing here and now with contracting jobs, then you'll need more than a catchy slogan.  Think about your branding, why customers should choose you, and how they benefit when they choose you.  Then get that message out there as your priority.  The odds are way in your favor for a faster return on your investment over pushing your slogan.  It's a simplification of many of the issues facing different plumbing and HVAC companies - your businesses have different competitors and are at different stages of the business life cycle - but by and large if the main focus of marketing your business is just the slogan, you're missing out on where the real action is.

For help with your contractor marketing year round, simply email us or call us and we'll see how we can help.  All the work we do is specific to helping you to beat your competitors in your area - so don't forget to tell us a bit about your business too!

One of the keys to professional advertising and marketing is increasing the effectiveness of your plumbing advertising dollars.  That can be by improving the message, or the advertisement.  But it can also be by lowering the cost of your media spending.  Contact us and we can help you with:

- Negotiating better Yellow Pages deals.  Feel you're getting hard done by Yellow Pages and other directories?  Join the club.  Get some advice on getting the best deal on your Yellow Pages advertising - and on some other cost-effective ways to promote your business.

- Save huge amounts on printing costs!  If you print flyers, stationery or marketing collateral with a local printer, you may find that we can get you printing rates that blow them away.  Why?  Because we can get them wholesale, that can mean less expensive printing costs for your marketing campaign - or perhaps more importantly, more marketing bang for your buck - print more for the same budget and get more sales.  If you are thinking of a marketing or advertising campaign that involves printing do get in touch - it can be amazingly less expensive if you get it done wholesale.

- Limited time online marketing discount.  There are huge numbers of plumbing and HVAC customers online - our clients already know that.  Moreover, it can help you not just increase your customer base, but to diversify your marketing efforts.  We can set up an online campaign to capture customers in your area  - contact us for more details.

Getting more calls and sales for your plumbing or HVAC business is all about beating your competitors to the customers.  If you would like help with advertising or marketing your business, call the experts at plumbermarketing.com today - and ask how we have already helped plumbing and HVAC businesses just like yours.