i've come to the realization that i need to put some energy into my business. there are 2 areas i want to focus on. 1st is landlords. anyone know how i would get a list of landlords with mailing addresses so i could target them with a mailing. 2nd is homeowners - specifically handyman/small projects. is the yellow pages still my best bet for targeting homeowners looking for these kind of services? i've never done any advertising in the last 15 or so years so i guess i'm due

Paul...the yellow pages are dead end now..
I am going to send you an e-mail with some good info on advertising ideas..I have done a bit research on the subject. I am slowly getting out of my little business and I start training soon for a new career, so I didn't get a chance to try much of it out.

1. Get a website made.

Think elderly Paul as they always need help and they will spread the word if they are happy with you! Also focus on Real Estate agents as far as cleanups, maintenance and prep services for potential homes for sale.

Word of mouth is the best advertisement! I built a nice little oil tank business off just my good work, my good word and happy customers!

Word of mouth is still the best "free" advertising you can get.

word of mouth is great, i've built the business with it. but i need to grow the business a little, bring in some new customers. seniors are definately part of my target demographic and i've tried the realtor thing w/ mixed results.

Today, the best bet is to put together a decent website, update it with decent information on a regular basis and get listed high up in the search engines for local search terms in the areas you want to target.

A website by itself is useless if no one knows how to find it. Feel free to pm me if you want more info.

What's a yellow pages?

Run small ads in local newspaper, especially for the elderly: what's a website?

Word-of-mouth, spread rumors best free advertizing

craigs list too :)

reach out to realtors, not the agents the brokers. It may not be as lucrative but there is always property going through their hands

Set up a facebook page for your business; set up a Linkedin account. In the morning fire out a few Tweets.

Marketing on the web is a different animal. It seems straight forward, but there is a lot to know. Getting the eyeballs to find you is no given. I feel, with my little dinky website, to be a speak in the virtual landscape. My advice with setting up a website is be the turtle not the hare.

Also something to think about is how much do you need/want and are you looking to grow....if your just looking to keep yourself busy, a little advertising can go a long way. I have built off and stay busy for years from running a small newspaper ad and distributing postcards or fliers. Twice a year I send a postcard mailing to every previous customer I have had. I design them myself from a web company like Vistaprint and make my own labels. Some times that alone will get the phone ringing.
It's tough out there....an edge is needed these days...word of mouth is not enough anymore, as I'm sure you know, if you want to stay consistently busy.

i've come to the realization that i need to put some energy into my business. there are 2 areas i want to focus on. 1st is landlords. anyone know how i would get a list of landlords with mailing addresses so i could target them with a mailing. 2nd is homeowners - specifically handyman/small projects. is the yellow pages still my best bet for targeting homeowners looking for these kind of services? i've never done any advertising in the last 15 or so years so i guess i'm due

A good place to start would be the real estate tax rolls, available at the assessor's office.

Don't advertise in the coupon envelopes that come around once a week. I new the guy who ran that years ago and he told me over coffee one morning that it takes someone looking at an individual advertisement for a business to see it twelve times before they will remember your business. That to me is a waste of money.

Paul,

Network as much as possible
Advertise with your truck (toss a sign and number on it)
Website (updated frequently)
Local newspaper ad (Marshfield Mariner, Patriot Ledger)
Visit local Chamber of Commerce too Marshfield Chamber of Commerce (http://marshfieldchamberofcommerce.com/)

If you are trying to grow your winter business you can target specific neighborhoods by stuffing mailboxes with flyers etc.

You can also advertise in a churches flyer they hand out at the end of mass

thanks for the input everyone. now i just need to make it happen

call me tomorrow. I had the same problem last year.617-628-8300