Marketing Ideas

[David Macy]

1) Most of us have websites.  So how can we get our sites in front of all those clients (other than SEO)?
2) I have been thinking of offering termite inspections as a one stop shop for Realtors!
3) IR scans without the home inspections may be one way to entice Realtors
4) TV and Radio ads may work (but are costly).
5) I thought if you travel around with your IR gun, play with it in front of people, and give them your business card.
6) Get a booth at small festivals and charge $10 or so for taking peoples pics with the IR gun and print it out for them.  Then hand them your business info too.
7) Advertise with Angie's list
8 ) Join a networking group like BNI
9) Monthly or weekly newsletters
10) Open houses
11) Join your local chamber of commerce
12) Vehicle signs
13) Mailing post cards
14) attach large banner to vehicle and sit on a popular corner for a day.
15) Do pre-sale inspections for free, leave 30 copies of your report on the counter for potential buyers to pick up and look at the great report. These buyers will need inspectors and now have your report. Make sure to call the owner to see if they have run out.
16) Advertise to Realtors one free inspection for every 10 you do for them (could do this on a monthly basis too, count resets every month).
17)  Blog and add Realtors to your list of inclusions.
18)  Have a small flyer done up with logo and website address and distribute them to every realtor mail box in your service area.  In my case, that would be over 20,000...
19) Put flyer's on houses with for sale signs in the yard.
20.  Flyer on grocery store bulletin boards
21) Join your local real estate association
22) Get a both at an area real estate home show
23) Discount Coupons
24) Press release to newspapers/TV stations/Inspector associations
25) Leave a brochure and business card at ever home you inspect.
26) Send out cards when people do not expect them.
27) Create a client and realtor questionnaire (Survey)
28) Place a sheet of paper or a post card with your info on it, place in a clear newspaper plastic bag and fill the bottom with pea gravel and delivery to local area and place by drive apron or mailbox.
29) Use company info and make labels for the homes main and interior shutoffs.
30) Put magnetic business cards on every refrigerator you can.
31) Distribute pens, brochures, magnets and business cards to offices and include with inspection materials.

 

[John Adrian Sopher]

1) Most of us have websites.  So how can we get our sites in front of all those clients (other than SEO)?
2) I have been thinking of offering termite inspections as a one stop shop for Realtors!
3) IR scans without the home inspections may be one way to entice Realtors
4) TV and Radio ads may work (but are costly).
5) I thought if you travel around with your IR gun, play with it in front of people, and give them your business card.
6) Get a booth at small festivals and charge $10 or so for taking peoples pics with the IR gun and print it out for them.  Then hand them your business info too.
7) Advertise with Angie's list
8 ) Join a networking group like BNI
9) Monthly or weekly newsletters
10) Open houses
11) Join your local chamber of commerce
12) Vehicle signs
13) Mailing post cards
14) attach large banner to vehicle and sit on a popular corner for a day.
15) Do pre-sale inspections for free, leave 30 copies of your report on the counter for potential buyers to pick up and look at the great report. These buyers will need inspectors and now have your report. Make sure to call the owner to see if they have run out.
16) Advertise to Realtors one free inspection for every 10 you do for them (could do this on a monthly basis too, count resets every month).
17)  Blog and add Realtors to your list of inclusions.
18)  Have a small flyer done up with logo and website address and distribute them to every realtor mail box in your service area.  In my case, that would be over 20,000...
19) Put flyer's on houses with for sale signs in the yard.
20.  Flyer on grocery store bulletin boards
21) Join your local real estate association
22) Get a both at an area real estate home show
23) Discount Coupons
24) Press release to newspapers/TV stations/Inspector associations
25) Leave a brochure and business card at ever home you inspect.
26) Send out cards when people do not expect them.
27) Create a client and realtor questionnaire (Survey)
28) Place a sheet of paper or a post card with your info on it, place in a clear newspaper plastic bag and fill the bottom with pea gravel and delivery to local area and place by drive apron or mailbox.
29) Use company info and make labels for the homes main and interior shutoffs.
30) Put magnetic business cards on every refrigerator you can.
31) Distribute pens, brochures, magnets and business cards to offices and include with inspection materials.
32) Give away nice golf shirts with your company info on it.

[John Adrian Sopher]

1) Most of us have websites.  So how can we get our sites in front of all those clients (other than SEO)?
2) I have been thinking of offering termite inspections as a one stop shop for Realtors!
3) IR scans without the home inspections may be one way to entice Realtors
4) TV and Radio ads may work (but are costly).
5) I thought if you travel around with your IR gun, play with it in front of people, and give them your business card.
6) Get a booth at small festivals and charge $10 or so for taking peoples pics with the IR gun and print it out for them.  Then hand them your business info too.
7) Advertise with Angie's list
8 ) Join a networking group like BNI
9) Monthly or weekly newsletters
10) Open houses
11) Join your local chamber of commerce
12) Vehicle signs
13) Mailing post cards
14) attach large banner to vehicle and sit on a popular corner for a day.
15) Do pre-sale inspections for free, leave 30 copies of your report on the counter for potential buyers to pick up and look at the great report. These buyers will need inspectors and now have your report. Make sure to call the owner to see if they have run out.
16) Advertise to Realtors one free inspection for every 10 you do for them (could do this on a monthly basis too, count resets every month).
17)  Blog and add Realtors to your list of inclusions.
18)  Have a small flyer done up with logo and website address and distribute them to every realtor mail box in your service area.  In my case, that would be over 20,000...
19) Put flyer's on houses with for sale signs in the yard.
20.  Flyer on grocery store bulletin boards
21) Join your local real estate association
22) Get a both at an area real estate home show
23) Discount Coupons
24) Press release to newspapers/TV stations/Inspector associations
25) Leave a brochure and business card at ever home you inspect.
26) Send out cards when people do not expect them.
27) Create a client and realtor questionnaire (Survey)
28) Place a sheet of paper or a post card with your info on it, place in a clear newspaper plastic bag and fill the bottom with pea gravel and delivery to local area and place by drive apron or mailbox.
29) Use company info and make labels for the homes main and interior shutoffs.
30) Put magnetic business cards on every refrigerator you can.
31) Distribute pens, brochures, magnets and business cards to offices and include with inspection materials.
32) Give away nice golf shirts with your company info on it.
33) Bus bench advertisements

[John Adrian Sopher]

Okay everyone I think we've reached the end of the list.  I have split up the ideas into some categories. 

The second step is to decide if these ideas are listed under the correct list.  If something needs to be moved to another category let me know in a personal message and I'll edit my posting.  This will save us from having to repost the same list over and over.



Marketing before inspection

1) TV and Radio ads may work (but are costly).
2) Join your local chamber of commerce
3) Vehicle signs
4) Put flyer's on houses with for sale signs in the yard.
5)  Flyer on grocery store bulletin boards
6) Press release to newspapers/TV stations/Inspector associations
7) Bus bench advertisements
8 ) attach large banner to vehicle and sit on a popular corner for a day.
9) Most of us have websites.  So how can we get our sites in front of all those clients (other than SEO)?
10) I thought if you travel around with your IR gun, play with it in front of people, and give them your business card.
11) Advertise with Angie's list
12) Join a networking group like BNI
13) Distribute pens, brochures, magnets and business cards to offices and include with inspection materials.
14) Place a sheet of paper or a post card with your info on it, place in a clear newspaper plastic bag and fill the bottom with pea gravel and delivery to local area and place by drive apron or mailbox.
15) Discount Coupons
16) Open houses


Marketing during inspection

1) Leave a brochure and business card at ever home you inspect.
2) Use company info and make labels for the homes main and interior shutoffs.
3) Put magnetic business cards on every refrigerator you can.


Marketing after inspection

1) Send out cards when people do not expect them.
2) Mailing post cards
3) Monthly or weekly newsletters


Realtor Marketing

1)  Have a small flyer done up with logo and website address and distribute them to every realtor mail box in your service area.  In my case, that would be over 20,000...
2) IR scans without the home inspections may be one way to entice Realtors
3) Advertise to Realtors one free inspection for every 10 you do for them (could do this on a monthly basis too, count resets every month).
4) Join your local real estate association
5) Active Rain
6) Make a coupon with the Realtors name on it.


Multi Functional Marketing

1) Do pre-sale inspections for free, leave 30 copies of your report on the counter for potential buyers to pick up and look at the great report. These buyers will need inspectors and now have your report. Make sure to call the owner to see if they have run out.
2) Get a booth at small festivals and charge $10 or so for taking peoples pics with the IR gun and print it out for them.  Then hand them your business info too.
3) Give away nice golf shirts with your company info on it.
4) Get a booth at an area real estate home show
5) Create a client and realtor questionnaire (Survey)
6)  Blog and add Realtors to your list of inclusions.


Additional Services

1) I have been thinking of offering termite inspections as a one stop shop for Realtors!
2) IR Inspections
3) Well/Septic
4) Radon
5) Mold
6) New construction warrant inspections

[Russell S. Spriggs]

#16 of the original list: here's a caution . . .
First, we don't (usually) work for RE agents.
Second, according to RESPA rules, this may be a conflict. 

Remember, you can gift an agent a million bucks, but he can't expect a penny!

[John Adrian Sopher]

#16 of the original list: here's a caution . . .
First, we don't (usually) work for RE agents.
Second, according to RESPA rules, this may be a conflict. 

Remember, you can gift an agent a million bucks, but he can't expect a penny!

You bring up a good point, but its aimed to be free for their customer!  You could also do it 50% off.  You could do it in any combination you like. 

Having said that.... hold on to your critiques for about a week or so.  I am giving people time to respond on how the list was broken down.  If you think any items need to be moved to another section let me know in a personal message and I will go back and edit the post.  Then we will start getting into whether they are good ideas or not.

Thanks

[David Macy]

There are a lot more items that could be added to additional services.

Like: Well/Septic, Radon, Mold, New Construction warrant inspections.

There are others as well. We could either expand on the additional services or just make it one entry.

[John Adrian Sopher]

There are a lot more items that could be added to additional services.

Like: Well/Septic, Radon, Mold, New Construction warrant inspections.

There are others as well. We could either expand on the additional services or just make it one entry.

Yo got it...

[John Adrian Sopher]

Okay everyone, no one is really commenting on the list break down so lets move on to critiquing everything we have posted.  Any and all comments are welcome at this point.  The object is to get the Pro's and Con's of each idea and find what will work best for you and your company.  Hope everyone gets some good ideas from this and makes tons of money in the new year!!!  Just done forget the little people on your way up! 



Marketing before inspection

1) TV and Radio ads may work (but are costly).
2) Join your local chamber of commerce
3) Vehicle signs
4) Put flyer's on houses with for sale signs in the yard.
5)  Flyer on grocery store bulletin boards
6) Press release to newspapers/TV stations/Inspector associations
7) Bus bench advertisements
8 ) attach large banner to vehicle and sit on a popular corner for a day.
9) Most of us have websites.  So how can we get our sites in front of all those clients (other than SEO)?
10) I thought if you travel around with your IR gun, play with it in front of people, and give them your business card.
11) Advertise with Angie's list
12) Join a networking group like BNI
13) Distribute pens, brochures, magnets and business cards to offices and include with inspection materials.
14) Place a sheet of paper or a post card with your info on it, place in a clear newspaper plastic bag and fill the bottom with pea gravel and delivery to local area and place by drive apron or mailbox.
15) Discount Coupons
16) Open houses


Marketing during inspection

1) Leave a brochure and business card at ever home you inspect.
2) Use company info and make labels for the homes main and interior shutoffs.
3) Put magnetic business cards on every refrigerator you can.


Marketing after inspection

1) Send out cards when people do not expect them.
2) Mailing post cards
3) Monthly or weekly newsletters
4) Yard signs


Realtor Marketing

1)  Have a small flyer done up with logo and website address and distribute them to every realtor mail box in your service area.  In my case, that would be over 20,000...
2) IR scans without the home inspections may be one way to entice Realtors
3) Advertise to Realtors one free inspection for every 10 you do for them (could do this on a monthly basis too, count resets every month).
4) Join your local real estate association
5) Active Rain
6) Make a coupon with the Realtors name on it.


Multi Functional Marketing

1) Do pre-sale inspections for free, leave 30 copies of your report on the counter for potential buyers to pick up and look at the great report. These buyers will need inspectors and now have your report. Make sure to call the owner to see if they have run out.
2) Get a booth at small festivals and charge $10 or so for taking peoples pics with the IR gun and print it out for them.  Then hand them your business info too.
3) Give away nice golf shirts with your company info on it.
4) Get a booth at an area real estate home show
5) Create a client and realtor questionnaire (Survey)
6)  Blog and add Realtors to your list of inclusions.



Additional Services

1) I have been thinking of offering termite inspections as a one stop shop for Realtors!
2) IR Inspections
3) Well/Septic
4) Radon
5) Mold
6) New construction warrant inspections

[Russell S. Spriggs]

You bring up a good point, but its aimed to be free for their customer!  You could also do it 50% off.  You could do it in any combination you like. 

Understood.
It just has to be phrased better than it is in #16.

[Russell S. Spriggs]

Just want to make sure I'm not missing something:
What I call "Warranty" or 11th Month Inspections, is that what others (above) are calling "warrant"?

[John Adrian Sopher]

You bring up a good point, but its aimed to be free for their customer!  You could also do it 50% off.  You could do it in any combination you like. 

Understood.
It just has to be phrased better than it is in #16.

Realtor Marketing

1)  Have a small flyer done up with logo and website address and distribute them to every realtor mail box in your service area.  In my case, that would be over 20,000...
2) IR scans without the home inspections may be one way to entice Realtors
3) Advertise to Realtors one free inspection for every 10 you do for them (could do this on a monthly basis too, count resets every month).
4) Join your local real estate association
5) Active Rain
6) Make a coupon with the Realtors name on it.



Lets call it #3 now...  lol I was starting to get confused on what we were talking about.  If I were to do something like this, I would tell them something like.... for every 10 inspections I get from you I will give you a 50% coupon for an IR inspection for you to give to any customer you wish.

I thought about it this way because;
1 you would be bringing in the business.
2 you are promoting your IR inspections at the same time
3 and if your subbing IR out like me, the cost is covered by the 50% you are charging the client.


I would also make it clear that I have to get the job in order for it to count.  Ultimately you as a business owner will have to set the rules for your own business.  These are just sparks of ideas to make a warm fire for your business.

[Russell S. Spriggs]

And, let's not forget John Onofrey's HomeHintseNews.com

Best bang for the buck out there.

[Jay Markanich]

John Onofrey's uncle Joe was my 7th grade geography teacher...  When John mentioned me to him, just last year, Joe remembered me.  Now that's over 40 years later!  You gotta wonder - he had taught in a couple of schools in the area and pegged my school and my description.  I guess I stood out...  Must have been that county record I set for going to the principal's office - as I recall some 80 days in a row.

Small world.

Hey, Russ, in my area some of the builders have begun a new sneaky technique.  They conduct the "one year walk through" at 11 months.  That means, if I am doing a "one-year warranty inspection" the homeowner needs to call me around the 10th month.  Pretty slick, huh?

[Anthony J. McCloskey]

I got one for before, during and after.

Yard signs with your company info, get with your realitors and ask to put them in the yards before and during an inspection. Then ask the client, after they purchars the house if you may put one in the yard for a few weeks.

[Anthony J. McCloskey]

Buy three ring binders in bulk and put your company info on the front, put your reports in this binder and give them to your clients. Don't forget to put a few business cards in the inside. This is great for when they show family and friends.

[Anthony J. McCloskey]

As an extra bonus, if your camera has the function to record, each room you enter do a quick pan shot of the room and burn it to a disc and present it with the report. You should use discretion with this, like only taping houses that are empty. You can also put the report on the disc. Of course you should print your company info on the disc and jacket.

[Anthony J. McCloskey]

Drawings for TV's and other things for past customers. Just make sure you get you company info on anything you give away.

[John Adrian Sopher]

I got one for before, during and after.

Yard signs with your company info, get with your realtors and ask to put them in the yards before and during an inspection. Then ask the client, after they purchase the house if you may put one in the yard for a few weeks.

Thanks for the idea.  I have actually bee looking into them a little.  I went ahead and put it under "after inspection" as I think that's the point when its going to work for us inspectors.  Also, I wanted to point out that in my own research, larger signs are just too expensive to put in yards.  I'm currently waiting on a price quote for little yard flags.  I'm also asking around about these things and am finding women tend to notice yard signs and flags more than men do.  If that's truly the case you will want to design something that gears towards women but still acceptable for men!!!!

[John Adrian Sopher]

Drawings for TV's and other things for past customers. Just make sure you get you company info on anything you give away.

Damn.... How much profit are you making with your business?  I may just have to move into your area!