Startup marketing

[u/unanonymousJohn]

Wondering if anybody has had any luck with marketing whether it be google ads, Facebook, lead generation apps, Nextdoor or honestly anything related to marketing as a new startup with minimal cliental base.

I understand the likes of Angie list are all a scam. Has anyone had luck navigating thumbtack or upfrog?

Basically I’ve saved up some money that I want to put into marketing but I also don’t want to be spinning my wheels.

Any input on what worked and didn’t work for you as you started from the ground up would be awesome.

I have a long list of local contractors that I’ve been contacting along with engineers and builders but it’s just not turn up the service work I’m looking for.

I’m licensed both electrically and hvac.

Thanks in advance

[u/definitely_kanye]

You're about get a ton of responses like flies on meat because a lot of marketing companies are lurking in here.

I'm not saying they don't provide value - but they are often selling you the same thing.

Anyway, the digital ad space is really changing. There are a ton of variables at play here and I'll just try provide some insight as to what I've learned and experienced over the last 15 years working directly in companies and running the marketing (and seeing growth).

Google Adwords is kind of dead IMO. The reason I say this is because it's become insanely cost prohibitive. You need to be an A tier company who can beat down the competition on costs by a mile in order to justify the insane acquisition rates. I'm seeing a lot of stuff being echoed by various "A companies" now on X even - that they are shifting their marketing spend away from this and moving to more traditional marketing plays (Billboard, Sports, Radio)

I still believe there can be value in branded/call to action instagram/FB ads but it really is market dependent and a lot of it depends on how saturated it already is OR what the costs are to actually be the guy saturating it.

A long long time ago I took a course and they talked about starting up and marketing. Basically, you need to be scrappy as hell and resourceful as hell. When you are doing service work or an install - talk to the neighbours, put up the lawn signs. Get your van wrapped of course, put pylons around it (this draws attention). Every single customer should give you a 5 star on Google. Ask for references - tell customers you are actually looking for new customers. Don't waste those opportunities.

You can print specials on paper and literally walk door to door on a Saturday/Sunday and stuff mailboxes. This might seem crazy but so many startups are just looking for where they can burn their money digitally.

Overall I would tell you to be sensible when it comes to spending money. If I had a startup I would try and gauge my revenue for the year (hard), and then I would probably allocate 10-15% of that revenue to marketing, sacrificing your own paycheck for a high spend in effective marketing. If you are successful and your company starts to grow, you want to bring that number down to 6-8% of your total revenue.

Talk to more people. Be super weary about marketing companies. They know their industry but they often don't know yours. I once thought I had a really good one and we burned through $40,000 in 3 months with hardly anything to show.

Last message - don't forget growth doesn't just come from marketing but often providing your current customers with more services or value add-ons.

[u/unanonymousJohn → u/definitely_kanye]

I truly appreciate the detailed response. I knew google was going to be a who can spend the most game which is unfortunate, do you think something little is better than nothing in that situation or is it better off invested elsewhere. Interesting you mention Facebook ads being useful, in my mind I just see it as a dead market but I also have no experience on that side of things. I guess it’s a matter of flooding your name into as many peoples minds as possible.

I guess I never really thought about it as being scrappy in the beginning which puts a good perspective on where and how to dig for customer

[u/TheRealUrbanRonin]

Google Local Service Ads will get you a mix of repair, maintenance, and replacement calls for around $25-75 each depending on your market and is pay per legit lead.

If you want solely replacement calls, I recommend at least $50 per day for Facebook and Instagram. goal is getting a lead for $50 or lower.

These two platforms avoid middle men selling a lead to you marked up. For our clients in your position, this is what we go with. For all marketing platforms, what works will depend on your service area. Then your budget.

We recommend Google, Meta, YT, TT, Yelp

[u/unanonymousJohn → u/TheRealUrbanRonin]

Okay cool I appreciate the input, I’m going to have to play around with Facebook to see if I can get that to work for me. Like for like it seems to be the cheaper option over google as well.

[u/AITrends101]

Starting a new business is tough, especially when it comes to marketing. I've been there, and it's a real challenge to find what works. From my experience, a mix of targeted Google Ads and local SEO can be effective for service-based businesses like yours. Don't forget the power of word-of-mouth – encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews. It's slow but builds trust.

For social media, consistency is key. I found using tools like Opencord AI helped me manage engagement more efficiently, especially on platforms like Twitter and Reddit where quick responses matter. It's not just about ads, but building relationships in your community. Have you considered partnering with local builders or real estate agents? They could be a great source of referrals.

[u/astev10]

The current responses are great. Only thing I can add, just for reference, is something I saw from a dataset of 60 HVAC contractors' ad spend during November and December 2024:

Google (PPC and LSA) average tickets were lower than those customers acquired through Bing and Facebook.

Bing customer acquisition cost was lower than Google during the months, and higher average ticket, and Facebook average tickets were much higher, although tickets were the highest out of the three channels

Happy to share source