TOPIC: Marketing Ideas

I might be relly late to the party and someone may have said this already.  Firt become friend with other people in different industries that have your same target market (ex closing attorneys, mortgage brokers, insurance etc...even builders)  See what you can do together and split the cost.  We had a realtor appreciation party and split the costs.

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
17) Make your contact info easily found on your websites (email, phone #, etc.  /  Make sure to post your email address).
18) Partial Vehicle wraps for advertising your company.

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.
4) Use company info and make HVAC maintenance sticker (to determine when maintenance was done)
5) Use company info and make electrical panel label sticker (label breakers)

Marketing after inspection

1) Send out cards when people do not expect them.
2) Mailing post cards
3) Monthly or weekly newsletters
4) Gifts for new client referrals


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.
7) Mass E mailers that cater to Real Estate industry.
8 ) Saturday and Sunday "Open House" face to face meetings with agents. Then leave your company info in the home as well.
9) Special offer of Free Pool Inspection AND a Free Termite Inspection for a 30 to 45 day window.
10) Set up a meeting with brokers (team leaders) and get on the office list.
11) Sponsor open houses with real estate agents.
12) Sponsor ads for real estate agents.
13) Leave long lasting items in real estate offices.  ie coffee cups, pens, etc.
14) Realtor appreciation party (split cost with other vendors)


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.
7) Group marketing collaboration/business venture (group of local inspectors pull resources together for marketing and share the rewards)
8 ) Hand out business cards to everyone you meet.


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 warranty inspections
7) Commercial Inspections
8 ) Pool Inspections
9) Sprinkler System Inspections
10) Home Maintenance Inspections

Thanks for posting the list John, I know you worked hard at gathering the information.

Nice to see you around the boards.
How are you and the family doing?

Man I have been swamped...  Ever since I started doing real estate, I feel like I've been doing two full time jobs.  Inspections have been picking up the last couple of months.  And I haven't done anything for advertisements.  Just word of mouth and my website.  How have things been going for you?  (you may want to write me in a personal message)  lol

John,

That is great news that you are doing well with your businesses!!

I am doing OK even though business has been slow the last few weeks.

Take care bud!!, drop by once in awhile.

Being new to the home inspection profession, this thread was some very good and informative reading.  Some very good ideas and suggestions from all of you.