[Hidden-tech] Plumber recommendation?

Rob Laporte Rob at 2disc.com
Thu Apr 14 09:13:05 EDT 2016


Hi Anita,

I frequently tell small businesses that, since the labor time and cost of digital marketing has risen as a result of more competition and complexity, and since non-digital advertising costs have dropped as a result of less demand and reach, sometimes non-digital marketing is more cost effective, like your truck sign. Heck, look at local radio and newspaper ads again. 

You also raise the important topic of what people search for. It’s more expensive to be found for broader, more general phrase searches, but if people aren’t searching for a specific product or service because they aren’t aware it exists, or are aware but don’t think of it, then one has to be found for the more competitive general searches, with the hope that the searchers landing on the website will convert. Such conversions will usually be at a lower rate than for specific searches, adding to the cost of acquisition. 

The Google keyword research tools, and the many sub-$1000/mo. tools that usually repackage Google data, don’t provide good stats on longer, more specific, and relatively infrequently searched phrases. This is a big problem generally in SEO, and one for which my firm has had to engineer ways of blending a variety of data sources. Imagine the utility of highly specific search trend data easily acquired to ascertain demand. One could precisely hone the SEO writing on websites, and choose pay-per-click (PPC) ad phrases to bid on without first having to throw out a broad and expensive net of ads in order to find the specific ad and search query combinations that earn high returns. Heck, with such data, one could better predict what new products and services are worth selling in the first place. With rich trend data, one could even predict stock price trends. Imagine the data Google has. Some say Google restricts this data precisely because, without it, one needs to spend much more money in the early months of PPC, and 90% of the revenue that has made Google the most valuable company in the world comes from PPC advertising. Others say that providing such granular data and trends would overload Google’s servers. Both views may be partly true. Upshot is that search marketing, like so much of digital marketing, excludes ever larger small businesses from success. 

Enormous quantities of aggregate stats from stat firms like Adobe, IBM, comScore and others, show that social media done really well delivers about 1/10 of the conversions, and much lower conversion rates, than search marketing. These aggregate stats look at assists, where social created awareness but the last click before a conversion was from search engines, and vice versa. I do think that social media can help with hard-to-measure branding, so maybe it’s more like 1/5 as effective. And of course certain fields of business are better suited to social media marketing. As in any marketing channel, there are plenty of anecdotes about wild successes, and any truly exceptional practitioner can transcend the averages. But I would not want to base a business model on the “plan” that my marketing will be way better than almost all intelligent competitors.  

The upshot is that, while I believe that the ROI of small business digital marketing will improve in the next five years, and while it may be at a nadir now, there are Freakonomic forces arrayed against small business prosperity via digital marketing. Again, there are people who can chart a cost effective way forward, but, like India programmers, the good ones tend to be swept up by bigger businesses. 

Thank you for the Eco Building pointer. I went there two days ago, and I may end up using one of their radiators, but looking for a more ornate one in accord with the others in the house. Great business, though, and worth a visit for any building materials.

Best Regards,

Rob Laporte
Founder & Managing Partner
DISC, Inc. - "Making Web Sites Make Money"
413-584-6500
Rob at 2disc.com
www.linkedin.com/in/2disc
www.2disc.com

NOTE: Emails can be blocked by spam filters throughout the web. If you don’t get a reply within an expected span of time, please call.




> On Apr 13, 2016, at 3:51 PM, Anita Lockesmith <anita.lockesmith at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Okay, I'll bite. As a small business owner offering local services, I have created a basic website greenfieldperdiem.com <http://greenfieldperdiem.com/>. Very few people actually google search 'handywoman' and mostly you'll find per diem nurses...
> I also drive a truck with my business name on it. If someone were to google my business name Greenfield Per Diem, Greenfield MA, they will not find me. The only way to find my web is to know the exact address. I have a FB page and i've signed up for various free options, like google web service, for promoting my business. All I've generated from this are advertisers wanting to help me "build" my visibility. (apparently they can find me but no one else can) I think some of this has something to do with analytics which I don't know anything about. 
> 
> Fortunately, my business actually grows from direct referrals, rarely a google search. 
> 
> As for old radiators, try Eco Building Bargains in Springfield. (For a while the price of steel was high enough that metal recyclers were actively searching for old radiators to turn into cash)
> 
> Doug Mahon is one of those low tech, man with a truck, old school plumbers. You can find him on FB
> 
> --Anita @ Greenfield Per Diem
> 
> On Wed, Apr 13, 2016 at 3:03 PM, Rob Laporte <Rob at 2disc.com <mailto:Rob at 2disc.com>> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hi All,
> 
> It’s haunting that this email thread happened when for the last three days I’ve been calling my plumber who has not returned my call. 
> 
> Google has long been trying to get more small local businesses on the web with free and really cheap websites and hosting, Google "My Business" pages, AdWords Express, and other services, as part of a complete package. Google discovered it’s not cost-effective to reach out to individual businesses much beyond some traveling seminars, so Google tries to get partner firms like mine to reach out for Google. But it’s not cost-effective for firms like mine either—sales time plus work time for small budget. About three years ago I suggested to a Google rep that Google create packages for the likes of Chambers of Commerce, who could market the packages efficiently. Maybe no connection, but a year and a half later they introduced such a package (see https://www.gybo.com <https://www.gybo.com/>, which will often redirect to a URL ending in the city or big town nearest you). This has promise, though I believe Google should give Chambers the ability to offer ample and exclusive discounts and coupons. I’ve pushed GYBO and related ideas in my board meetings at the Greenfield Business Association and Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, with a good reception, but we need more time to articulate a package that motivates more members to join the Chamber. Even with the efficiencies and value of such a program organized by Chambers and the like, there’s often too little financial incentive involved to support the needed time.
> 
> One way or another, local businesses absolutely most do Local & Map SEO, with or without a website (a Google My Business page will do). This page explains the why and how: http://www.2disc.com/services/local-search-marketing/ <http://www.2disc.com/services/local-search-marketing/> .  Don’t buy those services, often robo-called and spam emailed, that charge you several hundred dollars per year for this. It’s one time, no charge, only (and here’s the rub) skilled labor to do it right.
> 
> In short, there are cost-effective web marketing channels for small local businesses, but, sadly, the people who really know what those channels are, and who would be honest in saying how much is not worth doing, are usually too busy with bigger fish. It’s not greed; it’s survival—good web marketing agencies spend a lot on research to stay current with what really works, and they need to support that unpaid time by focussing on reasonably well-paid work. 
> 
> That all said, I’ve always recommended doing no more marketing than is needed to achieve one’s goals, and I often get the sense that most plumbers, or at least the good ones, stay plenty busy with almost no website and no marketing beyond what Google pulls into maps and local results from third party business databases like Axiom.  
> 
> Back to the plumbing matter: anyone have a spare steam heat radiator kicking around, or know where I can get one? People often convert to hot water, putting many steam radiators in garages or junk yards, but I like the humidification of steam, and one of my radiators started leaking through rust. Plumber-schlumber—YouTube and a friggin’ huge wrench, and I’ll do the darn thing myself!
> 
> Best Regards,
> 
> Rob Laporte
> Founder & Managing Partner
> DISC, Inc. - "Making Web Sites Make Money"
> 413-584-6500 <tel:413-584-6500>
> Rob at 2disc.com <mailto:Rob at 2disc.com>
> www.linkedin.com/in/2disc <http://www.linkedin.com/in/2disc>
> www.2disc.com <http://www.2disc.com/>
> 
> NOTE: Emails can be blocked by spam filters throughout the web. If you don’t get a reply within an expected span of time, please call.
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Apr 13, 2016, at 12:53 PM, Kiernan Gulick-Sherrill <kiernan at greenearthpc.us <mailto:kiernan at greenearthpc.us>> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Michael,
>> 
>> Question for you perhaps...or maybe everyone here. Why is it that 90% of home service contractors (plumbers, electricians, handymen, etc) still seem to not have websites.
>> 
>> Looking for plumbers, have the time I have to hunt down their contact info even after I find the company name. And finding out any company info...completely at a loss.
>> 
>> Am I too modern into the digital age? Or what?
>> 
>> Kiernan Gulick-Sherrill
>> Green Earth Computers
>> www.greenearthpc.us <http://www.greenearthpc.us/>
>> kiernan at greenearthpc.us <mailto:kiernan at greenearthpc.us>
>> 413-282-8324 <tel:413-282-8324>
>> -----------------------
>> 
>> See what people are saying -- Check us out on Yelp: http://bit.ly/GEPCYELP <http://bit.ly/GEPCYELP>
>> On Apr 13, 2016 12:30 PM, "Michael Muller" <tech at montaguewebworks.com <mailto:tech at montaguewebworks.com>> wrote:
>> MSD Plumbing.
>> 
>> http://www.montaguema.net/directory.cfm?gpt=34&g=210&ID=273 <http://www.montaguema.net/directory.cfm?gpt=34&g=210&ID=273>
>> Mik Muller, owner
>> Montague WebWorks
>> (413) 320-5336 <tel:%28413%29%20320-5336>
>> http://MontagueWebWorks.com <http://montaguewebworks.com/>
>> Powered by ROCKETFUSION
>> On 4/13/2016 9:05 AM, Kiernan Gulick-Sherrill wrote:
>>> 
>>> 
>>> We have been trying to reach a good local plumber for the house with bad luck in getting calls back, wondering if you folks had any recommendations. In Leverett.
>>> 
>>> Kiernan Gulick-Sherrill
>>> Green Earth Computers
>>> www.greenearthpc.us <http://www.greenearthpc.us/>
>>> kiernan at greenearthpc.us <mailto:kiernan at greenearthpc.us>
>>> 413-282-8324 <tel:413-282-8324>
>>> -----------------------
>>> 
>>> See what people are saying -- Check us out on Yelp:  <http://bit.ly/GEPCYELP>http://bit.ly/GEPCYELP <http://bit.ly/GEPCYELP>
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net <http://www.hidden-tech.net/>
>>> Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net <mailto:Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net>
>>> 
>>> You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list.
>>> If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members   
>>> page on the Hidden Tech Web site.
>>> http://www.hidden-tech.net/members <http://www.hidden-tech.net/members>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net <http://www.hidden-tech.net/>
>> Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net <mailto:Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net>
>> 
>> You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list.
>> If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members   
>> page on the Hidden Tech Web site.
>> http://www.hidden-tech.net/members <http://www.hidden-tech.net/members>
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net <http://www.hidden-tech.net/>
> Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net <mailto:Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net>
> 
> You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list.
> If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members
> page on the Hidden Tech Web site.
> http://www.hidden-tech.net/members <http://www.hidden-tech.net/members>
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Anita D. Lockesmith
> 27 Allen Street
> Greenfield, MA 01301
> (413) 773-3242
> 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.hidden-tech.net/pipermail/hidden-discuss/attachments/20160414/306e2472/attachment.html 


Google

More information about the Hidden-discuss mailing list