affiliate marketing niche resources

Is this an acceptable way of marketing a niche service online?

We have a small plumbing business and I have found a niche service of winterizing homes in our area that I would like to market to real estate brokers and property managers. In this area I can access them mostly by email or by phone message. I would like to send an email that outlines our service and prices. I think it would be easier to track responses by email but is email a professional way to approach this?

I am new to online marketing and since our professional reputation is important I don't want to start off on the wrong foot. We are on an advertising budget -most off which has already been allocated for other things so I do need to be careful here.

Any advice? Thanks!

Public Comments

1. Email is tough there are as there are lots of legal issues. First and foremost, you can't send unsolicited emails, meaning you can’t just buy or harvest a list of real estate agents and send them out. Visit: http://www.spamlaws.com/ for more info about emailing.

I’d suggest phone, to get started – it’s quick and powerful. It can be tracked, either via a telemarketing service or if you’re doing it in-house, it can be as low-tech as keeping paper trail of operators, list sources etc...

If you already have a website, advertising using a service like google adwords is also recommended. You can track this by sending visitors to alternate landing pages based on source.

Dave
http://www.AffiliateProfitCenter.com

2. YES: It is totally acceptable. Make certain to note your address & Phone number in the E-mail. Most people like doing business with people that are local. The old fashion way is flyers left in the door.

When you get a job on a street set it up for 2 days or more in the future. Use the time to tell the neighbors by flyers about the service and note that you will be in the area at xxx time, offer a minor discount. Please be certain to note your address and Phone no., also they must call to get discount.

I am sure you realize that this activity, is only for name reconization. These customers will need something that keeps your major service in their minds. The most easiest I know of is magnetic strips that you tape your business card to. They are placed on refrigrator doors. A package of 20 cost about $5.00 at Office depo, Staples, office supply shop.

The same approach can be used for an annual drain cleaning, (Snake all major drain lines from property to main). Real good service where leaves fall from trees.

Related service Bi-annual drain clean, my kitchen drain fills with grease, the bath sink gets clog with hair, this service can be done quick, cheap, and net a good look for other services. At lease you will have a happy customer that will refer you to others. Don't forget the business card.

BUSINESS CARD: Asign each customer a number. They write it on ten business cards of your, they give the business card to someone. When that person call for a job, you give the customer a LABOR free winterizing. The customer pays for the material but there is no cost for labor.

Hope these ideas grow your business quickly. One other tip: Convert employees to independant contractors. Have them provide their own basic tools and approved tranportation. All business contracts are to be operated through your office, no side contracts unless approved.

Feel free to E-mail me: whatevit@Yahoo.com

3. Put your name, address, and phone number in the email. You have to be can-spam compliant. As a business owner and online marketer, I like email FAR better than the phone. Both are an interruption, but email takes three seconds to decide whether I want to pay attention to or ignore, a phone call takes at least a minute and is more obtrusive.

Website, emailing, PPC, phone, SEO, Biz Cards, and Industry Events are all part of the strategy. Have you thought about going around to open houses of the big agents in your area and taking two seconds to personally introduce yourself?

You can get more thoughts about online marketing on my website below. All the best.