Craigslist?

Gfinney77

What kind of results have you guys seen with craigslist? I know it's been a mixed bag for myself. Just curious of others experience.

bill waters

The only thing I think craigslist has helped me with (temporarily) is inbound links. I may have generated slight additional traffic b/c of it. When I HAVE had calls from it, it's been customers that I didn't really want, because think about it, why on earth would you use craigslist for choosing a contractor when there are SO many better options? The only times I've used craigslist to find a service contractor is when I'm looking for (one guy) to do some work, and not an entire company. IMO, craigslist is more for piecework, under the table, off the radar, type of work, with often times shady characters.

DirectComfort

Adam Brzowski here with Direct Comfort Air Conditioning and Heating for Houston Tx area.

My experience with craigslist is actually very good. It walk in my lap one day. I was talking to my brother one day about how to get more business. He said put you an ad on craigslist.

I said craigslist? People don't go to craigslist to find an air conditioning repair company. I tried it and to my surprise I received 6 calls in about 4 hours.

I keep on posting another ad and the call keep coming in. The only down fall about craigslist is you constantly have to keep posting ads.

It is very time consuming but does work. My advice is have someone do it for you. Someone in your office, a virtual assistant online or maybe even fiverr.com

bill waters

I've had a few calls from there, but nothing really good. Craigslist services section has always been a place where sort of "fly-by-night", under the radar service providers post ads. Whenever I look for a service on craigslist, it's because I'm looking for a one or two man show, with much lower prices.

DirectComfort

Just about everyone is looking for cheaper prices online. I don't promote installations on Craigslist, just service work. In my evaluation of marketing online install leads are cheap seekers.

Service leads are desperate people in need of fast service. This conception you have if prejudging leads. You never know who is on the other side. I personal have generated over 65,000 dollars on craigslist this year, not bad for free advertising.

You only promote service and then its up to your service personal to gain trust and make sales. It gets you in the door and that is what you want out of an advertising campaign.

I spent 7,000 on post card mail outs through the yellow pages this year and it has gained me "0" Calls. Thats a waist of money.

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bluecorona

I've advertised on CL for jobs, but never to try to generate business. Sounds like it's worth trying - especially in markets where it's free.

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EnergyLoadCalc

The leads will be pretty lousy i.e. people wanting things for cheap. They are also free leads though. I know contractors that get a call or two from them occasionally.

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Spyke45

I agree... the people off craigslist will be beyond cheap. Or they will want to pay you $200 to put in a used and over sized furnace... things like that

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segcost

Definitely hit or miss but people still look for businesses on there.

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ContractorsWebPro

craigslist doesnt work like it used to. now most people use google or yelp to find trade services.

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Texasrefrig

Being a new contractor, I have thought about it. My only reservation is credibility.
Craigslist to me has always been associated with the word "cheap".

However if it brings in good business....I guess it can't be bad.

I do wish there was a cheaper/easier way to get ones name out. I've been hitting the streets and visiting with anyone I can to spread the word. It's a shame when I know the quality of work I do vs. some that use iffy practices.

Polarac

I also am hesitant with using Craigslist, either advertising or buying.

However, the fact is that a lot of reputable business post ads on Craigslist and in fact get a lot of business from doing so.

I would suggest posting an ad that had as a headline "Top 10 Questions to Ask a HVAC Contractor" or something like that - it will come up in any search for hvac and in the body of the ad, you can make sure all the other keywords are covered. Write down the ten best questions a customer should ask a contractor who has been in business for a while, who has references, a clean record with BBB, insurance, low employee turnover, more full-time than part-time employees, owns their own trucks, offers 24/7 service -- you get the idea.

Without even saying that you do all of this, any semi-educated person will figure out that you do, and it will help separate you from everyone else.

Good luck!

Rick

ComfortService

I get some installs from Craigslist but very few repair calls but all in all definitely worth it!

http://comfortclimateservice.com

AccuGreenHP

I'm in the same boat. I get a decent amount of business from referrals, but as I'm trying to grow, I'm not getting great results with my current marketing.

Acrepairexpertsmiami

CL kept me alive when I first moved to Miami and it continues to produce some good business. There are alot of weird customers drawn from it but there are good ones too. I think all businesses should have a CL add.

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