advertising

by **paullockout** » 19 Oct 2007 14:47

can any one give me some suggestions what work for them with advertising in the uk have been up and running now for 6 months tried a few methods web site search engines putting fliers in shop windows word of mouth to no avail any sugestions appreciated

by **horsefeathers** » 20 Oct 2007 10:21

A little confused....... you say you have been up and running 6 months, yet on your profile you state on your website that your company was established in 2000.

If you have been going that long then you must know by now how to get business!

regards

by **globallockytoo** » 20 Oct 2007 12:20

Your website is very confusing and quite possibly a joke. (sorry)

You say you've been advertising through the search engines but so far nothing...

I know precisely why.

Where is your phone number on the site? You MUST advertise your phone number.

Also you can build significantly more loyalty and trust recognition by continually adding content to your site.

You will get nowhere in the search engines because they all use web spiders to crawl your sites and if your content never changes, it will not matter how much money you spend, it will get you nowhere.

The internet is one form of advertising. In the future it will be the main source, but it still seems that the telephone books reign supreme in advertising for locksmiths.

Let me ask you? Hypothetically, if you were in a foreign town and you found yourself locked out of your car or house or lost your key or your key broke (and you were not in the trade) what would you do? How would you find a locksmith first? (Remember, you are not in front of your computer)

by **lockey1963** » 20 Oct 2007 15:46

what do you expect to get from flyers and search engines ??? certainly not a living.
have you tried YP , talking pages , scoot , thompson etc etc

If only going 6 months then your not yet going to get good volumes of reccomendation work, so need to advertise , you wont have the experience yet to appeal to the national contractors that pay properly.
So you need to pay out and advertise, simple as.

by **lockey1963** » 20 Oct 2007 15:52

I do have to ask

you say you have been up and running for just 6 months, yet your website says since 2000 ??????

which is it, if only 6 months then you are on dodgy ground with trading standards with your site, they have been hot on this in recent years, you say you are an MLA approved company , is this so ??? and an MLA member, MLA only allow you to publicly claim this if a full member having passed BLI exam, is this the case, certainly not if only up and running 6 months.

which is it 6 months or 7 years ??? if 7 years then you must be in YP etc

by **lockey1963** » 20 Oct 2007 15:55

having just checked the MLA site, list of MLA approved companies for both derbyshire and staffordshire , you do not appear on this list , yet advertise it ??

by **paullockout** » 20 Oct 2007 16:12

sorry all the critics out there just trying to earn a decent living to feed my kids and was looking for a bit of advice.. (globallockytoo)as for phone number on site its under contacts and listed in most of the telephone books too... as for content im no computer wizz there are 3 pages.. (lockey1963)as for how long ive been running have been in building trade for well over 10 years and passed course in 2000 but havent done a lot of work ie picking as of yet as building trade kept me and kids fed..have changed locks boarded properties... but was hoping to turn to just locksmithing as my main income maybe this is why there are shortage of locksmiths.. worked alongside many a good builder and they were more than happy to give advice and encouragement as i did them.. sorry if i dont meet the requirements set out by all you critics..as for being established only been in this area for short time so buisiness is slow and was hoping for some help in what works for others but guess ill just dig me heels in and carry on doing what i was doing till i get to where i want to be thanks

by **paullockout** » 20 Oct 2007 16:31

oh and forgot to mention as with most trades everything gets upgraded to certain standards ..so with that in mind everybody is still learning just a shame that there isnt enough free helpfull advice on helping small buisnesses keep afloat.. as i said ive been in building trade for over 10 yrs never had one complaint about the work i have done or price i charged.. many happy customers out there im more than happy giving the guy next door tips and advice on what works best after all if he provides a better service than me id be happy for him to take the work on..all my work was word of mouth and repeat buisness but that was up north where i come from now im living in new area so dont have the advantage of knowing many people and getting referalls from them so have no alternative but to do some advertising

by **lockey1963** » 20 Oct 2007 17:26

Paullockout

There is more advice on this website than anywhere else in the trade on lock picking.

we all know how hard it is to stay afloat these days and how hard it is to establish yourself, and no one has questioned your standard of work or how good a builder you are/was.
The only way to get established in this business in the uk and make a good living to feed our families is building a reputation and being regarded as an honest and capable Locksmith.

If you are a full BLI member having passed the full BLI exam then you have every right to advertise this on your site, if you are indeed an MLA approved company then you have every right to advertise this also after all you will have paid through the nose for this right, and if the case id be asking for my money back as you are not listed as such on their site.
If on the other hand you are not a full BLI member or approved MLA company then this is false advertising and believe it or not illegal, and MLA have been known to take action on this in the past.

The advice given was meant constructively , it is wrong to decieve the consumer into thinking you are something you are not, no matter how big a family you need to feed, and not making such claims if false could save you alot of money and reputation should mla take action in the future, alternatively if you are all you say, then the posts have brought to your attention that you are not being listed as what you claim, so need to get a refund or at least your listing rectified.

As to advice on advertising this is almost impossible, as every lockie in different areas have different successes, some say YP is a goldmine, others say its useless, its different from area to area, but again , if all your site claims, then you are losing out on your listing on mla site which brings in work and needs rectified.

If you really are as claimed on your site, then you are being mistreated by mla, if on the other hand you are just decieving the consumer, then i for one would not want to offer advice to you so you can continue to pretend to be what you are not, so this is down to your own conscience.

as to advice, stick around , read the threads and im sure you will be surprised at what can be learnt from this site.

by **lockey1963** » 20 Oct 2007 17:28

just an add on, shortage of locksmiths ??? burton must be unique as every area in uk is vastly over populated with people trading as and claiming to be a locksmith.

by **paullockout** » 20 Oct 2007 17:50

sorry lockey 1963... the mla is a mistake on my part wasnt aware there was a cost involved.. was lead to believe that there is no governing body as far as locksmiths are concerned :oops:

... basicly anyone can do this.. was something i clipped and added onto site basicly just to make it more appealing... not to misslead anyone but it will be removed after reading up on it after your post.. thankyou for the information..i am however a certified locksmith and looking to build my knowledge in picking and grow a reputable buisness as i did in the building trade..we all make the odd mistake...but as a newbie was just trying to get a tip maybe thinking out of the box to build my buisness..as ive sat and read and looked at allsorts of information..and keen to get out there picking(not drilling ) locks or ripping people off or undercutting other locksmiths in the area as i believe we should all help each other out where possible..the web site came from an add i put in phone book you know the ones..we can get you loads of work in your area etc..tryin to keep costs down but be competative...and i know from experience the best advertising is word of mouth.

by **lockey1963** » 20 Oct 2007 17:51

i must say your website http://www.lockoutuk.com/ is a cool name and a catchy one.

as to small business advice , contact your local small business federation who run many free courses for new start ups, covering , book-keeping , marketing , admin amongst others and all free, they will help you with your marketing campaigne and can get good discounts for you on such.

by **lockey1963** » 20 Oct 2007 17:59

No harm done , mla are strict on their name being used, livens who are an mla approved company in your area would have gone into melt down if they had seen it.

wasnt judging you , just trying to point out a potential problem one way or another, and what this looked like, no harm done.

you are far better calling yourself a locksmith and steering clear from claims of qualified, mla approved , certified etc, as all a minefield and as no official certification exists for a locksmith outside of the bli exam, its a grey area.

with advertising you are up against it unless you have deep pockets, the nationals take 6 ads in phone books 20+ slots on talking pages, leaving just scraps for the independent, you need to get on the books of the proper paying nationals and contractors as well as look at more cost effective local advertising, pound the streets , talk to estate agents letting agents etc, promise a top service that you can deliver and build a name locally, you really will get out of it what you put into it.

by **paullockout** » 20 Oct 2007 18:02

thanks will give them a try.. just seem to be banging my head at the moment and as im more hands on sort of person dont like sitting on me bum waiting for phone to ring..and unlike some ive heard about im interested in the art of lockpicking so want to get out there learning more and experiencing all the difficulties that come along

by **lockey1963** » 20 Oct 2007 18:07

who ever told you there was a shortage of locksmiths really did lie to you, but they are right anyone can set up and do this, you do not have to belong to any body at all, and many top lockies do not.

Not many lockies make a living off of the phone these days, all relying on contract work of some description, too many people doing 2 and 3 day courses and setting up, with hundreds setting up each month, call out work is thin on the ground for everyone.

Picking and not drilling is admirable and will get you a reputation that is positive, but remember only 20% of the calls you get will be opening jobs, the vast majority will be repair and fitting work, UPVC repair and strip upgrades are a boom area and one that needs learning and offering, you need to find a specialist niche outside of just opening if to succeed and feed the family, you have the building skills so look at how you can exploit this with locksmithing to offer a unique service in your area to landlords etc.

advertising

advertising

Who is online