Monday, September 17, 2012

Get More Exposure For Your Home Inspection Business

Wouldn't it be great if, while on an inspection, you could be marketing your services to all the passers by?  There is a very inexpensive way for you to do exactly that!  
 
Why not consider an inexpensive lawn sign that can be placed on the lawn of the home you are inspecting during your time on the property?  Once you arrive you put up your sign up for all passers by to see and take it down at the end of your inspection.  One place you can get a sign is from a company called Vista Print (www.vistaprint.com).  It's convenient because it's all done online and at a great price. You can chose from dozens of already set designs or upload your own design and/or logo.  Personalizing the sign with your own logo and look is always the best option.  It helps keep it consistent with all your other home inspection marketing materials and reinforces your brand.   When designing your lawn sign, you'll want to ensure you don't over load it with too much information.  It's important that the key information is easy to see from the street.  Your company name, phone number and website are the most critical.  You'd simply say something like "This home is being inspected today by ABC Inspections"  Then add your company name, phone number and website.
 
A lawn sign is a completely reusable form of marketing so once you make the small initial investment into the sign itself you can reuse it over and over and over again.  You just never know how many people could drive by during the course of your inspection that may be in need of an inspection themselves.   Time to implement this idea: a minute to put it up as soon as you arrive onsite and a minute to take it down when you are ready to leave.  So, even the time investment to try this marketing idea is minimal.
 
The other form of onsite marketing that many inspectors already use is advertising on their vehicle.  Your vehicle is parked outside the property you are inspecting for somewhere between 2-3 hrs on average.  Depending on the area, there could be many passers by during this time and having your company name and contact information on your vehicle, just like on a lawn sign, is a great way to market while you work.   However, some inspectors prefer not to advertise on their vehicle.  In some instances, the seller may be trying to keep a low profile and has decided to list their home for sale without placing a sign on the lawn.  In this instance, an inspector with an unmarked vehicle may be perferred.  If you are inspecting a home that does not have a realtor for sale sign, you may want to ask before putting up your own inspection sign.  This is because, it may be one of those times when the seller is trying to keep a low profile.
 
So, what do you think?  Is a lawn sign something you might be willing to try to get more exposure for your home inspection business?  Is a lawn sign something you are already using?  Leave us a comment below, we'd love to hear your feedback.
 
If you are looking for more marketing ideas, why not consider Home Inspection Marketing For Success.  Many inspectors have already used the information in Marketing For Success to create very profitable inspection businesses. 
 
Happy Inspecting, Everyone!
Canspec Home Publishing home of HomeReport, your detailed, client friendly reporting system. www.canspechomepublishing.com