Small Business Website startup and yellowpages issues

[sweetbmxrider]

My parents were presented with a sales pitch from a guy that works for hibu. They were very interested but it seemed quite expensive to me. What would you guys suggest for creating a website and whatnot to stir up some advertising and hopefully business? I would also like something that has mobile browsing so tablet and smart phone users can better utilize their device while browsing. They own an automotive repair center and have been in business here since 1979. I am very naive to this and could use lots of guidance 8-)

Also, the yellow pages seems to give the wrong number when using 411. A few years back, a business entered a garage 2 blocks up the street. Their name was nearly identical to ours, substituting one word for another, and information gives their number instead of ours when asking for most common variations of the name. On top of all of this, that business has since dispersed AND the number is now used for a residence. This residence just so happens to be the sales man from hibu :mindblown:

Please, offer any and all ideas, suggestions, tips, tidbits, and what-have-yous to help my parents' business here.

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

1) Don't use hibu. Have friends at other companies with horrible experience, and online reviews say the same.
2) Most of those hibu/yp/etc groups are BS. They create a separate number to track how many "leads" they funnel you, and create their own website which THEY own. You're better off building a basic one yourself or finding an actual website company to create one that you own and can do with it as you wish from a marketing and SEO standpoint.
3) I'm not sure what their price point in the market is, but for upper level of pricing and quality of service such as my company, all of those types of services both hurt business by burning people off as well as creating more work internally due to useless leads not qualified.

If you need a contact at YP, I have the names of two people that I spoke with there while researching 2 years ago.

[LTb1ow]

make me a vinyl for my truck.

[sweetbmxrider]

1) Don't use hibu. Have friends at other companies with horrible experience, and online reviews say the same.
2) Most of those hibu/yp/etc groups are BS. They create a separate number to track how many "leads" they funnel you, and create their own website which THEY own. You're better off building a basic one yourself or finding an actual website company to create one that you own and can do with it as you wish from a marketing and SEO standpoint.
3) I'm not sure what their price point in the market is, but for upper level of pricing and quality of service such as my company, all of those types of services both hurt business by burning people off as well as creating more work internally due to useless leads not qualified.

If you need a contact at YP, I have the names of two people that I spoke with there while researching 2 years ago.

Thanks for your input. I figured hibu was a bad choice, my mom found some reviews too that are inline with what you are saying. I'm glad I spoke up before they signed up. Could you clarify your 3rd statement? I would like your contacts for yp, thank you.

[stoney2677]

I use Angie's list to advertise. Last year we spent $9,000 and it generated over $120,000 in business. That's based off of the reviews so that's not including people who used me and didn't write a review. It's rare but it does happen. Seems decent to me.

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

Thanks for your input. I figured hibu was a bad choice, my mom found some reviews too that are inline with what you are saying. I'm glad I spoke up before they signed up. Could you clarify your 3rd statement? I would like your contacts for yp, thank you.

I'll PM you the info, it's just the two sales people who I called and came to my office. I'm not sure how much pull they have but they should at least be able to point you in the right direction.

What I meant by my third statement is this:

My company is one of the more expensive in each of our segments because we are one of the few roofing companies actually insured for roofing (ask before you sign, and verify with their insurance company - most are just covered for carpentry because you can cut workers comp rates by 50%. If anything bad happens, they probably won't be covered and guess who has to pay?) in addition to offering fair wages and good benefits to our employees who go far and beyond safety requirements (again, few that we go up against can say this).

We've been around since 1947 and have the honesty and skillset to back up everything we say and propose, but the brief time we advertised in a normal place like Angie's List, or online you're going to get your idiots who base purchases solely on initial price, not the ongoing investment or long term repairs that will be necessary that goes with low bid. So not only did it waste a lot of hours looking at jobs, calculating costs, writing proposals, etc. but those kind of customers will then say "oh they're just expensive" and work to ruin your reputation without cause. Time and time again I see these same people years down the road saying "oh what you said to do didn't work" because the other contractor "fixed the roof" or "put on a new roof", but didn't do what they claimed to. We find that most people who see us from avenues like a YP or Angie's List are similar and aren't very concerned with quality, which is corroborated by companies in other trades that we deal with.*

“It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money - that's all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot - it can't be done" - John Ruskin

*your experience may vary.
[/rant]

[NastyEllEssWon]

Dont forget about social media websites. Facebook and Twitter is browsable on every device imaginable. At the very least it'll be a good in between until a full on website can be built and its free/easy to use.

[sweetbmxrider]

Social media worries me. You can get someone like first beer to bitch and moan and destroy your reputation, whether its justified or not. I appreciate all the insight here and a huge thanks to the detailed explanation, Nick.

How does Angie's list work? I thought she claimed businesses can't pay to advertise there?

[TaKid455]

I've been contacted by numerous google and yp advertising companies. They all seem good upfront but get ugly once you get involved and start asking questions. Wouldn't surprise me if most are fly by night. Had one even classify us improperly. Wondering why I was getting odd request from callers.

As Nick said, The old fashioned do it yourself way of traditional means is your best and safest bet. Agree that some shop solely on price point. We all do to some extent but a lot are ignorant to quality. You pay for what you get.

[Paul Huryk]

YP is a scam, end of story.

I have a few commercial customers that use Angie's List and are satisfied with the service per $ paid. It works well for plumbers, electricians, maids - that sort of thing. For us, makes no sense - I get more business by buying color post cards and leaving them on cars at strip malls than I ever would by paying an online service.

I do use Facebook for advertising, along with hitting up all the various car groups I belong too. PITA to post things on a few dozen pages, although cut & paste is a beautiful time saver.

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

How does Angie's list work? I thought she claimed businesses can't pay to advertise there?

You can pay to be ranked higher on searches, and have to offer Angie's list members a discount of some sort above and beyond a "regular person"

[sweetbmxrider]

Ahh, what a game. Well, I'm working on google my business now and am in contact with friends to do a website. Thanks guys for all of the insight. I'll start with this for now and slowly implement more marketing strategies you guys suggested.

[stoney2677]

I agree AL may not be right for a garage but ya never know. What's the reason for new marketing ideas? Expansion, competition, business down? Knowing this may help you in a decision, or the person you hire to market.

[sweetbmxrider]

Well a shop opened up 2 blocks up the road from us with a name very similar to ours a couple years ago. It caused great confusion, even for parts suppliers we've been dealing with for decades. They've since closed under that name but 411 still gives their number when our customers or potential customers ask for our number. This number happens to be the guy's residence that sells for hibu. Business has slowed down as well.

[LTb1ow]

Make some vinyl with shop and phone number, will rock on back window.

[WildBillyT]

Well a shop opened up 2 blocks up the road from us with a name very similar to ours a couple years ago. It caused great confusion, even for parts suppliers we've been dealing with for decades. They've since closed under that name but 411 still gives their number when our customers or potential customers ask for our number. This number happens to be the guy's residence that sells for hibu. Business has slowed down as well.

Have you tried correcting the listing on 411.com? You need to verify your identity but then you are in control of it. Same with Google.

[sweetbmxrider]

Yeah its correct there.

They are being stubborn and signing up with hibu. I give up. I was steaming listening to the sales pitch. I even showed them squarespace and how simply I could build a website that is visually appealing and mobile optimized. So frustrating :lol: