The Grass Doctor

Should I get a billboard for my lawn care business?

I've recently started a lawn care business and am having trouble acquiring new accounts. Would it be worth it for me to purchase an ad on a billboard?

Public Comments

1. I wouldn't spend the money, instead take the money and print some flyers to pass around to houses or even local hardware stores and chamber of commers, ect. Also make some magnets and stick them on your vehical. These ways are cheeper and generaly work better for new businesses
2. That depends on your budget. Remember, when starting a new business you must make a budget for all of your expenses. So start out by making yourself a budget. First you should start out by figuring out how much cash you have on hand to spend on advertising since that is the most important part of starting a business (you don't have business if you don't have customers). Than put aside a decent amount of cash for all other expenses. With the cash that you put aside for your expenses, allocate the cash to your accounts as you estimate your (daily, monthly, weekly) costs. Your accounts should include: marketing expenses, advertising expenses, gas and oil expenses, utility expenses, vehicle expenses (don't forget depreciation for tax right offs), rent expenses, etc. Once you have figured out which accounts you are going to use you must purchase some sort of accounting software (the pros sometimes just use excel, but, your not that experienced yet). I recommend that you purchase a copy of quickbooks and set up an appointment with your local accountant and have him set up an accounting system for you. You may ask why set up an accounting system but you will find out why when tax season comes around and when you go broke from overspending and not following your budget. If you have the time you should think about taking a couple of business/accounting/marketing courses at your local college. I owned a small business for about a year before I took classes and I'll tell you, I wish I would have sooner. email me if you would like and I could help you out with any other questions you may have. michael.e189@yahoo.com Good luck!
3. A billboard for a new business isn't necessarily a bad idea to get your name out there. However for just a new business just starting up they are kinda pricey. I would recommend other outlets before spending 1500-3000 on a billboard. A good cost affective alternative to an actual billboard would be indoor digital advertising. Recent studies have shown ads on an indoor digital billboard are proven to be even more successful in some cases than ads on an actual billboard for a fraction of the cost. Heres a good site that services the Orlando area for indoor advertising.
4. Billboards cost tons of money - flyers stuck in neighbors doors or small local newspaper ads would be better value for your money, plus word of mouth of existing customers - ask them to recommend you to their friends
5. There are several much cheaper options to try first ... - Change reporting to engineering. Eng is usually more receptive. And, they're doing to re-do the necklac3 for months.