When you're running a small pavement maintenance business, every dollar counts, especially when it comes to advertising. And with a tight budget, you’re gonna need to make every penny work hard for you. That means maximizing the impact of your $1,000 monthly advertising budget is the key to making sure you reach the right people and grow your pavement business to where you want it to be.
In this guide, we'll show you how to stretch that $1,000 budget so it’ll reach all the right people in the right places. We'll cover the importance of understanding your target audience, how to spread your budget wisely across different advertising channels, and specific techniques to get the best bang for your pavement buck. Plus, we'll go over the importance of tracking your lead sources so you know exactly which advertising efforts are working.
So, let’s dive in and explore how you can get the biggest bang for your advertising buck and set your pavement maintenance business up for success.
Before you start spending your hard-earned money, it’s crucial to know exactly who you’re trying to reach. Understanding your target audience helps you tailor your ads to the people who are most likely to need your services. This means you’re not wasting money on ads that fall on deaf ears — you probably wouldn’t spend money on advertising pavement to farmers, for example.
So, first off, think about who your typical customers are. Are they homeowners needing driveway repairs, or businesses looking for parking lot maintenance? Use things like social media and customer feedback to figure out their preferences, behaviors, and needs. This will give you a clear picture of who you want to be targeting.
We recommend you focus on customers from industries that stay strong during economic slowdowns because that means you'll always have work coming in (that’s the idea right?). These customers usually have ongoing needs for maintenance and improvements, as well as allocated budgets, making them perfect targets. Here’s a quick list of recession-resistant customers:
Once you pick your ideal customer, create a customer profile. This doesn’t have to be fancy — just a quick and easy bullet-point list of your ideal customer’s age, interests, and pain points. Knowing this helps you create messaging that speaks directly to them, making your ads more effective.
Our biggest advice would be just to put yourself in their shoes! The more you know about your audience, the better you can serve them. And the better you serve them, the more likely they are to choose your services over the competition.
Now that you know who you're targeting, it's time to figure out how to spread your $1,000 budget to reach them effectively. Here’s a rough idea of how you can spread your funds specifically for pavement and asphalt maintenance services:
Put a good chunk of your budget into social media ads. Platforms like Facebook are great for targeting people interested in pavement and asphalt maintenance. Use free Facebook neighborhood groups to post about your sealcoating services, driveway repairs, or parking lot maintenance. Boosting a post can cost anywhere from $50 to $150 per post, depending on how many people are in that neighborhood group. Bonus tip: Giving someone friendly asphalt advice on Facebook is free!
Put part of your budget into local advertising. Join your local chamber of commerce, which might cost around $300 to $400 per year, and get links from their website. Put up lawn signs on properties you’ve just sealcoated or repaired, costing about $10 to $20 per sign. Staple flyers to the caution tape barricades you use after sealcoating driveways or parking lots, with printing costs around $50 to $100 for a big batch.
Consider digital ads like Google Display ads (those are banners you see on websites). While Google Search Ads (the ones that turn up in the search results) might be too pricey, display ads can be a cheaper alternative. You can run display ads for as little as $1 every time someone clicks on them, targeting your local area to ensure homeowners and businesses see them. Just set the maximum you want to spend each month, say $200.
Use part of your budget to hire an offshore person to make prospecting calls as it can be more cost-effective than waiting for someone to see your ad. Hiring a virtual assistant (VA) for prospecting calls can cost around $100 to $200 per month for a cheap one to work part-time, but if you want to go the whole hog, pay them $600 a month, plus $10 for every pavement assessment they book for you.
They’ll find and qualify leads, book those killer free paving assessments, and keep your pipeline full. The best part? They focus JUST on prospecting, so they’ll get better and better at it, bringing in more qualified leads over time.
Ideally, you do the prospecting calls in sync with your advertising, because it takes 8-12 touches for people to remember your name. That way, by the time your VA calls the prospect, the prospect will already feel familiar with you.
If you want to find out more about how to hire a VA to boost your prospecting, check out our free ebook Prospecting for Asphalt Maintenance: The Essential Guide to 10x Your Time.
How much you spend on each of these methods will depend on what works best for your specific prospects and area. Once you’ve done your research and started testing these methods, you’ll get a clearer idea of where to invest more. Don’t be afraid to experiment, but it’s important to track which leads are coming from where. We’ll talk about that later in this article.
We might sound like we have all the answers, but we only figured it all out once we made the same mistakes everyone else does. So, let us share some of that hard-earned knowledge — to help you get the most out of your $1,000 monthly advertising budget, here are some practical tips specifically for pavement maintenance businesses. Some are must-dos, and some are maybe-dos if you’re up for it.
Ask your happy customers to leave positive reviews on your social media pages and Google My Business profile. Word of mouth is a beast for bringing in prospects, and good reviews can boost your credibility and attract new clients. You can’t go wrong if you have a bunch of folks vouching for you.
Make sure your website and online profiles show up in local search results. Use keywords that mention your area and keep your business info consistent everywhere. This way, when someone nearby searches for pavement maintenance, you’re the first name they see.
Attend local events, trade shows, and community gatherings. Meeting people face-to-face builds strong relationships and brings in word-of-mouth referrals. Your next big client might be just a handshake away at the local fair. Bonus tip — always carry a business card or two!
Run special promotions or discounts for first-time customers or seasonal services. Limited-time offers can create a sense of urgency and can bring in more customers. It’s a great way to give people a little push to try your services — but only use them sparingly, or you’ll never make a profit!
Share useful and interesting content on your website and social media. Blog posts, how-to guides, and videos showing your work can help show you as the go-to expert in pavement maintenance. Think of it as showing off your skills and letting people know you’re the best in the business.
Okay — finally, and most importantly — lead tracking! To make the most of your $1,000 advertising budget, you’re not going to get far without tracking your leads. It’s crucial for two main reasons:
Look, there’s no need to drown in spreadsheets here, trying to track every prospect that comes and goes. AK Dash's lead generation tool is designed to make lead management simple and effective. Here’s what it offers:
By using AK Dash's lead generation tool, you can make sure you have a steady stream of leads, convert them into paying customers, and build a business you can be proud of. Oh, and you can try it for free!
If you're a pavement maintenance business, knowing how to smartly spend your $1,000 monthly advertising budget can make a huge difference. It helps you reach the right audience, manage your leads effectively, and ultimately grow your business to where you want it to be. By understanding your target audience, wisely allocating your budget, applying practical advertising tips, and tracking your leads, you set yourself up for success.
So why not try out AK Dash’s lead generation tool now for free? Discover how it can simplify your lead management, help you track your advertising efforts, and convert leads into paying customers. Sign up today and see how easy it is to boost your revenue and build a legacy you can be proud of. You can do it, and we can help.