A Simpler Time with Advertising
One thing a power washing company needs most to survive is customers. How do we get customers is a big question, keeping them is easy you do your best for each and everyone, then do just a bit more. Our customers are who we work for and they are our boss. Each customer has specific needs that we accommodate and strive to fill. Cleaned by Pete has different equipment to meet different needs of each of our costumers, but this entry is not about that. It is how can we get new costumers to call and use our services. Some may find this off track but I believe it is part of the power washing game. It is what I do and I know others face the same problem. I just took matters into my own hand.
So how do you get someone to call? Word of mouth is the best form of advertising we use, when one customer tell another person about our service and call us it is very rewarding. Lettering on our trucks, fliers, and talking to people while we are doing a job often helps also. Pete is putting together a few ideas of an add hoping to promote things till spring arrives and cleaning can start once again. Not being a big company will millions to spend on a "Super Bowl" add or needing vast exposure since we are a small local service business, we need not contact the large add corporations that are scattered about. Sitting back and looking at things from eyes that have been around awhile I came to the conclusion to make an add that would stick in a persons mind. Now what to do ........ I'm not Larry Tate or Darin Stevenson from Bewitched or Simon Roberts the Crazy Ones, not even Donald Draper from Mad Men all add men that could always pull that magical pitch out of the sky when needed.
As I see it the world has gotten complicated maybe to complicated at times. What we need is a time that was more laid back and easier going. Something to take you back in time and give you a small laugh of say wow I remember something like that. If you see it and it connects to a small part of your past the add did its' job. Now go in and explain something like this to your add people. What I see now is bright print, vivid color, high tech lettering put together and it is as unforgettable as the last add. I thought I would do something myself that way I only had myself to blame if something did not look right. I started in with "Clip Art" for those of you who may not know what that is, it's a collection of graphics, lettering, characters, boarders and such that is available for use in the printing and add communities allot of the images are free to use not copy-written, in other words free press. You never want to steal or use someone else's work of pictures without permission or pay it is simply a form of stealing.
I found three images a house a service provider and a power washer and started in to combine them into one image I could use. With windows drawing program I came up with this not to bad for the first try but it was not quite right yet. It has been a long time since I used my graphic arts and layout education.
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| Cleaned by Pete's first add attempt |
With a few more tries and some luck came up with this image.
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| Cleaned by Pete's second attempt I now had a working image |
This image is allot better it has that nostalgic look to it. The main focus is now on the house instead of the washer, you can still see the washer behind the service man who is proud of what he is doing. The lettering is old style poster art to fit in with what I was trying to find. Now you can start to play with things. This is not a logo but an add they are two very different things. The job of an add is to reach a person at some personal level and draw a link to it. A remembrance or item they already have then linking the new image with the old personal remembrance you have a add that will keep working. Playing with color also has the same impact on emotion. Different colors will have much different reactions within people you need to find that one color that stands out without being harsh or obnoxious and works with your add.
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| Our working image clean but looks quite harsh in just black and white. Cleaned by Pete power and pressure washing Springfield MO |
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| Changing just the color give the add a whole different field. Cleaned by Pete power and pressure washing Springfield MO. |
The blue image make you feel different than the stark black and white it is more relaxed and smooth. I have been playing around with this and that, working and tweaking and have had several stabs at it so to say. Here are the working add that have came out of the image the was created by Pete. Using different backgrounds and ideas we are now getting ready to print them on our lazer-jet or put them on a stick and head to the printing shop. Using good semi gloss paper will make the add look like a million dollars. Doing most of the work yourself will help save on the advertising budget.
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| The wanted poster, Cleaned by Pete power / pressure washing Springfield MO. |
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| Cleaned by Pete power / pressure washing Springfield MO spring cleaning add. |
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| Cleaned by Pete power / pressure washing Springfield MO having fun add, you and your prospective customers should have fun too. Out to get some attention. |
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| Cleaned by Pete power / pressure washing Springfield MO, variation on the spring cleaning add. |
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| Cleaned by Pete power / pressure washing Springfield MO, variation on the wanted poster |
Thank you for the view please remember these adds are property of Cleaned by Pete. With a little work and imagination you can make your own adds a small businessman has many titles and jobs. I enjoy all mine. You may ask why I wrote this entry and showed my images? Someone could copy them or use them. Well the answer is two fold; since this is a published blog the images are now associated with Cleaned by Pete and are being registered and copywritten. Your work is automatically copyrighted here in the US from the minute you complete and first show it anywhere. The second part is if Google or other search engines pick up the images it make for great exposure getting Cleaned by Pete out there on the net.
Always playing around with the working image to see what it can do.
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| Cleaned by Pete and do that honey do list for you. House washing Springfield and Southwest MO. |
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| Cleaned by Pete house washing, patio & BBQ cleaning, concrete washing let us help you with your honey do list serving Springfield and Southwest MO we can meet your soft washing, safe washing, power washing, pressure washing, cosmetic cleaning and even your steam cleaning needs. |
