Repair Lift has been helping repair businesses grow through lead generation for the last 5 years.
In this article we will dive into HOW we generate leads for appliance repair companies and the pro’s and cons of buying leads vs generating them yourself.
Well, there are 2 ways to get leads:
1. You can buy the leads on a pay per lead model.
2. You can generate the leads yourself.
Let’s dive into both of these options:
Buying Leads
In order to buy leads, a company first needs to spend resources to generate the leads. They do this in a variety of ways, but generally it is by showing up on Google either organically or through paid ads. Their model is to generate these leads, mark them up and turn around and sell them to someone in need.
(Think thumbtack or home stars)
Over time the more they do this, the cheaper their leads get & the more profitable they become.
How?
Because by getting all of this exposure they are building brand authority and a client base…
This means that over time people start to think of those brands and go to them directly (Giving them free leads) & they also refer their friends (also giving them free leads).
When you start to get a lot of free leads in addition to the leads you’re paying for then your average cost per lead goes down. It’s really simple.
Pros of Buying Leads
- You only pay for a legitimate lead
- You can pay after the lead is generated
- There is less risk involved
Cons of Buying Leads
- You are limited in lead volume (you can’t just buy unlimited leads)
- You get no brand authority from this. The advertising dollars that were spent to generate this lead were done on behalf of another brand.
- Leads aren’t as hot as if you generated them yourself. Think about it, if I call Dick’s appliance because I saw good reviews, or I know they are locally owned and operated. The chance that I will actually use Dick’s service is higher than if I called thumbtack and was redirected to a random contractor.
- You’re building competitors brands. Whenever you buy a lead you are covering the ad cost to generate that lead and also putting profit in the lead generation company’s hand for them to turn around and advertise their brand even more. Over time this makes their brand bigger, and it makes it more expensive for you to compete with them.
There may be a lower quality over time. Leads bought may be of poorer quality because it’s more geared towards quantity rather than quality.
Generating your own leads
Generating your own leads is done by creating advertising campaigns in your local community that result in people reaching out to your brand directly. This is where you spend money up front to advertise your business and reap the full rewards of those ad dollars.
Your brand is now getting direct exposure.
For appliance repairs this is done through the following techniques:
- Google Ads
- Search engine optimization
- Referral campaigns
- Posting in community groups
- Social ads (recommended for getting commercial leads only)
Pros of generating your own leads
- Lower priced leads: You aren’t paying for marked up leads. You are implementing the same system that the lead generation companies are using to generate their leads.
- Higher volume – You aren’t limited to what the lead gen companies can (or are willing) to sell you. You can simply scale up your ad budget and get more leads.
- 100% of your ad dollars are being spent advertising your brand
- Hotter leads: People who reach out to you know they are reaching out to YOUR BRAND rather than just “some contractor”
- Snowball effect: Even people who don’t need your services today are learning about your brand increasing the likelihood that when they DO need your service they will call you instead of a competitor. The longer you do this, the bigger the snowball gets.
Cons of generating your own leads
- More risk. You need to spend the money up front before the lead is generated.
- Expertise: You need to understand how to do this efficiently, or you’ll need a marketing partner like www.repairlift.com to help you do it.
Conclusion
In summary we think it’s a good idea to do both of these things. Leverage lead generation companies to keep the lights on & secure immediate guaranteed results. But keep the primary focus around building your own lead generation engine so that your business will be evergreen, and you will always have a source of your own leads while increasing the brand authority you have in your local market.
Repair Lift Plug
Repair Lift can help you with both of these things. We can sell you leads where they areavailable, and we can help you implement a lead engine in your business that will continue to give you leads forever.
If you’re interested in seeing how partnering with repair lift can help you grow your appliance repair business, click here to get in touch with us.