John Hall
Contributing Writer

There is a tired old cliché about “looking a gift horse in the mouth” – and it certainly applies to the notion that business owners routinely ignore ways to get free advertising for their businesses. That’s right – FREE. But many suspect that there are strings attached to anything that is free. Human nature dictates pessimism.

That’s understandable. But even if there are strings attached, should business owners ignore free advertising for their businesses, especially in an atmosphere of tough economic times and even tougher competition?

I asked HVAC contractors to tell me how much they know about free advertising and how to get it – in a recent survey which garnered 172 responses. I knew right away that there is a lot of ignorance when it comes to knowing how to get free advertising. The first question of the survey was: “Do you know how to get free advertising from your local media, i.e. newspapers or television?” A total of 29.6% of respondents answered yes, leaving the other 70.3% wondering how. Seven out of ten HVAC contractors who took part in this survey admitted that they did not know how to get free advertising.

As expected, the majority of respondents believe there are strings attached to free advertising. The second question was: “Do you believe free advertising comes with strings attached, i.e. you must be an advertiser?” A total of 59.8% of respondents answered yes while 40.1% believed there are no strings attached.

Negativity Sells Newspapers and TV Spots
So much of the media stories which generate free advertising often reports negative stories, shedding a poor light on businesses that sometimes get caught up in the sensationalism of new stories. The third survey question was: “Do you believe the local media in your community is more interested in reporting negative stories rather than positive ones?” The yes answers outscored the no answers by a 65.6% margin to 34.3%.

One respondent noted, “I believe it is easier for the media to find and dramatize the unfortunate events rather than spending time to find the positive stories which are always out there if they look for them.”

Another said, “Happy stories don’t sell the news.”

One contractor who believed that the media reported more positive stories said, “People like to see the good things happening in their local community. They also like to support good people and people that give back to their community.”

What “Price” for Free Advertising?
Although the question may sound confusing, some HVAC contractors actually put a value on free advertising, by what it would be worth to their business. But they were in the minority. The fourth question was: “If you had to ‘pay’ for free advertising, what would it be worth to you?” A total of 59.8% of respondents said they would not pay anything for free advertising. The remaining 40.1% responded with answers in the following price ranges:

Under $100 – 17.4%
$100-$300 – 12.7%
$300-$500 – 2.3%
Over $500 – 7.5%

Speaking of costs, HVAC contractors were asked how much money they budget for paid advertising – a business expense that is a necessity in any market in spite of the availability of free advertising. The fifth survey question was: “Choose which percentage of sales you earmark for advertising.”
Here are the responses:

Less than 1% — 16.2%
1%-3% — 30.3%
3%-5% — 27.3%
5%-7% — 14.5%
Above 7% — 11%

Who to Contact/Who to Speak
One of the problems facing business owners is speaking in public. Some people just don’t have the confidence or savvy to deal with media, especially under negative circumstances. Still, most respondents preferred to be the face of the company they own or manage. The sixth question was: “If free advertising is available, would you prefer to be the spokesperson for your company?”

A total of 76.7% of respondents said yes while 23.2% preferred to defer the responsibility.

When it comes time to push for free advertising, a large majority of respondents did not know who to contact in their local media. The seventh question was: “Do you know who to contact in your local media in order to get free advertising? If so, who?”

An overwhelming number of HVAC contractors – 81.3% — did not know who to contact while 17.9% responded that they did know who.

That included one contractor, who noted that the local newspaper business editor was a good contact; while another said he uses his advertising representative.

One of the jobs of public relations professionals is to know who to contact in the local media, and thus business owners turn to these professionals because of who they know and how they can help them get their advertising messages out to the public. The eighth question in the survey was: “Do you use a professional public relations person/writer to create copy for your free advertising?”

The replies heavily leaned toward the business owners who had no public relations person/writer and who preferred to do their own marketing in-house. That number was 74.3% of the responses. Only 25.5% hired an outside professional.

One of the HVAC contractors who replied no stated, “I feel I can do a better job.”

Another added, “There is too much time and cost involved.”

Personal Brushes With the Media
While most respondents to this survey said they would prefer to be the spokesperson for their company, a large majority of them do not have a plan in place for dealing with negative stories, should the situation arise. The ninth question was: “Free advertising also has a negative side. Do you have a plan in place to deal with negative publicity from stories like ‘stings’ or customer complaints?”

A total of 76.7% of respondents answered that they did not have a plan in place. The remaining 23.1% said they did have a plan and some described what it was. “I tell the truth, apologize immediately if appropriate, tell people what you’re going to do to fix things, and do it,” one respondent said.

Another added, “Be direct, positive, and honest. Only the owner speaks for the company – no exceptions. Be very clear and concise with the message.”

“We resolve the customer complaint that day or at their earliest convenience,” said one contractor.

The last question in the survey asked respondents what type of free advertising they had been involved with. Most, but not the majority of HVAC contractors said they were involved with positive publicity (48.2%). Fortunately, no respondents answered that they were only involved with any negative publicity but some (20.3%) admitted to being involved in both positive and negative publicity. The remaining 31.3% said they hadn’t been involved in either.

The point of the survey was to find out how much HVAC contractors actually knew about free advertising. As one respondent said, “I stay on top of the media and always respond.”

I couldn’t have said it better.

John R. Hall is the Communications Specialist for BuyMax Alliance and contributes regularly to the “Success Library” at www.buymaxalliance.com. Read this article and many more – as well as enjoying the benefits of group discount buying power – by joining BuyMax Alliance. FREE 90-day trial!

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