Energy Audit Marketing

[Randy King]

Hi folks, hope your inspection schedules are full! My question is for those of you who have added energy auditing to your services or have experience with energy audits. What ways have been effective for marketing? Also, what marketing effort has had your highest ROI? I am getting prepared to start performing energy audits and advertising them in the late summer/fall, after some more proper training and curious which mediums of marketing have been sucessful as I would have to imagine they are much different then marketing home inspections. I was thinking the local paper and local home paper that is delivered to our area, but want to do some proper research before dumping dollars into it. Thanks gentleman and have a great memorial weekend!

[John McKenna]

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[Kevin R. Weiss]

I tried a Valpak campaign in the winter and it was a miserable FAILURE. I do get some energy audit type requests, but generally these people came looking for me and found me online or through referrals. I was really really surprised at the ack of response that I got from the Valpak campaign. I did not expect it to be huge but I thought it would pay for itself. It did not. There are many variables at play with such a campaign and I am unsure of which ones I did wrong.

I believe next time I will pick specific neighborhoods and try to get more hits on each person, rather than going for the scattershot approach that the Valpak offered. The Valpak campaign I did hit 100,000 homes twice. I have a single digit response in paying jobs and only slighly more in bites (not counting other advertisers that called trying to get my business.) I think it would be better to pick one or two developements of 1500 - 2000 homes and hit them with multiple mailings.

thankfully, business has picked back up and I am booked out further than I really like. So this campaign has been moved to the back burner for the time being.

[Randy King]

Anyone else? Help please....any and all opinions are greatly appreciated.

[Jason Kaylor]

Randy,

I work with tons of energy auditors, and I can give you some ideas on what they do, but it is just too much to list here or in an email. If you give me a call and about 30 minutes I can give you some ideas.

Jason Kaylor – JJ
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[Randy King]

Left message with you on ph. indicated. Thanks Jason, look forward to speaking with you soon!

[Donald T. Belmont]

Hi Randy,

I'm in the first phase of a postcard mailing for Energy Audits. Response rate just under 1%. (4 audits from 500 pieces). It's been 6 weeks so I'm planning a second mailing of 1000 (500 the original recipients and 500 first mailing. The assumption (hope) is a similar response rate or maybe a bit more. My plan has a 3rd mailing early August, a 4th in mid September and a 5th right before Halloween. All to essentially the same list as repetition is critical to making a mailing plan successful. With the onset of colder weather I am hoping my response rate goes up.

One challenge I find right now is overcoming the lack of urgency brought on from lower fuel costs. The recent uptick seems to be getting a little attention but frankly until it hurts to buy fuel again I suspect Energy Audits will remain a small part of business.


If you're interested you can see my current postcard

The offers a bit stronger then I would like but as I mentioned there seems to be a great deal of apathy among consumers right now. Hate to say it but $4 per gallon heating oil would be good for my business (Come on cap and trade)

[Tim Halpin]

Originally Posted by rking6

Anyone else? Help please....any and all opinions are greatly appreciated.

One avenue that has gotten me a few gigs (in a smaller town) was to print out a nice hard copy report and offer an energy efficiency audit at local silent auctions that raise money for various occassions and charities. It cost you a free audit, but it is a great way to educate the public about auditing and thermography and your company .

Tim

[Ron Bibler]

Sorry but i don't see this as a good plan for any inspector. Rather one may do better if you just do Home inspection with add ons like an Energy audit... You will find buyer have you as some one they trust and will buy your Energy audits program. Work on your home inspection sales and the rest will fall into place.

Best

Ron

[Donald T. Belmont]

Originally Posted by rbibler

Sorry but i don't see this as a good plan for any inspector. Rather one may do better if you just do Home inspection with add ons like an Energy audit... You will find buyer have you as some one they trust and will buy your Energy audits program. Work on your home inspection sales and the rest will fall into place.

Best

Ron

Though things are warming slightly (and I so mean slightly) just being focused on HI is not practical in less concentrated markets like central Vermont. Having something you can legitimately market to a broader range of folks is worthwhile. Even better if it could be something that is totally separated from the Re market.

I judge by the numbers. More invested in HI marketing right now would be very low return as the sales just aren't there. But as the price of gas and heating oil goes up the interest/inquiries on energy have gone up.

Of course that's what makes business fun. There's never any one size-fits-all answer no matter how much we look for one.

[Ron Bibler]

Originally Posted by dbelmont

Though things are warming slightly (and I so mean slightly) just being focused on HI is not practical in less concentrated markets like central Vermont. Having something you can legitimately market to a broader range of folks is worthwhile. Even better if it could be something that is totally separated from the Re market.

I judge by the numbers. More invested in HI marketing right now would be very low return as the sales just aren't there. But as the price of gas and heating oil goes up the interest/inquiries on energy have gone up.

Of course that's what makes business fun. There's never any one size-fits-all answer no matter how much we look for one.

What you are trying to do is make something out of nothing and thats very hard to do. Ive been doing this for 30 years now and have done just about everything under the sun... Not to say that this Can not work. but asking question on how to get something going and waiting on a message board for some kind of a plan to pop up is not a good way to run an operation. You need a model to run under and iN this economy there is not one to Be found... So if your HI Calender was full would be trying to do Energy Audit ? NO! I'm just trying to help not pull the carpet out from under you... And the best plan that is out there is REAL ESTATE AGENTS. like or not they Known a lot of people and thats something you can tap into... My advise is put your cads in your hand and get out and talk to the agent every day. be in some agents office every day for the next 30 days and you will get work. this works every time any place... If you want inspection and Energy Audit and all kinds of other IR work... 30 days marketing Real estate agents will do it.

I bet you have never done that ? 30 days in a row ?

Best

Ron

[Donald T. Belmont]

Originally Posted by rbibler

What you are trying to do is make something out of nothing and thats very hard to do. Ive been doing this for 30years now and have done just about everything under the sun... Not to say that this Can not work. but as other is see asking question on how to get something going and waiting on a message board for some kind of a plan to pop up is not a good way to run an operation. You need a model to run under and i this economy there is not one to Be found... So look if you HI Calender was full would be trying to do Energy Audit ? NO! I'm just trying to help not pull the carpet out from under you... And the best plan that is out there is REAL ESTATE AGENTS. like or not they Known alot of people and thats something you can tap into... My advise is put your cads in your hand and get out and talk to the agent every day. be in some agents office every day for the next 30days and you will get work. this works every time any place... If you want inspection and Energy Audit and all kinds of other IR work... 30days marketing Real estate agents will do it.

I bet you have never done that ? 30 days in a row ?

Best

Ron

You'd be right. But not because I don't recognize the advantages of trolling for work like a lady of the evening. But because my business plan was and is premised on being an independent inspector who doesn't put his business at the mercy of being liked by what has to be one of the least ethical group in the country.

Diversification is an excellent way to operate a business in general. I agree that anyone looking for a cookie cutter magic wand on a message board is wasting their time. But ideas can be gathered. And having multiple product/service lines so slack in one doesn't kill you is also intelligent.

3/4 of my current business is other then HI. Because there is not the volume of houses being sold. No amount of kissing used house sales agents backsides will create sales that don't exist.

[Peter C. Russell]

Originally Posted by dbelmont

You'd be right. But not because I don't recognize the advantages of trolling for work like a lady of the evening. But because my business plan was and is premised on being an independent inspector who doesn't put his business at the mercy of being liked by what has to be one of the least ethical group in the country.

Diversification is an excellent way to operate a business in general. I agree that anyone looking for a cookie cutter magic wand on a message board is wasting their time. But ideas can be gathered. And having multiple product/service lines so slack in one doesn't kill you is also intelligent.

3/4 of my current business is other then HI. Because there is not the volume of houses being sold. No amount of kissing used house sales agents backsides will create sales that don't exist.

Excellent reply Don!!!!!!

[Peter C. Russell]

PS I don't market to Realtors either, but then again, I don't have to.

[Randy King]

I would have to agree with the later. I personally did not start this thread for a cookie cutter business plan, and as a matter of fact I am quite successful already in the home inspection game for a one man shop; performing market research and finding additional ways to diversify in my humble opinion is just plain smart. Furthermore, (at least in my market) anyone that claims you cannot make money but reaching the general public is purely incorrect. I think infared is the next wave for home inspectors and I plan on being on it for the ride, just performing some market research from those who are willing to provide some. Thanks in advance!