How Much Should Your Business Spend on Advertising?

You're a successful business owner. A highly competent problem-solver, adept at selling your services and managing complex operations. Your intelligence and experience in business got you here. But as the saying goes, " What got you here, won't get you there ." This is especially true navigating radio and TV ad buying. Many business owners, confident in their negotiation skills, believe they can simply call a media sales rep, haggle over rates, and launch a successful campaign. They often assume that because they're working directly with the station, they're getting the best deal. The reality, however, is a common and incredibly costly misconception. The Hidden Truth About Media Buys: It's Not Just About the Rate Media sales reps are, at their core, salespeople. Their primary goal is to sell their station's inventory. While they're often friendly and knowledgeable (as much as their managers give them information about their stations), the vast majority have no expertise in crafting a cohesive marketing message, writing effective ad copy, or, most critically, strategically placing your ads for maximum impact. This is where the system gets complicated: The Traffic Department Holds the Keys: Your sales rep doesn't dictate when your commercials play. That power lies with a department usually called Traffic. It's their job to manage and place all the ad puzzle pieces together to fill commercial breaks... and it's harder than you think. Ads have variable times and you have to spread them out somewhat evenly and you can't have competitors in the same break and who gets first position and does the client want the same times every single day of the week but not on Fridays but more ads on monday because that the busiest day for them... the list never stops. Rotators: Prime time spots—when the most people are viewing or listening—are expensive. To make packages sound affordable, sales reps often sell "rotators." To a business owner, this sounds fantastic: "I pay $5,000 a month and get 500 ads played!" This seems like a phenomenal deal (pricing depends on your market). The Rotator Reality: That "great deal" often means your brand-new, expensive creative gets tossed into random slots throughout the day, playing at 5:12 AM, then 11:37 AM, then 3:46 PM, then 10:22 PM. Worse, these ads are frequently buried in the 3rd or 4th position of a commercial break, where viewers or listeners are most likely to flip channels or stations. This scattershot approach ensures your ad is "played," but rarely seen or heard by your ideal customer at the right moment. But don't worry the media station will show you a report later than estimates the viewer/listenership and guess what... it going to look great on paper! There's significant strategy involved in picking the right message, the right station, the right times, and even the precise placement within a commercial break. It's a specialized skill honed through experience and data. The "Big Spender" Advantage: Volume Matters Here's another inconvenient truth in media buying: if you're not a big spender, you're not important. No matter how nice your sales rep is, bigger advertisers get preferential treatment – prime times and prime placement within breaks. Media companies prioritize keeping their larger buyers happy because those buyers bring consistent, significant revenue. This is where a media buying agency becomes invaluable. We represent multiple clients, pooling our spend to become a "bigger buyer." If Whitehat Marketing spending $30,000 a month with iHeartRadio, we gain leverage, secure better pricing, and command superior placement for our clients compared to a single pest control company spending $3,000 or even $10,000 a month. This isn't just theory; it's how the industry works. They'll say it doesn't... but their disingenuine when they do. The Frustrating Truth: You Need to Call Us FIRST I'll be honest with you: I'm writing this post primarily out of frustration. In the last six months, I've spoken with five different home service businesses who came to us after signing radio or TV contracts, asking if their buy was a good deal. Two of those five were indeed paying a great price per ad – a price I doubt I could have improved . However, all five of them , including the two with "great rates," were receiving abysmal ad placement . One, in particular, received what I would consider the worst placement I've ever seen a client receive. The sales rep who sold that package should be fired... but they probably got a pat on the back from their boss for closing the deal. At that point, there's nothing I can do to help . The business is locked into an agreement with a "good rate" but a terrible schedule, guaranteeing their ads won't work effectively. They could have had that same good rate, a great schedule, an expert crafting their creative, and a professional keeping the media companies honest with their placement. Did Know Media Buying is Typically FREE I probably should have put this closer to the beginning but if you're reading it, it probably means you're serious. The way our agency is paid is through the media stations. They give us a cut of your monthly spend so we'll recommend our clients their stations. And when TV or radio is the right medium for the marketing strategy, we do. When we think something works better, we don't. That's a level of transparency you don't get with most sales reps who only have one or two products to sell and everyone should buy them! You also gain the added benefits of: Expert Scriptwriting & Production: We craft compelling ads and ensure professional recording. Strategic Placement: We know when and where your ads need to be for maximum impact. Tracking: We receive weekly placement reports and conduct sound checks to ensure you get exactly what you negotiated. Volume-Based Leverage: We use our collective client spend to get you better rates and priority placement. Many business owners hesitate because they believe they can do it themselves, or they don't know who to trust for this specialized service. But thinking you can manage complex media buys yourself is like doing your own bookkeeping all year, then trying to handle an IRS audit without an accountant. You can, but for the best result, you hire a specialist . We understand that you've likely "tried XYZ before, and it didn't work." But in actuality, it didn't work because the strategy was run by someone without the specialized expertise in media buying and ad placement. TV and Radio are incredibly effective advertising channels for home service businesses when done properly. My frustration, and rather pointed assessment of our industry, comes from a genuine desire to help your business grow. We want you to avoid wasting tens of thousands of dollars on ineffective campaigns! And working with businesses that are already stuck in a media contract is like fighting for you with one hand tied behind my back and the other hand is holding an ice cream cone. Don't Make a Costly Mistake. Call Us First. The best time to partner with an expert in media buying is before you even pick up the phone to talk to a radio or TV sales rep. Let us leverage our relationships, our expertise, and our volume to get you the best possible rates and, more importantly, the best possible placement. Contact us today for a custom strategy session. We'll show you how to truly make radio and TV advertising work for your home service business, driving calls and growing your brand effectively.

As a home service business owner, you wear countless hats. You're the expert technician solving complex problems, the charismatic salesperson closing deals, or the meticulous administrator keeping the trucks running, routes on time and the books balanced. These strengths are vital to your business, but when it comes to your marketing message, they can also become your biggest blind spot. At our agency, we’ve observed a common challenge: the person in charge of your marketing message — often you, the owner — naturally leans into their core strength. While understandable, this personal bias can inadvertently warp your marketing, making it less effective and more expensive. The Golden Circle and Your "Why" In his groundbreaking book Find Your Why, Simon Sinek introduced The Golden Circle, emphasizing that people don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it. Most home service businesses focus their marketing on the "What" (e.g., "We fix leaky pipes," "We offer HVAC installation"). But to truly connect with customers and build a lasting brand, you need to articulate your "Why"—your purpose, cause, or belief. The problem arises when your personal strengths, while invaluable for daily operations, dictate this "Why" or, more commonly, obscure it entirely. The Three Biases That Can Derail Your Marketing We've identified three primary biases that commonly affect how home service business owners approach their marketing: The Technician's Bias: The Quest for the "Perfect" Customer If you're a master of the technical work (the cleaning, repairs, installations), you likely take immense pride in quality and precision. This translates into a desire for "ideal" customers – those who appreciate high-end service and don't quibble over price. The Marketing Danger: This bias often leads to marketing that inadvertently excludes potential customers. You might subconsciously avoid broad appeals, deals, or anything that suggests a price-sensitive client, fearing they'll be "problem" customers. This narrows your pool of leads significantly, pushing up your customer acquisition costs because you're fishing in a much smaller pond. Your frustration with "hagglers" means you simply don't market to them, missing opportunities for growth. The Salesperson's Bias: The More Calls, The Better (at Any Cost) If your strength lies in making sales – talking to people, closing deals, and driving vision – you thrive on interaction. For you, every call is a potential opportunity, and the more, the merrier. The Marketing Danger: This bias can lead to marketing that's too broad, designed to generate the highest volume of calls without sufficient qualification. While call volume goes up, so does the "tire-kicker" ratio. Your team spends valuable time on price shoppers or unqualified leads, leading to wasted effort and lower closing rates. You might favor aggressive deals or offers that attract a wide net, but those leads might not be truly aligned with your business's long-term value. The Administrative Bias: The Avoidance of All Conflict If you excel at management and administration – the accounting, SOPs, and payroll – you prioritize efficiency and avoiding friction. The Marketing Danger: This bias results in marketing messages laden with exclusions, disclaimers, and fine print. The goal is to prevent any customer confusion or conflict before the call. While transparency is good, an excessive focus on avoiding conflict can make your marketing uninviting, confusing, or even off-putting. It creates barriers to entry, making it significantly harder for customers to understand your offers and book your services, ultimately stifling growth. While many owner/operators aren't primarily administrative, if someone with this bias is leading your marketing, it can be detrimental. The Cost of Unchecked Bias on Growth When an owner/operator leans too heavily into a single way of thinking, especially technician or administrative biases, achieving growth becomes harder. Significant growth often demands a "salesperson" approach – attracting a broader audience of potential buyers to fill your funnel. If your marketing repels segments of the market or makes it difficult for them to engage, your growth trajectory flat lines. If your goal is to remain steady or slow-grow, maximize profit from a select clientele, and avoid expansion, a more refined "technician" approach to marketing might align better. A strong administrative bias leading your marketing almost always tends to stifle creativity and complicate the customer purchasing experience. Uncovering Your True "Why" and Unlocking Growth This is where an objective external partner can make all the difference. Our strategy sessions begin by helping you understand and articulate your authentic "Why." We don't just talk about it; we work to build your marketing through storytelling, enabling clients to feel connected to and trusting of your business's purpose. Our process includes: In-depth understanding of your goals: We align your "Why" directly with your desired outcomes. Competitor analysis and market research: We look at what's working (and what's not) in your specific market. Polling past customers and analyzing current reports: We gather real-world data on who your best customers are and why they chose you. Reviewing your current marketing: We identify existing strengths and areas where bias might be creating roadblocks. We're upfront about these biases, discussing where you might fall on the spectrum and the potential dangers of being too focused on a single approach. Consider this real example: We worked with a husband-and-wife cleaning business. The wife had a strong administrative bias, and the husband leaned technician. Despite a clear "Why" and a five-star reputation, their growth was stalled because their marketing offers were complex, their pricing was confusing (designed for their convenience, not the customer's), and they excluded customers who didn't fit their narrow "ideal." After taking over, we didn't change their core "Why." Instead, we simplified their offers, made their pricing structure customer-friendly instead of technician-centric, adjusted what zip codes they serviced each week, and streamlined their online booking process. The result? Their online bookings more than doubled within 90 days, leading to a 20% increase in year-over-year revenue. Ready to Align Your Message with Your Mission? Be honest about who's truly shaping your marketing message. Understanding your personal biases isn't a weakness; it's a powerful step toward a more effective, profitable, and sustainable business. You have a "Why", even if it's not yet fully articulated in your marketing. We understand these nuances and have the expertise to help you build a comprehensive strategy that attracts more of your ideal customers without wasting your marketing dollars. Contact us today for a strategy session. Let's articulate your "Why" and craft a marketing message that resonates, drives growth, and focuses on building your brand.