1.  More dates where I’ll be speaking on the ICS Blast Your Business into the Stratosphere tour have been added.

You can attend LIVE at the dates below…

* Sep 14^th- Kansas City, KS

* Sep 20^th- Denver, CO

* Sep 21^st- Ontario, CA

* Sep 23^rd- Salt Lake City, UT

* Oct 11^th- Tempe, AZ

To get details on registering, Click Here

Note:  If you’re in my Ad of the Month Club, you can attend the event FREE.

2.  Google is changing the game.  I’ve posted a new video on my blog giving you the scoop on what’s happening and what you can do about it.

Watch the video below right now…

Until later,

John Braun

But there are a few key things you need to know to get listed.

Here’s a video on exactly how to get there.

UPDATE:  You do NOT want to add your city name to your company name.  In the video I mention doing this, but it’s become too risky to do any longer.

This video was given to my coaching clients a few months ago. One of my clients who owns a maid service in a large city said he used the tactics in this video to bring in dozens of new leads every month for FREE!

If you’re not dominating Google Places, you have to see this video. It’s the easiest advertising you can do.

Click play below…

To get the best internet marketing training in the cleaning industry along with monthly postcards and profitable ads, go to www.Hitmanadvertising.com/coaching

But first, just a reminder…

You can save $100 on the Take the Top 10 Course and get a FREE website.  Just sign up BEFORE Sunday at midnight.  After that, the price permanently goes up!

Go to the link below…  

www.Hitmanadvertising.com/top10.html

I’m in Tampa, Florida right now with Howard Partridge and Dave DeBlander on the ICS Magazine One-day coaching tour.

It’s amazing to me how many cleaning company owners are STILL nowhere to be found online.

These guys are losing too many clients.

But that’s not you.

To make sure, I put links to these FREE downloads for you on my blog.

Get your downloads here NOW:

Google Tips Special Report- Get Ranked Higher on Google

www.Hitmanadvertising.com/GoogleTipsReport.pdf

Email Marketing Report

www.Hitmanadvertising.com/Emailmarketingreport.pdf

Connections convention has been a blast.

I gave a talk on How to Get Cleaning Jobs Online during the ICS presentation on Wednesday.

I posted the PDF handout of the entire presentation on my blog.

Click Here to Download the Handout

And then…

Last night we went to see Terry Fattor at the Mirage Theater.  He’s the guy who won America’s got talent last year from what I’ve been told.  I don’t watch TV much, so I’ve never really seen the show.  But his Vegas act was amazing.

After the show we had a little party for my friend Howard Partridge, who turned the big “50” just a couple weeks ago.

Ever seen the movie “21”?  The hotel suite we were in looked EXACTLY like one of the suites in the movie.

Check out a quick video I shot of the hotel room above.

Get the “Take the Top 10″ Course Now! Click Here

I got several emails from people who missed the “getting acquainted” webinar.

So thought it was best to post it here on my blog.

This should help you get an idea of what it takes to get multiple listings in Google, Yahoo, and Bing.  It’s really not rocket science.  You just need a few of the ins and outs on the easiest ways to do it.  This webinar is a good start.

The webinar recordings are right here.  Click below…

Get the WMV Video of the Webinar Here

Download the MP3

Or Click the Play Button Below to Listen Online

…and all I can say is “you’re gonna love this!”

This is the thing that will bring you business for nearly ZERO advertising dollars.

You better go now if you want to get in on the FREE bonuses.  You can even get a WordPress website set up for you FREE if you act NOW!

Go to Carpet Cleaning Google Takeover now!

Until later,

John Braun
Ad Hitman

In this video, I show you the 3 things you MUST concentrate on to get ranked in Google, Yahoo, and Bing.

This Friday, I’ll be opening a brand new Take the TOP TEN of Google course where you’ll get a FREE website set up for you and coaching on how to build your own WordPress websites and get MORE rankings in the top ten of Google.

Watch your email for more info and more FREE training videos.

Click play below to watch…

Hope you’re having a great summer!

Since the web is one of biggest and best ways for a cleaning company to advertise, I gets lots of questions about Google Adwords.

One of the top questions is “How can I get ranked the highest?”

The answer is simple…just bid more than your competition.

But the important thing to remember about Adwords is you are paying per CLICK.

This means your overall goal isn’t to get ranked high. Your goal is to get the cheapest click that converts into a paying client.

Especially if you’re new to using Adwords pay-per-click, bid low. The worst thing that can happen is your ad won’t show up or will show up ranking low. In that case, evaluate your campaign and bid higher if necessary. But start testing low.

When your campaign is set up properly and you’re getting paying clients from your Adwords campaign, then and only then do you want to even consider being the top bidder. Or, like me, you may decide to continue to be a moderate to low bidder.

Remember, it’s pay-per-click, so the highest bidder pays the highest price. The lowest bidder still gets traffic, but at a lower price.

You can hear a Q&A interview I did that answer lots of questions about Adwords.

Just click the link below…

Carpet Cleaning Google Adwords Tips

Until later,

John Braun

P.S. Oh yeah, organic SEO Google traffic is great too (better than pay-per-click in most cases). But it can take a longer to get working. So Adwords surely has it’s place.

Many of my clients as well as my own company are doing very well with newspaper. Generally, newspaper works best in small or medium sized cities. Read this reprint of a recent article I wrote for ICS Magazine.

Look at the newspaper, one of the first mass advertising media. It’s still a profitable form of advertising for some cleaners, but is it right for you?

Go back to 1920. If you owned a cleaning business, you would almost certainly use newspaper advertising. Back then, there weren’t too many other marketing options other than word of mouth.

Today in 2010 we’ve got so many more choices. So should newspaper be something a cleaning company still considers? Absolutely! First, let’s see if the newspaper is the best medium to deliver your message to your ideal target prospect.

I’ve written and tested well over 200 different newspaper ads. Most of them brought a nice response, and some brought more than a 22-to-1 return on investment. Of course, there were a few ads that didn’t do too well. But all in all, the newspaper has been one of the most profitable ad media for my cleaning company.

“The majority of our newspaper clients are middle- to upper class who have had their carpet cleaned before. We don’t usually get price shoppers calling us from the newspaper ad,” Cory McCook, owner of Carpet Cure in Macon, Ga., said. “The ad doesn’t mention price so prospects are initially attracted to us based on the benefits written in the ad. Most people who read the newspaper read it every week, which gives me consistent exposure to them. The return changes according to the season but our average annual return is 4-to-1 each year.”

One common question is, “Hasn’t newspaper circulation dwindled since the Internet?”

Yes, it has declined in most cities. In fact, most media have suffered decline since the Internet revolution. But this doesn’t mean you should write off newspapers.

Here are just some of the reasons why you should consider the newspaper as an advertising platform:

* It’s easier than direct mail. Just set it and forget it.
* 65 percent to 75 percent of adults read it weekly.
* It’s a primary news source for the 45-plus age group.
* Readers are typically higher educated.
* Highly targeted in sections.
* Deadlines are short. Your ad will run within a week.
* It adds credibility and trust to your company.
* Some people read the newspaper to see ads and coupons.
* It’s very flexible. You can change your plan weekly.
* You can quickly become a local celebrity.

You won’t reach everyone with the newspaper. But you will reach homeowners in what most cleaning companies consider their target market. It’s a place where you can send regular benefit-driven messages to educated adults in your city. The flexibility of newspaper is a wonderful perk. You can advertise heavily during your slow season and cut back when you get busy.

And the local celebrity thing isn’t bad either. Wouldn’t your client feel more comfortable with the celebrity carpet cleaner who is in the newspaper every week? People have stopped me in public to ask about my cleaning service because they saw my picture in the newspaper. You’re not only buying the newspaper ad, you’re also buying credibility and celebrity.

Newspaper is one of the few media where people seek out advertising. No one watches television, listens to radio, or opens their mailbox for the ads. But people do purchase newspapers for the advertisements. If you run your newspaper ad on days with heavy amounts of inserts, you’ll usually get a better response.

Here’s when newspapers work most effectively:

* Small- or medium-size cities. Big city newspapers are a little impersonal.
* When you have a unique offer or guarantee.
* If you are running a contest with a big prize.
* Running an “advertorial” ad that appears like an editorial.
* When you have a true, newsworthy message to get out.

Ron Holt, owner of Two Maids and a Mop serving Alabama and Florida, used newspaper when he started a new branch in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

“The newspaper is what got our new operation going. We received 300 responses from a $1,000 full-page ad,” Holt said. “Our offer gave the first 37 callers a $7 full house cleaning, the next 37 callers received a $37 house cleaning, and the last 74 callers received a $25 gift card. Everybody who called was put into a direct mail sequence for follow-up.”

Some pitfalls to avoid with the newspaper:

* Be careful about newspapers with leanings or views homeowners don’t embrace.
* Stay out of the coupon sections if your prices are higher than average.
* This isn’t ironclad, but avoid free newspapers.
* Do not forget to have an offer in your ad.
* Avoid offers other cleaning companies use—make yours unique.
* Boast your guarantee in every ad.

Dusty Roberts, owner of Luv-a-Rug and Rugbadger.com in Victoria, BC Canada, has used newspapers to grow his carpet and rug cleaning business.

“We’ve done great with advertorial-type advertising,” Roberts said. “We ran one in a shopping-type newspaper with a 6-to-1 return on investment. You need to track your results starting with a small test. If it works great, keep using it. If it starts dropping off, it may be time to change your media.”

Thinking of trying newspapers? Why not call a few other companies who advertise in your local newspaper and ask how their response has been? Unless it’s a competitor, you’ll get an honest portrayal of what your local newspaper will do for you.

If it looks like a good fit in your city, test it out. The newspaper may end up being your best advertising choice if you do it right.

Get over 33 already tested and proven newspaper ads along with a complete training series on the best ways to use newspaper at www.Hitmanadvertising.com/newspaper

FREE BONUS: When you get the newspaper campaign, I’ll also email you a code to get ONE MONTH FREE in my Ad-of-the-Month Coaching Club.  This is a limited time offer going on this week only.

It would be my client database.  This is the most important asset in my business.

Of course I keep a back-up copy in my home.  But I cherish my client list so much I’d be tempted to run into a burning building to save it.

I suggest you consider your client database your most important asset.

How do you nurture your client database?

First, make sure you have your clients in your computer. No, a shoebox of invoices won’t work.

Second, mail something to your clients every single month or minimum every other month.  Yes, email newsletters are good too, but I’m really talking about a good-old snail mail newsletter or postcard.

I’ve got a brand new Area Rug Cleaning Newsletter I’m about to launch.

To see a sample, click one of the images

Until later,

John Braun

P.S.  Email marketing is a great idea too.  In fact, my email marketing course will be available next week.   You can hear an 8 minute audio podcast that tells you exactly how to get emails from your clients.

P.P.S.  Members of my Ad-of-the-Month Coaching Club get in on the new Email Marketing Course as well as get the templates for the NEW Rug Cleaning Newsletter.

To get in the club see www.Hitmanadvertising.com/coaching