So you've recently decided to start a drone business. Congratulations, you have the unique opportunity to earn money doing something that you love.
Owning a drone business is a fun venture, but there are real challenges that come with it. One such challenge is advertising your services. Advertising can be difficult for several reasons, but in my experience, it all boils down to two things — figuring out how to get enough exposure and conveying the value in your services.
The purpose of advertising is to get your business more exposure. However, figuring out how to get more exposure is tricky, and most new businesses struggle.
The other challenge is that drone services are still relatively new, and many businesses simply don't see the value that drone services add. For this reason, you can and should tailor the bulk of your advertising to clearly convey the value in your services.
Luckily for us, the 21st century has given us a ton of different ways to advertise for our drone services. The goal of this article is to discuss different advertising avenues in the hope that, with some time and patience, your drone business will get off the ground and become profitable and successful.
We've broken this guide into two sections — online advertising and print advertising.
Online Advertising
The modern world has given us the entirety of the internet to utilize when it comes to business advertising. We'll go over some of the best online resources and methods of advertising and how to make the most of them.
Make a Website
Having a website is essential for drone business owners. Think of your website as your professional online presence. Having a website will signal that you are a professional who means business.
The most important thing to keep in mind when making a website is simplicity. Ultimately, your website will function as an online location that houses a portfolio of your best work, a list of your services, a little bit of information about your business, and your contact information.
Many people who are directed to your website won't be tech-savvy. For this reason, it's critical that you format your website to be easily navigated by anyone. Try to avoid having excessive features, pages, or menus on your site.
It is highly recommended that you include a blog on your website. A blog is a good feature to have on your website for a few reasons:
- It can help inform site visitors about different drone related topics. For example, if one of the services you offer is mapping, you could write a blog post that talks about the numerous benefits of drone mapping for the industry you're targeting. Customers may have never thought about this benefit before, and it will drive new business from repeat customers.
- Blog posts help with search engine optimization. The more content your site has pertaining to drones and their uses, the closer your website will be to the top of the list on Google.
- Updated blogs show customers that you are an active business owner. Prospective clients will be more likely to reach out to you if it's apparent that you're an active business owner.
Aside from your portfolio, the most important message on your website should be how each of your services adds value to your clients. For prospective clients to be interested, show and tell them how your services will benefit them.
Register With “Google My Business”
Google My Business is another great avenue for online advertising. Having an account on Google My Business will allow your business to be discovered when people search for businesses in your area.
Any time someone searches for a type of business in a specific area on Google, the results are businesses that have registered with Google My Business.
Google My Business has a feature called Insights. This feature allows you to see how many people have directly searched for you and how many people have found you indirectly over a certain period of time. The Insights feature is useful because these results can help better inform how successful your business is with search engine optimization. In other words, you can adjust your SEO strategy based on how your business is performing on Google.
Any time that you do work for a client, ask them to write a Google review for your business. This will make you stand out, and it'll help you get placed higher on Google's list of businesses.
As a Google business, you can also write posts. This is a great way to get more exposure and explain how your services add value in different industries. For example, if you're trying to target the construction industry for drone mapping, you can make a post explaining your services and how these services add value to construction projects. This post will show up on your Google business page.
Once you've registered with Google My Business, you can create Google Ads. Google Ads are by far one of the best ways to maximize your exposure on the internet. If you aren't familiar with them, they are the ads that pop up at the top of the page when you search for something.
Google Ads essentially allow you to pay to be at the top of Google's search results when people search for terms that pertain to your business. This is particularly helpful because most people click on one of the top 3 search results after they Google something.
The downside to Google Ads is that they're fairly pricey, which is a drawback for businesses that are just starting out. Consider your budget and your competition who may also be paying for ads.
Make a Business Facebook Page
Facebook is another online platform that you should take advantage of to advertise your business. Given the fact that the vast majority of people have a Facebook account, this is a great method to let people know that you're in business.
You can actually create a page for your business on Facebook that's separate from your personal page.
On your business Facebook page, you can write posts and upload photos that pertain to your drone business. This is a great way to show people what your business has been up to lately. For example, you can post photos after each drone job with a brief description of what you did. Prospective clients will be more likely to do business with you if they see you being active.
Clients can leave reviews on your Facebook business page. I recommend asking everyone whom you've worked with to leave you a review on your Facebook page. This adds credibility to your business and gives prospective clients confidence in your services.
Facebook also has a platform that allows you to advertise more directly to a wide audience —Facebook Ads. You know those businesses that come up as you scroll through your newsfeed? Those are businesses that have launched a Facebook Ad campaign.
Facebook ads are an incredibly strategic tool at your disposal. You can create a small ad that leads people to your website or to your Facebook business page. The best part is that you can customize the parameters for who gets the ad on their news feed. For example, if you offer drone roof inspections, you can tell Facebook to target people whose profiles indicate that they're involved in the roofing industry. You can also tell Facebook how much you want to spend on the ad per day, and it will optimize the results based on your budget.
Make a Business Instagram Profile
Another online advertising medium that your drone business should utilize is Instagram. This social media platform has become extremely popular over the last several years. Instagram is a great way to advertise for a few reasons:
- Instagram is photo-based. It was created for people to post photos and videos exclusively. As a drone service provider, visual imagery is a part of your day to day business operations, from simple photography to drone mapping. This makes Instagram the perfect platform for sharing your latest business activities. Simply share some photos or videos from your latest work. This is effortless, and it'll generate more interest in what your business is doing.
- Instagram has several useful features for business owners in particular. Business owners have access to detailed analytics that show what kinds of people visit their page. This is helpful because it can help business owners better tailor their content to appeal to different audiences.
- Instagram lets business owners include a contact button which allows business owners to be contacted directly. When it comes to leading prospective clients your way, the more accessible your contact information is, the better.
- Much like Facebook, Instagram allows business owners to promote their posts as ads. In other words, you can pay a small fee and in exchange, Instagram will get your post more exposure.
- Instagram business users can schedule posts. This is helpful for setting a regular advertising schedule. This feature allows you to schedule your advertising in advance so you don't have to worry about it while you're focusing on flying and doing business.
- Instagram business users can add links to Instagram stories. For example, when you're out on a drone job, you could create an Instagram story showcasing your business, then add a link to your business website in the description. This is just another way to get your business more exposure and drive more traffic to your website.
- Instagram is free. There's no reason not to take advantage of it as a means of advertising for your drone business. There's simply no harm in adding it to your advertising campaign.
Utilize LinkedIn
LinkedIn is an excellent resource. LinkedIn might appear to be a social media platform designed for high rollers in the corporate world, but think again. It can be used as a networking tool and an advertising platform. There are numerous ways to use it to further your drone business.
LinkedIn lets you write a bio for your profile. Your profile bio is the first thing people see when they go to your profile. LinkedIn profiles let people know about your business along with the services you offer.
Add your website link to your LinkedIn profile. This is just another way to drive traffic to your website and entice prospective clients to work with you.
LinkedIn also lets you add media to a small portfolio section on your profile. This lets people that visit your profile immediately see the kind of work you can do.
LinkedIn is a forum that's designed to facilitate the formation of business connections. In other words, it's totally appropriate to add people to your network and message them directly about your business and services. If you use drones for real estate, you can search for realtors that work in your area on LinkedIn, and other contacts that you may have in common. You can reach out to them to see if they have a need for aerials for their listings.
Don't be afraid to be bold and let people know about your work. Take pride in the services you offer and spread the word.
You can also create posts and articles on LinkedIn. This is extremely beneficial when it comes to spreading the word about your work.
Create a Craigslist Ad
Craigslist is another platform to advertise for your business. For a mere $5, you can post an ad on Craigslist for your drone services that remains active for 30 days.
At first, Craigslist might seem like an odd place to advertise for a drone business. But it's actually a popular advertising platform for small business owners.
When I make Craigslist ads, I list my services, my credentials (that I'm FAA certified), and add a few photos of some of my best work.
Realistically, Craigslist won't be the silver bullet when it comes to your drone advertising campaign. But for $5 per month, it gets your business more exposure. There are relatively few drone pilots that take advantage of this advertising platform, so it's much easier to stand out.
Cold Emailing
Cold emailing is another approach for advertising your business. Think of cold emailing as simply introducing yourself to prospective clients. When it comes to providing a service that's still unfamiliar to most companies, a cold email is necessary. In other words, as a service provider of a product that isn't well known or used, you are difficult to discover. As a drone business owner, you don't have a brick and mortar location that people drive past or visit. Your business is a traveling service, and as such, you sometimes have to approach the client first.
Sending prospective clients cold emails about your services is a way to strategically cast a wide net. Let's say you want to provide drone mapping services to the construction industry. The best approach is to identify local construction companies and send an email outlining your service to as many of them as you can.
Cold emailing prospective clients is always a good idea for advertising your business, especially when your business is new. It is highly likely that your first few costumers will come from cold emails.
Print Advertising
Although it's the 21st century, print advertising isn't dead. In fact, it's essential to include print advertising to optimize the marketing approach for your business. The awesome thing about print advertising is that most of it is passive, which means virtually no effort is involved.
Make Business Cards
Business cards are one of the most traditional yet timeless methods of advertising. There's something still remarkably powerful about having a small, tangible item that lets people know about your business.
One of the good things about business cards is that they can be left virtually anywhere. Eating dinner at a restaurant? Simply leave a business card on the table when you leave. Going to the gym? Leave a few business cards sitting around. Don't expect your phone to start ringing off the hook when you use this method, but you never know when the right person may come across one of your cards. Check out this list of 25 places to leave business cards for some ideas.
Vista Print has a wide selection of designs for business cards, and some are even free.
Use Car Decals
Another print advertising approach is to use car decals or magnets. Having visible information about your business (like the business name, website, and phone number) on your vehicle will help your business get exponentially more exposure. This essentially converts your vehicle into a traveling advertising campaign for your business.
When it comes to designing a car magnet or decal, you want something that's visually appealing and not overwhelming. Since you're a drone services provider, think about the services you offer and find a way to depict them on the decal. If you specialize in real estate photography, include a photo from your portfolio. This will get people's attention and show the quality of your work. Most importantly, you want to include pertinent contact information. Vista Print also offers a huge selection of designs for car magnets.
For the best results, put decals or magnets on both sides and the back of your vehicle for maximum exposure. People on the road all around your vehicle will see information about your business.
Just think about how many people you will reach at while sitting at red lights. Your business information will be clearly visible on several different parts of your car. This technique also works while your car is sitting in a parking lot.
The options for outfitting your car for advertising purposes are endless. The options range from a small window decal to an entire vehicle vinyl wrap- if you have the money and attitude for it.
Car graphics are ultimately a great idea because they effortlessly advertise for your business when you're going about your daily life or shooting footage for other clients.
Something to keep in mind if you have car graphics: always keep your vehicle clean. You want potential customers to associate you with a clean, well-kept vehicle. They will associate the business owner and their work the same way.
Newspaper Ad
Another print advertising option is to put an ad in your local newspaper.
Believe it or not, there are still a lot of people that read the newspaper. The cost to advertise in a newspaper varies, but in general, putting an ad in the paper for smaller towns and other local publications is relatively inexpensive.
Make Brochures
Make and distribute a brochure. Brochures are a simple and professional way to give people a comprehensive overview of your business. Thoroughly describe your different services and how they add value to each industry that you are targeting.
You can put brochures out at strategic places like real estate offices, construction company offices, or your local chamber of commerce. If you want to take a more aggressive approach, you can even put brochures under people's windshield wipers.
Vista Print allows you to create custom brochures for your business.
Custom T-Shirts
Have custom t-shirts made for your business.
T-shirts with business information on them are an excellent method of advertising. If the shirts are made and worn strategically, countless people will see your business name. If you have an LLC or have several people on your team, get them shirts too. Also pass them out to your family, friends, and neighbors. In this way, you will exponentially increase the exposure of your business name and potentially cross into new territories and people you wouldn't otherwise see.
I also recommend putting a brief blurb on the shirt that describes what your business is all about. This will help pique people's interest and start conversations when you're waiting in line at the grocery store or pumping gas at the gas station.
The options for t-shirt designs are endless. Be creative! You can take a more minimalist approach or do something that will really get people's attention. In any case, having a business shirt of some kind will help you get more exposure on a daily basis.
There are countless brands out there that make custom t-shirts.
Final Thoughts
The best approach to advertise for your drone business is diversification. You should capitalize on every advertising opportunity you have to reach the widest audience possible. Using a combination of online and print advertising methods is the best way to achieve this and get maximum exposure.
Drone services are still new, so a lot of people are not familiar with how you can benefit their company. This makes it even more imperative to advertise to as many people as possible so that you can find the people the right people to work with.
If you utilize a combination of online and print advertising methods and remain persistent, your drone business will take off.
