--- title: "Comparing ROI: Local paper ads vs ServiceSeeking.com.au" description: ServiceSeeking.com.au will be running research experiments over the course of the year to measure the Return On Investment of different forms of marketing available for local businesses, and compare to the ROI of ServiceSeeking.com.au. We found a few businesses around Australia to be willing participants, and we’ll pay for their advertising costs and measure the […] image: https://23226544.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23226544/Imported_Blog_Media/Screen-Shot-2015-05-06-at-3_57_18-pm.png --- General # Comparing ROI: Local paper ads vs ServiceSeeking.com.au ServiceSeeking.com.au will be running research experiments over the course of the year to measure the Return On Investment of different forms of marketing available for local businesses, and compare to the ROI of ServiceSeeking.com.au. We found a few businesses around Australia to be willing participants, and we’ll pay for their advertising costs and measure the […] [ Oliver Pennington ](https://www.serviceseeking.com.au/business-success/author/oliver-pennington) Jun 4, 2015 [Attracting Clients](https://www.serviceseeking.com.au/business-success/tag/attracting-clients) [General](https://www.serviceseeking.com.au/business-success/tag/general) ### Share this article [mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://www.serviceseeking.com.au/business-success/blog/return-investment-experiment&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email%20&body=Check%20out%20https://www.serviceseeking.com.au/business-success/blog/return-investment-experiment&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://www.serviceseeking.com.au/business-success/blog/return-investment-experiment&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email%20&body=Check%20out%20https://www.serviceseeking.com.au/business-success/blog/return-investment-experiment&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email) ### Subscribe ![](https://23226544.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23226544/Imported_Blog_Media/Screen-Shot-2015-05-06-at-3_57_18-pm.png) ***Please note that the price information in this article was based on data from 2015 and may now be outdated.*** ServiceSeeking.com.au will be running research experiments over the course of the year to measure the return on investment of different forms of marketing available for local businesses and compare it to the ROI of ServiceSeeking.com.au. We found a few businesses around Australia to be willing participants, and we’ll pay for their advertising costs and measure the results. We found a Handyman in Melbourne, a Gardener in Sydney, and a Plumber in Brisbane, none of whom use ServiceSeeking.com.au. **Local Paper Ad** We thought it was a good idea to start with the local paper as this is a common form of advertising, so we booked some Ads in the local couriers for our three businesses. Each Ad ran for four weeks and, on average, cost about $100 each. We tracked how many calls were made, how many of those calls were actually leads, and how many of those leads became jobs. In the table below, you can see the number of leads they received; the jobs won, the hours worked on those jobs, the profit made after expenses and the hourly rate that converted to. Then, you can look at the cost of the Ad and see the Return On Investment. [![Screen Shot 2015-05-06 at 3.57.18 pm](https://23226544.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/23226544/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Screen-Shot-2015-05-06-at-3_57_18-pm.png?width=584&height=230&name=Screen-Shot-2015-05-06-at-3_57_18-pm.png)](https://23226544.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23226544/Imported_Blog_Media/Screen-Shot-2015-05-06-at-3_57_18-pm.png) Key findings   •Plumber: The hourly rate was 23.5% less than his usual base rate of $85/hour •Handyman: Did not get a single call •Leads: Less than half of the leads received were suitable for the businesses, wasting their time •Marketing calls: The plumber and gardener both received more marketing calls than they did leads As you can see, the performance of these Ads was not favourable for any of the businesses. Not only did they waste their time setting up the Ad, but they were pestered by calls from Marketing Agencies who saw their Ad in the paper. On the other hand, if you win $1,000 worth of jobs on ServiceSeeking.com.au, you’ll only pay $100. Also, the Success Fee is capped at $330, so your Return On Investment will only increase for the larger value jobs that go through our website. Clearly, we have found a winner with this experiment. Stay tuned for the next ROI experiment: **Google Advertising** Tim Veron, ServiceSeeking.com.au Lead Subscriptions start from $100 at just $2 per lead (as of December 2023). **ServiceSeeking is your BEST VALUE option for connecting with new customers and growing your business.** To start receiving new leads, tell us which is your preferred email address.   ## Similar posts Marketing for Tradies ### [Marketing for Tradies: Convert Leads Into Sales Through ServiceSeeking.com.au](https://www.serviceseeking.com.au/business-success/marketing-for-tradies-convert-leads-into-sales-through-serviceseeking.com.au) By utilising these strategies on ServiceSeeking.com.au, you can effectively convert leads into sales and grow your tradie business. Anna Alonzo Jun 20, 2024 General ### [ServiceSeeking.com.au: Hare or Tortoise?](https://www.serviceseeking.com.au/business-success/blog/serviceseeking-com-au-hare-or-tortoise) We know our site works – but just how quickly do our customers get quotes? Is it a slow-burn process where quotes gradually trickle in, or are our... Staff Writer Nov 28, 2012 Business Guides ### [New to ServiceSeeking? Here’s How to Succeed Early](https://www.serviceseeking.com.au/business-success/new-to-serviceseeking-heres-how-to-succeed-early) Success on ServiceSeeking.com.au doesn’t happen overnight, but you can set yourself up for long-term success by following these steps. Anna Alonzo Sep 24, 2024 ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Oliver Pennington", "url" : "https://www.serviceseeking.com.au/business-success/author/oliver-pennington" }, "dateModified" : "2023-12-21T03:15:25.363Z", "datePublished" : "2015-06-04T09:52:41.000Z", "headline" : "Comparing ROI: Local paper ads vs ServiceSeeking.com.au", "image" : [ "https://23226544.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/23226544/Imported_Blog_Media/Screen-Shot-2015-05-06-at-3_57_18-pm.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.serviceseeking.com.au/business-success/blog/return-investment-experiment", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject" }, "name" : "Service Seeking Pty Ltd" } } ```