What We’ve Learned About Marketing After 30 Years in Business

Let’s take a little trip down memory lane and say hello to 19-year-old Brian. I was a young kid with big dreams, wild ideas … and no money to make them happen. I had just started a junk hauling business to put myself through college. To get the word out, I relied on what I thought was a pretty stellar advertising strategy: a giant phone number slapped on the side of my truck and some homemade fliers and business cards. My big value prop was that I’d “stash your trash in a flash!”

It’s almost funny how simple it was back then to market a business. I didn’t have to battle dozens of other companies to earn customers’ attention on their smartphones or tablets. I didn’t need a team of experts to help me out. Heck — I didn’t even need a website. All I needed was passion and a hunger to get my business off the ground.

Fast-forward to 2018 and our company has a fully integrated, in-house marketing team of over 30 people. We have experts in SEO, PPC and content, and people out in the field working on our ground game, and they’re all supported by another 350 people at our headquarters. We have a full radio program run by the best in the business. But how did we get here? Here’s a peek at how our advertising has evolved over the last 30 years.

It All Started With A Truck and a Dream

When I first started out, I knew nothing about branding. I saw an opportunity to make some fast cash, so I went for it without thinking about the “how.” But as I got in deeper and it started to grow, I realized I needed to make my company more memorable for potential customers.

I figured my truck was good for more than just hauling junk — it could be my mobile billboard! So I painted my phone number on some big pieces of plywood and stuck them in the bed. My idea ended up working so well that when we expanded and rebranded as 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, we still used my old strategy. And thus, “parketing” was born.

Every one of our trucks still reps our big, bold phone number. Basically, we park them in high-traffic areas so that we can get the most eyes on our brand possible. Organic marketing at its finest! It’s old school but hey, it worked in 1989 and it still works today.

A Taste of PR

In 1992, everything changed when we got a hit of free press. I was two years in and business was going so well that my girlfriend at the time kept urging me to call the local paper to share my story. I was reluctant … but eventually, I picked up the phone. It must have been a slow news day because the very next morning, there I was on the front page!

The impact was instant: phones started ringing off the hook. The publicity got the ball rolling like none of our other marketing efforts ever had. That’s when I realized how powerful PR can be for business. One local article was the catalyst for way bigger media hits down the road, from a full feature in Fortune Magazine to a spot on Oprah to a headlining speech at Hustle Con.

All We Hear Is Radio Ga-Ga

For years, we got by on our marketing cocktail of parketing, press, door-to-door sales and good ol’ word of mouth. But by 2012, it was time to bring radio into the mix. I didn’t want our ads to sound like anyone else on the air, though. That’s why, when I heard about a highly exclusive (and reclusive) radio wiz (who calls himself the Wizard of Ads), I knew we had to have him.

Getting him on board wasn’t nearly as easy as landing that cover story back in ‘92. Nope, this time we had to fly across the continent to Austin, Texas, to visit him at his 34-acre campus at the top of his skyscraper wizard’s tower.

Needless to say, it was a very strange and memorable day. And despite everyone (including his own staff) telling us he’d never agree to write our ads, we walked away with a year-long deal that’s continued to this day.

Digital

Parketing helped us spread the word about our company. Free PR opened the floodgates for expansion. Radio turned us into a household name. But digital is how we’ll continue to be the world’s largest junk removal company.

Like I said, we have an in-house team of experts who are fluent in all things digital marketing. They handle everything from acquisition and retention to content and brand awareness. Just like all of our advertising has evolved with the times, so has our digital strategy. Online marketing used to mean bombarding potential customers with disruptive ads. Now, it’s about customer centricity and getting our brand in front of them when, where and how they want it.

Coming At You From All Angles

Our marketing these days looks a lot different than it did back then, but in many ways, it’s still very much the same. Even though we’ve evolved, we’ve retained those old school strategies that work. (Anyone who’s seen our shiny blue trucks knows we’re still masters of parketing!).

It goes to show that even in the fast-paced world of marketing, some things will never change. At the end of the day, your brand isn’t synonymous with your marketing materials — it’s the representation of who you are.

Follow me on Instagram @brianscudamore