Watch above or read below.

Matthew Burns:
I’m going to say it again… SameDayHandyman.CA

Stephen Semple:
SameDayHandyman.CA

Matthew Burns:
Okay. So pretty simple, kind of clean. You know exactly what they do. If something’s broken now and it’s not something I’m capable of fixing and I need somebody to help me do that, I’m going to do it today. So now look at this billboard. SameDayHandyman.ca. Guys, please understand that what we know is the simplicity of this billboard, but I’m going to say something about this billboard and Steve’s going to double down on it, I guarantee it, is it’s a really good billboard and it’s a sneakily really good billboard.

And I’m going to bet, Steve, please beat me up on this if you want. It was an accident. I don’t know who did this billboard. I don’t know if it was an advertising agency that did it or if it was the owner, because again, very simple billboard guys. Look at the billboard. But I like it.

Stephen Semple:
So couple of things strategically, they’re in a category where no one advertises. I’ve never seen a handyman advertisement. Maybe you get the odd flyer, but very little advertising and certainly no mass media advertising. So right out the gate, you can run a campaign where awareness is all you need to do. Not all categories can you do that, but that category you can do it because someone needs a handyman.

Can I think of anybody? Can’t think of anyone. Now in their name is part of their benefit, same day, SameDayHandyman.ca. So, what I love is they didn’t mess up the billboard with extra stuff. They just went as big as they could. They made it easy to read by putting “same day” and “handyman” in different color and just made it really easy, big, simple. And I actually think that that billboard would really, really work.

Matthew Burns:
Guys, we have no knowledge of this client, of this customer, not a client.

Stephen Semple:
None whatsoever. I was literally driving between Collingwood and Barry and saw this billboard, pulled over, took a picture of it.

Matthew Burns:
But guys, if you look at the picture, so it should be floating on above me here, is take a look at this. Big “Same Day”, big “Handyman.ca”, really easy to read it, but look at how far away that billboard is. You can see from this image where Stephen took the picture. How small is the outdoor company’s website address? And you can tell, right? It’s that far away and it’s easy to read. This is the one time I would argue, because I’m not a big fan of design agencies who lean into the fact that if I’m an HVAC client that I need to have a thermometer or a tool in my hand or if I’m a plumber, I need to have a pipe wrench. I’m not a big fan of that. This is the one I would argue is actually perfectly suited for exactly what it is.

Guys, I’m a handyman. I can get you same day and I use these kinds of tools. So, it’s super simple messaging and I agree wholeheartedly with Stephen where, and I love to fight with him on things, but this one I can’t. It’s just all you need is repetition in this category. You just need awareness.

Stephen Semple:
Yeah. So now one thing I’m going to add is another positive that they did, one thing I’m going to question. When you go to their website, one of the things I really like that they did in their website is immediately they’ve got a bunch of things that they do. Assemble furniture, install appliances, put up lights. Now here’s the reason why in many cases, I would say for business not to have that front and center. I think for a handyman it makes sense because handyman is not in our brains as a clearly defined a category.

Matthew Burns:
Absolutely.

Stephen Semple:
So, could I get you to come and install an appliance? Yes. Could I get you to come in and put up a light? Yes. And it’s not an exhaustive list, it’s an example list, which I think is good. The other thing is on their website, they have a character that they’ve created. And what I love is there would’ve been the temptation to put the character on the billboard.

Matthew Burns:
Yeah.

Stephen Semple:
And they didn’t. Hats off. The character should only be on the billboard if it added to it. In other words, if this was a character we had already been exposed to in lots of other places. My only question is this was a billboard on a road between Collingwood and Berry. And when I go to their website, they talk about how they’re in Muskoka, which is way on the other side of Berry. And I wonder, have they expanded the Berry? If so, they need to actually do some updating to their website.

Matthew Burns:
Oh, I see. Yeah. Again, I don’t know anything about the company. Listen, if we look at the billboard, does the billboard do its job?

Stephen Semple:
Yes.

Matthew Burns:
I think that’s the valuation that we’re trying to do here. And when you sent it to me, I was like, I didn’t know whether Stephen, he said it, not a bad billboard. I didn’t know how good he thought it was. And I was like, I second guessed myself thinking was he being sarcastic or not? But I looked at it and went, I like this billboard.

Stephen Semple:
Look, it’s doing its job.

Matthew Burns:
10 years ago I would’ve hated this billboard because I used to design billboards that were not like this. They were much more busy and way too convoluted. So no, I think it’s a brilliant use of simplicity. It’s a brilliant use of white space. It’s a brilliant use of the name and especially in a category, and again guys, sorry, SameDayHandyman.ca if I’m insulting you at all, but I don’t think this was on purpose. I don’t think all of this thought process went through it, but congratulations because you landed there.

Stephen Semple:
Yeah. Yes, yes. And strategically, now could you take this idea and do this idea for an HVAC business? Probably not. It wouldn’t work quite as well. Maybe, maybe not. But the point is it’s a slam dunk for a category like handyman where we’re literally just creating awareness of your service will have you winning.

Matthew Burns:
Stephen, thank you. I wasn’t sure if we would be able to do a full episode on this, but you know what? We did a full episode on this. I think it’s really good. Same Day, hats off.

Stephen Semple:
All right. Awesome.

Matthew Burns:
Thank you everybody. Listen, if you have an idea, if you see a billboard, hey guys, we’re going to start, we don’t mind highlighting something that we don’t think works. If you like something, you don’t like something, send it our way. Let us take a look at it, and we would love to talk about it here on Sticky Sales Stories. See everybody next time.

Stephen Semple:
All right. Thanks, Matt.

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