No.............I wouldn't expect this to happen in the roofing trade.............roofing requires hard work:laugh:

Anybody that buys a welder suddenly becomes a "fabricator". Live with it, because you can't beat it. If you do good work, you'll still get the business. The only problem that crops up, is when you get outbid by a guy that does lousy work. You'll never get around that barrier.

 

It's not really like that, these guys are in about the same level of legitimacy as I am. I would actually say, that by the looks of it, they're probably better than I am. It's all people that are about my age doing the exact same thing.

 

Some of that is due to the algorithms those sites use. Between that and the cookies on your computer, they tailor what you see.
It is no different than if you search for something, you see the ads on the sidebars of the windows in Yahoo, ads on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.
They can now do very focused advertising and this is the result.

 

Despite what Dear Biden and the idiots in Sacramento, Ca. say, I contend we have been in a recession all year long. 80 percent of machine shops and sheet metal shops in the Los Angeles area are going broke. The 20 percent that are busy are so because they take the hard jobs. Those are the shops keeping me busy because I take the hard welding. The one man shop around the corner has been undercutting the production welding from me for years and now he has no work. Same with a host of fab shops in my area. They all have a small overhead unlike me, but they say they are qualified but I doubt they have the documentation to prove it like I do.

I am holding out for that next big windfall that comes every decade or so, but may go after the scraps the other guys are trying to live on. Starve them out like they have been doing to me.

 

the current administration has been causing havoc since the beginning. They are "allowing" illegals to come to OUR COUNTRY and are moving them around to areas where they are needed to gain more votes. They are also allowing them to work without paying their "fare share" for wages that are less than we are accustomed to. The administration is wanting US to be dependent on them so they can control U.S.. NOKO is moving closer by the day.

 

Do what you need to do to distance yourself.

Legitimacy doesn’t mean integrity, fortitude , will to complete jobs,ability to weld in different conditions , it doesn’t reflect commitment to endure difficult times. A downturn will purge the field and present you with a lot of opportunity.

Yep lot of folk welding.

Advertising has a big learning curve. The mass advertising is probably not netting the great beneficial/quality clientele for welders. It is easy access, cheap and the in thing. Depending on what you do, a lot of your prospect are not even on instagram.

Paid advertising work(learning curve, but work),, word of mouth works, meeting folk in person works.

Ironically, there is a roofing contractor who does a radio show in Nashville. Apparently, it does happen, though the scale is different since it takes equipment and folk to operate the business. I imagine it happens in all trades in boom time.

 

I'm a good welder but I'm not the greatest fabricator like these either guys are, so I am trying to work on some kind of differentiation.

I typed in roofing contractor in my town and it actually was an endless search so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, but everytime I hear the work I do for residential customers is too high and then I see a new company everyday it's a little gutwrenching to see how my little operation will turn out

 

Well... check out the Yahoo chat rooms, Yahoo 360, Multiply and if enough people leave over the hacked accounts, Facebook will join them. Everyone has an opinion and you got exactly what you paid for. I don't Tweet, Twat and I rarely fart... and I'm talking to a lot more people over 50 that are walking away from social media and it's drama than I hear about new accounts. I know... everybody has to hang their card there, but in the process the people they want to appeal to are turning a blind eye.

 

I think the yahoo chatrooms disappeared because it was the least benefit to the Yahoo company. People over 50!aren't leaving social media and the guys who are against it, like some of the guys on other forums over the power of YouTubewill be left in the dust.

 

I have a pretty big fab shop now but early on I did a lot of internet advertising on Craigslist mainly. You'd need to do FB marketplace nowadays but you can copy/paste to CL.

I'm on instagram and actually prefer it...but most stuff comes through FB...I have my IG linked up to post on FB. @rlcweldfab is my Instagram. Follow me Lol. Non bumper site is www.rlcwelding.com

A lot of small time welders have horrible FB and CL listings with horrible pictures. It's literally free. Spend some time making good listings, then you can refresh them once a week. Good pictures, no misspelt words, your contact info. Get some help with the proofreading. You can buy stock photos for pennies.

Make 8 ads on FB marketplace.

2 for welding.

2 for repair

3 for products you'd like to make

1 off the wall related service.

Since I have a fab shop I put an ad on for metal sales...sell by the pc. get the markup that metal supermarkets has (i.e. 50-100%) (it will still be cheaper than Lowe
s) You'll sell some metal and meet some people.

Custom fire pits, patio furniture repair, handrail repair, custom mailbox posts, trailer ramps, trailer modify and repair, dumpster repair, ladder racks, can all be individual ads and they can go in different catergories.

And people will respond with I don't need that but I need this...

I started with off road bumpers and I still make them, but early on in my garage I put a CL ad stating I would make any bumper for any truck for something crazy low back then...like $250. But I got experience and had some pictures of my work, and eventually some repeatable products.

Good luck!

 

I have a pretty big fab shop now but early on I did a lot of internet advertising on Craigslist mainly. You'd need to do FB marketplace nowadays but you can copy/paste to CL.

I'm on instagram and actually prefer it...but most stuff comes through FB...I have my IG linked up to post on FB. @rlcweldfab is my Instagram. Follow me Lol. Non bumper site is www.rlcwelding.com

A lot of small time welders have horrible FB and CL listings with horrible pictures. It's literally free. Spend some time making good listings, then you can refresh them once a week. Good pictures, no misspelt words, your contact info. Get some help with the proofreading. You can buy stock photos for pennies.

Make 8 ads on FB marketplace.

2 for welding.

2 for repair

3 for products you'd like to make

1 off the wall related service.

Since I have a fab shop I put an ad on for metal sales...sell by the pc. get the markup that metal supermarkets has (i.e. 50-100%) (it will still be cheaper than Lowe
s) You'll sell some metal and meet some people.

Custom fire pits, patio furniture repair, handrail repair, custom mailbox posts, trailer ramps, trailer modify and repair, dumpster repair, ladder racks, can all be individual ads and they can go in different catergories.

And people will respond with I don't need that but I need this...

I started with off road bumpers and I still make them, but early on in my garage I put a CL ad stating I would make any bumper for any truck for something crazy low back then...like $250. But I got experience and had some pictures of my work, and eventually some repeatable products.

Good luck!

What was you off the wall service?

 

Not everyone here will remember who a poster is plus their capabilities.

Why don't we start over again and have the OP list what his primary job or market service is. Plus his capabilities currently and where he is trying to move in product/service.
Roughly where he lives and whether he is just trying to serve the local market, bid on long distance travel style work, or just make and ship product.

Right now you are getting a shotgun approach that is probably irrelevant to what you can/will do.

As far as I remember, the OP has not posted a pic of his work or details on what he is trying to accomplish.

 

Yeah that might help things out a little bit. I'm in the Southwest, and originally started a little business doing landscaping jobs, but as I started to talk to people people figured out I had a long background in welding so I started doing security doors, trellises, benches, stuff like that. Right now I bill myself as an outdoor designer. I try to stay focused on sprucing people's front and back yards up with smaller design installations, and custom furniture and stuff for the garden made out of steel, but when the summer hits indo pretty good doing maintenance(also nice to have solid reoccurring money coming in)