Hometown is changing the way leads are billed. Instead of paying for every lead, all Hometown accounts will be transitioning to a monthly advertising budget.
What about phone leads? How much does it cost if a customer calls me?
Zero. There is no longer any direct cost to you when a customer calls you from your Hometown ads. Receive unlimited phone leads for one monthly budget.
If I accept a quote request, will I pay more?
No, there is no longer a direct cost to Hometown partners for accepting a customer quote request. Accept unlimited leads for one monthly budget.
What about online booking of dumpsters? Will I pay an additional charge per booking?
No, online booking of dumpsters will be free when it becomes available in the coming months to our dumpster partners. If you like the booking system on Hometown Dumpster Rental, partners will be able to use the same booking system on their own website for free.
What is changing with my ads on Hometown sites?
Just as always, your advertisements on Hometown Dumpster Rental and Hometown Demolition will give you high visibility to motivated customers and generate new customer leads for you.
Changes to your ads include:
- Your business phone number now appears on all of your ads, so new customer calls go directly to you
- Soon, we will provide a direct link to your website on your Hometown profile. Your website link will be added in the coming weeks.
Why are leads from June 1st - July 9th free?
Previously, you were invoiced for last month’s leads. Starting on July 10th, instead of charging you for the previous month’s leads (June), we’ll charge you for the upcoming month’s advertising budget. We didn’t want you to pay for two months at once in the changeover, so leads from June 1st to July 9th will be free.
How does the monthly budget for leads work?
The monthly budget is designed to give our service pro partners more control over their advertising spend with Hometown. You decide your budget and your budget directly impacts your visibility and access to new customer leads. Increase your budget for more promotion on Hometown sites and greater access to new customer leads. Decrease your budget to reduce your advertising cost and the number of leads you receive.
What is my initial budget amount?
For most partners, your initial budget for Hometown leads will be set at the average of your monthly invoices over the last year (May 2020 to April 2021). If your average invoice was less than Hometown’s minimum for your services and service area, then your initial budget will be set at your service area minimum. We’ll communicate your initial budget to you in early July by email.
When do I get control to change my budget?
Your budget will be fixed for a short time while we transition to the monthly budget system. We estimate the transition period will be 3 or 4 billing cycles. After the transition, you’ll have full control over your Hometown advertising budget.
When will the changeover to a monthly budget happen?
Starting with your July bill. Most partners will be charged July 10th for their advertising budget for July 10 to August 9.
How will accept/decline quote request notifications be sent to me?
If you receive lead notifications for customer quote requests, those notifications will no longer be delivered by email. Quote request notifications will be sent directly by SMS text message to you or anyone on your team.
Are there any changes for local marketing services?
There are no changes for Google Adwords, Direct Feed listing management, PowerSites, and other local marketing services offered by HometownLocal.
What new tools will Hometown be rolling out to lead partners this year?
Our new suite of software and marketing tools, called Bookable, will begin rolling out to partners over the next several months. The rollout will be staggered, so not all partners will gain access at the same time. A few of the tools included with Bookable are online booking, booked quote appointments, business text messaging, review generation, and more!
About HometownLocal
Founded in 2008, HometownLocal is a growing company based in Grand Rapids, MI. We serve the dumpster rental, junk removal, and demolition industries with new customer leads and local marketing services designed to provide hassle-free revenue growth for our small business partners.
HometownLocal operates large consumer websites to generate leads for our small business partners. HometownDumpsterRental.com and HometownDemolitionContractors.com are visited by 3.5 million customers per year. These sites generate millions of new customer leads for thousands of partners.
Visit www.hometownlocal.com or call (877) 994-6645 to learn more.
