I Spent $20K Advertising Above Toilets… It Worked

Most home service businesses throw money at Google and Facebook while completely ignoring channels with zero competition and cheaper leads. In Episode 300 of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Sam Preston (CEO of Service Scalers) to break down the unconventional home service marketing tactics that are quietly generating real revenue — from advertising above 100+ stadium toilets to pulling leads through church bulletins, local newspapers, and pizza boxes. If your cost per lead keeps climbing and digital ads feel like a hamster wheel, this is the episode that changes how you think about contractor marketing. In this episode: - Why overlooked local marketing channels outperform Google & Facebook on CAC - Real-world examples: stadium ads, church bulletins, newspapers, pizza boxes - How to build brand familiarity through low-cost, high-impression placements - The contractor marketing edge your competitors aren't using Host: John Wilson https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbwilson1/ Guest: Sam Preston https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-preston-a682103b6 Chapters: 00:00 Episode 300 Kickoff 03:50 Bathroom Sponsorship Marketing 11:52 Print and Community Ads 16:02 Cheap Views Beyond Ads 20:11 Local Plays That Print 31:05 Scale vs Testing Weird 💳 Extra Special Thanks to Coast! Coast is the smart fuel card built for home service businesses. Set custom spend controls, stop fuel fraud in real time, earn rebates, and use it anywhere Visa is accepted — no more station restrictions or admin headaches. Want to see how much you could save? Check them out HERE https://coastpay.com/ownedandoperated The Coast Visa® Commercial Card is issued by Celtic Bank. All card accounts subject to credit approval. Shout Out to FieldPulse 🚀 FieldPulse is an incredible Field Service Management platform that helps you save hours each week while keeping your operations running smoothly. If you're looking to streamline your processes, stay competitive, and focus on what truly matters, FieldPulse is a game-changer! 📅 Book your demo here https://www.fieldpulse.com/book-demo?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=OwnedandOperated&_bhlid=adde1d4b7623ada1146dde2ba3cf7bd06624cb4a 💼Shoutout to Avoca AI! Looking to train your call center and improve technician performance? Avoca AI helps teams identify issues, improve call quality, and drive results from start to finish. 🔗 Schedule a demo here: https://www.getavoca.ai/partners/oao