Do Yard Signs Actually Work for Home Service Businesses?

In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson is joined by Sam Preston, CEO of Service Scalers, to break down one of the simplest—and most debated—marketing channels in home services: yard signs.

Are they actually effective, or just cheap noise?

John and Sam dig into the real economics behind yard signs, including why they can be 10–100x cheaper per impression than billboards—but come with tradeoffs in reach and perceived credibility. They also explore real-world examples, including a company that scaled to millions in revenue largely using yard signs alone.

The conversation goes beyond theory and into execution: what makes a yard sign convert, where they work best, and the common mistakes that cause most operators to fail with them.

In this episode, we cover:

•  The true cost vs. return of yard signs compared to billboards 
•  Why repetition in a neighborhood builds trust and drives calls 
•  Real examples of businesses scaling with yard signs 
•  The biggest mistakes operators make (and how to avoid them) 
•  What actually makes a yard sign convert 
•  When yard signs work best—and when they don’t 

If you’re looking for low-cost ways to generate more local demand—or wondering if yard signs are worth testing—this episode gives you a practical, no-BS breakdown of how to think about them.

Host: John Wilson https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbwilson1/
Guest: Sam Preston https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-preston-a682103b6/

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💼 Extra Special Thanks to Service Scalers!

We’ve been partnering with Service Scalers to maximize our Local Service Ads (LSAs) and optimize our Google My Business profiles, and the results have been incredible. With hundreds of thousands in sales and 900+ calls in a single week, GMBs are now our top-performing organic lead channel.

 Want to learn how Service Scalers can do the same for you?

 🔗Check Them Out Here

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John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies
Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC

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