What are your tradie goals?
Is it growth targets? Or is it to lay off the tools entirely, and to leave the heavy lifting to your team?
While we mightn’t be able to give you advice on what type of piping is the most suited for plumbing renovations or the latest changes to the building code, we can help you grow your business with tradie marketing.
And when it comes to marketing for tradies, the simple fact of the matter is that in many cases, their growth problems can be solved by going digital.
Growth problem #1: people don’t know you exist
Is your business quiet, even in what should be a peak period? It could be because your customers don’t know you exist.
And if they don’t know you exist, you’re not going to see much of their business!
Since 88% of Australians are active online, it stands to reason that many of them take an on-demand approach, heading to the internet first when they need a tradie, completely bypassing the traditional avenues.
If you’re not online when they need you to be, you’ve lost a potential job.
The solution? An online presence. Websites for tradies. You’ll also need to think about your overall online presence – are you on social media?
Finally, are you harnessing the power of digital marketing for tradies?
Digital marketing techniques like search engine optimisation (SEO) focus on making your site the one that pops up on a search page, and not your competitors’.
The outcome? More people flocking to your site… and that means more jobs for you!
Growth problem #2: phone calls aren’t turning into jobs
Branded vans. Newspaper ads. Fliers. Sponsorships.
While each of these techniques have helped tradies in the past, each of these are scattergun approaches today.
You’re casting a wide net in the hope that you come back with a speck of gold.
Why is this a problem? It’s simple: while you might reach hundreds of people, not all of them are going to be in the market for your services – comparatively few of them are going to call you.
While it might not give you as much exposure as a billboard, what digital does do is give you exposure to the customers that matter.
Let’s go back to the SEO example. SEO strategies focus on getting you found for relevant search terms. If you’re a mechanic that specialises in forklifts, that might mean searches like “forklift mechanic in Melbourne”.
Not only does this mean you won’t have to compete against false positives like car mechanics, but you’ll also receive better leads.
After all, chances are that anybody who’s gone out of their way to type something as specific as “forklift mechanic in Melbourne” is currently looking for one!
Long story short? If you want better qualified leads, you need to be where the people are searching: in the results pages of Google.
Growth problem #3: your customers can’t reach you
Smartphones allow us to be connected all day, every day.
While some bemoan their presence in everyday life, for tradies, that means you’ll never have to miss another job again, even if you’re on the road!
Here’s the thing though: while you might have a mobile number attached to your business, you’re still missing out on a large number of potential jobs!
As much as we hat to admit it, the truth is that human beings are lazy. We’re wired to take the path of least resistance – it’s just human nature.
That goes for contacting tradies too.
If you want to maximise the number of people who get in touch with you, that means making contacting you as effortless as possible.
In addition to putting your number on your website, ensure it’s clickable so people can initiate the phone call with just one tap of their smartphone.
Growth problem #4: what are your clients saying about you?
Do you read reviews before making any purchase?
If so, you’re not alone – it’s estimated that around 91% of people read tham, and that up to 84% put just as much stock in them as recommendations from close friends.
Reviews are the fastest way to learn more about the services you’re shelling out for. And as we’ve discussed before, they’re powerful marketing tools for tradies!
When people call tradies like you, they’re looking for one thing: proof that you know your stuff and that your work is solid.
Other things come into the equation but by and large, this is one of the most important features of your entire business’ online presence.
Of course for customers to leave online reviews for you, you’ll need to give them a place to do so first!
If you want to harness the power of reviews, we recommend prioritise Google reviews on your Google business listing.
Additional review sites like TrueLocal and WOMO should follow.
Digital marketing for tradies that fixes your business woes!
Maximise your online presence through iformat
These are just some of the common problems tradies like you encounter when growing their businesses. Luckily, many of them (such as these ones) can be mitigated with digital solutions.
Want to grow your business but don’t know where to start? Luckily for you, iformat’s Marketing4Tradies helps tradies like you grow your business.
As tradie marketing specialists, we specialise in getting you more jobs.
Using a bespoke combination of proven techniques, we craft digital marketing packages for tradies that:
- Increase the visibility of your site
- Bring in more – and better quality – leads
- Get the phone ringing!
Get in touch with us today to see how we can set you up with digital solutions that solve your growth problems. Call 1300 88 64 50 or contact us to request a quote!