If you ask us, tradie marketing is the key to more phone calls and jobs.
In particular, tradie SEO is a powerful tool that doesn’t just net you more leads, but better qualified ones, too.
SEO is a sustainable, long-term strategy that can indeed work in conjuncti=n with “paid” advertising methods that bring quicker results.
That’s where online advertising for tradies comes in.
In the digital advertising world, there are many types of ads available.
Today, we’ll be running through some of the most popular, and in our experience, most successful, explaining how they work and giving our thoughts on best practices.
Ready?
Google Adwords
If you ask us, Adwords is one of the most effective type of online advertising for tradies that leads to quicker results.
Why’s that? There are many reasons, but without a doubt the biggest one is that it gives you better leads.
The way Adwords works is that it presents ads based on what you’re searching for.
If you Google “Italian restaurants”, you’re going to be presented ads for restaurants nearby or booking websites.
That means your ads are being shown to people who are already in the market for what you offer, and most importantly, actively searching for those types of services – right now.
Look at it this way. Somebody searching for “locksmith Brighton” likely falls into one of these two categories:
- They live or work in Brighton
- Something’s gone wrong with their car while in Brighton
Either way, during this search, you discover the exact service they’re seeking, and the precise location in which they seek it.
To enjoy success in your adwords campaigns, you need to be selective with which search terms you want your ads to present for.
Ideally, you’ll choose terms which align with your SEO strategy – the same principles of carving out a niche or service area still apply.
It’s also important to pay attention to your bid.
Setting a large bid isn’t always ideal – instead, target searches you can confidently compete on.
Start by looking at the stats – and the average costs! – and figuring out which searches mean the most to you in terms of the value of a job.
Facebook ads
For many tradie businesses, Facebook is the closest thing they have to a website (an entirely different problem!)
As such, Facebook advertising is one of the first things that comes to mind when talking about online advertising for tradies.
There are a couple of good reasons to think about advertising on Facebook… around 2 billion, to be exact!
Asides from the sheer number of people on the platform (15 million in Australia alone), Facebook also offers an impressive suite of targeting tools.
Facebook ads can be delivered based on:
- Demographics (age, gender)
- Location
- Interests and hobbies
- Behaviour (purchase behaviour, device usage)
The most important part of getting Facebook advertising right is choosing the right things to target.
That means knowing:
- Where your customers are located
- Who your customers are
Facebook ads work differently to Adwords, though, as they’re targeting people based on interests, demographics, and behaviour, but not necessarily those “in market”.
Because of this, we recommend Facebook ads as a less intensive way of reminding users of your services, educating customers, answering questions, and advertising the types of services that generally have a longer lead time.
What do we mean by this?
Take a plumber, for example:
A leaking tap requires urgent attention, and a Facebook ad has little chance of striking exactly when a customer requires support.
Their action is likely to be heading straight to Google and searching “leaking tap” or “plumber [suburb]”.
However for a project like a bathroom renovation, people’s lead times are much longer, and they usually conduct deeper and more thoughtful research.
They discover what they do (and don’t) want in their new bathroom, search for fixtures they like, and of course, research a plumber.
Facebook ads could be great in this instance to:
- Help educate customers on your bathroom plumbing experience
- Ask for opinions on trending designs
- Share photos from previous renovations
- Encourage an on-site inspection of their home
Remarketing
Remarketing is one of the most powerful types of digital advertising tradies like you have access to. Here’s how it works:
- Potential customers visit your website
- They read, click through a few pages of interest, and leave
- Your remarketing partner presents them with your ads
Many advertising networks (in particular, Google) offer remarketing services.
Based on previous browsing history, the advertising partner will present unique, targeted ads.
For example, let’s say you’re looking to get solar panels installed in your home. You visit a specific solar power website.
If that business has remarketing set up, you’ll be “followed” around on the web by adverts from the company. You can also create specific ads and targeting specifications based on specific pages a user has visited.
For example:
- You could create an ad targeting homeowners for people who visited a domestic page of your website (but not a commercial page)
- You could create an ad targeting businesses for someone who visited a commercial page of your website (but not a domestic one)
- You could create an ad on installation if someone visited the installation page
Why does remarketing work?
Not everyone who visits your site will commit to an immediate purchase or make an enquiry.
Perhaps they’re checking their options or doing more research, or simply need a little more time to think.
Either way, remarketing ads are a great way of reconnecting with these visitors and encouraging them to return to submit an enquiry, make a call, or process a purchase.
Email marketing
Nobody likes receiving spam emails.
When it comes to tradies, it can be hard to justify an email marketing campaign. Any tradesperson will tell you that trades are transactional, and that most calls are for one-off jobs.
When done properly however, it can be an affordable way of getting the message out there.
There are three tips we recommend following:
Tip 1: make sure you’re the right type of tradie for email marketing
Many trades are one-off, done-and-dusted tasks.
Plumbers and painters for example don’t really stand to benefit from email marketing.
But what about a trade that does? Certain trades like solar installation or car mechanics require regular follow-up service and regular inspections – these are the perfect candidates for email marketing.
Tip 2: make sure you have a CRM system in place
CRM systems help you keep track your customers, including:
- Their contact details
- What jobs or services they requested
- Any special information or notes
There’s no harm in reaching out to a customer once or twice a year to check in and make sure they’re happy. It’s a non-committal way to show you care – and also puts you front of mind should they need something down the road.
Using these, you can send out emails that are relevant to the customer in question. Nobody likes spam, after all!
And that brings us to tip 3. It’s simple yet critical: don’t spam!
Know what form of advertising works best with your business
Talk to us about online advertising for tradies
All four of these digital advertising techniques can help tradies like you bring in more jobs than ever before.
If you’re new to online marketing, this can all seem overwhelming. Luckily, you can always outsource it!
iformat’s online marketing for tradies helps businesses like yours generate awareness, leads and sales.
With 12 years of experience, powerful analytics and an expert team, we create tailored strategies that get you results using a variety of techniques.
And that includes digital advertising for tradies.
Talk to us today: give us a call on 1300 88 64 50 or fill in this form to learn how we can help deliver more qualified calls for your business.
