Do you already advertise yourself in yellow pages, the classified section of the local paper and or sponsor your local cricket club?

If that sounds like what you’re doing, you’re not alone. These methods have served tradies excellently in the past, well before digital marketing became a thing.

But times change, and nowadays many potential customers are moving online to find the best tradespeople to solve their problems.

Smart tradies are catching on, making efforts to reach their customers online in addition to these traditional channels. It’s a huge shift – are you ready for it?

And more importantly, do you know how shifting to a digital strategy can turn your business around?

Should you pull the plug on paper?

“No junk mail.”

Anybody that’s ever worked a paper route will be familiar with that simple three word sentence. And let’s face it, most of the flyers that appear in letterboxes or are handed out while doing groceries go straight to recycling.

Not to mention, what happens when you notice an obvious typo after all your flyers have been sent out? Flyers and ads in the local paper take time to print and once they’re done, there’s no going back!

All aspects of your digital strategy can be adjusted as you go. If one campaign is underperforming, you can make changes until it does… or pull the plug completely!

Moreover, unlike paper advertising which is a scattergun approach, online advertising is highly specific. Every Google search, visit to a website or online shopping sesh is recorded and can be used to target customers.

While it might sound a tad scary, it’s also a boon for businesses – including tradies!

Digital strategies such as cost-per-click advertising and remarketing reach customers who are (or have) searched up specific terms online. Try it – type in “electrical tips”. We guarantee the first results would be Google ads for local sparkies. And if you keep searching, don’t be surprised if you start seeing banner ads for electrical services and tools pop up more frequently!

Do you have a website?

You’d be surprised how many tradies don’t have even a basic website!

This is a major oversight, especially with so much of our lives being lived over screens nowadays. And it’s one we see many tradies committing time and time again.

If you want your tradie business to thrive in the digital age, a responsive, well-designed website is a must.

A well-designed website tells visitors a lot about you as a tradie:

Showcase successful jobs.

Do you have a handful of jobs or glowing reviews you’re especially proud of? Put them front and centre on your site for visitors to see!

First impressions count.

They say it takes seven seconds to make a lasting first impression. What are your customers are going to think if your website looks like it’s been ripped from the 90’s?

Tells customers about you.

Flyers, billboards and brochures don’t leave you much room to tell customers about you. A website, on the other hand…

Be searchable

A common misconception among people who aren’t in marketing is the idea that marketing equals advertising and nothing more.

While advertising is the most visible aspect of the marketing profession, marketing actually refers to any method you use to connect with potential and existing customers.

And when it comes to digital marketing, the same rule applies. Your digital marketing is about much more than creating online ads, or even simply having a website. One of the most important aspects of your digital marketing is that your site is findable.

That’s where search engine optimisation (SEO) and content marketing come in.

These strategies revolve around tailoring the contents of your website and creating online content that increases the chances of your website being picked up by Google. Executed effectively, SEO and content marketing can even push your website up to the first results page on some searches.

And with 95% of users never clicking past the first results page, that’s a huge advantage over other tradies!

Searchability and visibility of your website is key to a successful online presence – after all, if people can’t find your site, why would they visit?

Get more leads and increase your business!

If you want your plumbing, handyman or electrical service to bring in customers, you can’t afford to ignore your digital presence.

If you’re ready to get started, iformat wants to talk to you.

We get you more awareness, leads and most importantly, sales through your website. Our complete online sales and marketing strategies tailored for tradies do the marketing for you so you can concentrate on delivering the best service to your customers.

If you want to start seeing more business and calls, there’s only one number to call – ours! Contact iformat today for digital strategies that bring in business.

Curious about how we work? Read about some of our success stories working with tradespeople.