Sometimes, the old way of doing things really is the best way.
As a tradie, we’re sure you appreciate this – no matter how many new whiz-bang gadgets come out to make your work easier, at the end of the day, there are certain jobs and repairs that are best handled the good old-fashioned way.
Marketing for tradies is no different!
While digital marketing has completely changed the way we do things, there are certain old marketing tricks and fundamentals that are still relevant.
If you want your tradie digital marketing efforts to pay off, you’ll want to keep these techniques and fundamental marketing truths in mind as you devise your strategy and plan how you’re going to bring in more leads and jobs.
How do you attract customers? 3 marketing truths that will never go out of style
The first truth: word-of-mouth is king (OR: how to promote your business with no money)
Being the number 1 recommended tradie in town is the dream for every tradesman, no matter what it is you do. Who wouldn’t want the recommendations to roll into their plumbing, electrical, carpentry or cleaning business?
The issue is turning your tradie business into the one that everybody turns to – how do you make that happen?
Just to clear, we aren’t just talking about your recommendations, either. Good word-of-mouth also includes your online buzz as well – something that you can nurture through:
- Customer reviews
- Testimonials
- Case studies
- Social media
All of these create buzz for you and improve people’s opinion of your business.
Best of all, this type of advertising is 100% free!
Second truth: provide good customer service
No matter what trade you operate in, good service and quality workmanship is absolutely crucial. When it comes to the fundamental marketing truths, this is one of the absolute musts.
Building connections with your clients don’t only stop after you’ve rendered the service, either – depending on the types of clients and customers you work with, it might be worth maintaining a relationship going forward.
For example, some clients might require ongoing service and maintenance – tradies such as commercial plumbers and electrical contractors are a great example of this, as are tradies that work with specific appliances such as air conditioners.
Of course, ongoing support is just one part of the question!
Customer relationship management (CRM for short) is an increasingly important part of many types of businesses, including tradies. The best customers are the ones that keep on coming back, after all.
For tradies, CRM can include keeping in touch, sending reminders when inspections are required and even sending out a Christmas card or two for your especially-important customers and partners.
The fast truth: Digital marketing works!
The other two truths are pretty universal, and have applied ever since the beginning of marketing. This last one however is pretty new in the grand scheme of things.
And yet, even in such a short time, it’s quickly proven itself to be absolutely essential!
Think about how much of our lives are lived online nowadays – including searching for tradies to help fix problems around the house. Who uses Yellow Pages to find help anymore?
If you want to get business, you’ll need to be present online. And that means investing in your digital marketing efforts.
Unfortunately, this is one area that many, many tradies neglect!
A lot of tradies stick to what’s tried-and-true. Some don’t even have websites at all, instead relying on referrals from other tradies, fridge magnets and newspaper ads.
By doing that, they’re missing out on a whole bunch of potential jobs and calls – make no mistake, it’s absolutely crucial that tradies get online!
So, how do I get my business noticed online?
The first two marketing truths are pretty self-explanatory – but what about the third?
Unfortunately, getting noticed online isn’t quite that simple. There are a lot of different moving parts that go into tradie marketing, as well as a lot of different things you’ll need to track.
For example, even a small tradie business might need…
- Tradie SEO
- Email marketing
- Remarketing
- PPC advertising
- Mobile advertising
- Facebook ads
It can be quite a lot of work – that’s why it’s so important that you hire somebody to look after it for you if you can’t take care of it on your own (which you probably won’t, with all the different jobs you need to handle).
And, how do I promote my small business on Facebook?
Many tradies don’t have their own website, with many citing the “effort” involved specifically as reasons to not get a site set up.
However, a lot will be on social media – in particular, Facebook because it:
- Takes less work to set up
- Is easier to edit/update
- Feels more “direct” and authentic
Each of these are valid – however, it can also get a little bit complicated since Facebook doesn’t exactly work like it used to.
As an agency that specialises in tradesmen marketing services, we’ve been keeping up with the way Facebook has been changing its algorithm and systems.
And one thing we’ve noticed over the years is that organic posts – that is to say, posts you upload your own announcing news or highlighting successful jobs – are getting a lot less traction than they used to as Facebook tries to push its paid advertising options.
So that photo album of that big project you’re eager to show off? Don’t expect that to go as far as it used to unless you either create a Facebook ad or pay to promote the post.
While this may sound like a bad thing, think of it this way: Facebook has access to a wealth of data about its users, which you can use to make your ad or post visible to a specific target audience.
Improve your tradie marketing with the help of iformat!
Managing your own marketing is a lot of work – especially if you also need to drive out and attend jobs all throughout the day.
Why should you look after all of that on your own when there are professionals out there who can look after your digital marketing for you?
As digital and mobile marketing experts, we can answer all of your questions and help you determine the best way to market your business online. That includes:
- Devising strategies
- Choosing the best advertising for tradies to maximise your reach and exposure
- Getting your website to rank for your chosen services, areas and keywords
iformat helps you make the most out of your tradie marketing, helping you get more calls and more sales with effective marketing strategies tailored to the needs of tradies.
And not just tradies in general, but to you specifically.
For SEO with guaranteed results, call us on 07 3732 6522 or fill in the form to get in touch with us today.