While tradespeople generate most of their business opportunities through word-of-mouth recommendations as a tried-and-tested method, that doesn’t mean that experienced tradespeople shouldn’t explore other marketing methods in such a competitive industry.
There are numerous ways how to market your trade business online, as well as a great deal of other more traditional marketing methods. Even in case you are working as a tradesperson for a significant time now, there are still new ways to expand the reach of your business, generate new job leads, and grow your customer base. The following methods of increasing your business in 2020 are specially tailored for people working in the trades. It doesn’t matter if you are working alone or running a more organized form of business, these five key pointers will help you market your business better and gain a competitive advantage in a highly competitive market.
Invest In A Mobile Responsive Website
When thinking about how to market your service, always think about how you would typically find a product or a service of interest yourself. Chances are you would probably pull out your smartphone or sit at your laptop and do Internet research. You will type the product or service of interest on a search engine, click on a link to a relevant business website, and check if they offer what you need. This is exactly what your potential customer would also be doing, and if you don’t have a mobile-friendly website, they won’t be able to reach you through their smartphone.
As of 2020, every tradesperson, whether big or small, needs a website, even if it’s a single page with a short description of your business, services, and contact information.
Envision your site as an online business card. Additionally, you can post your past work, offer discounts and coupons on your website, engage with potential clients through various forms of communication, among other things. With over 58 million smartphone users in the UK, have in mind that many of your potential customers may require your services immediately and won’t be sitting in front of a computer to search for tradespeople.
While working on your website, make sure that the site is mobile responsive so people can reach you anytime and because Google ranks mobile-friendly websites higher on the results list.
Get New Job Leads On Specialized Trade Platforms
A lot of tradespeople utilize the new specialized trade platforms in the UK, as a profound tool where you can find new job leads and get in direct contact with your potential customers. Check these latest technology platforms and create your trade profile if you are looking to find immediate leads to new job opportunities. Once you’ve created your profile, you can apply for trades that match your core skills and create a custom working area to get the right leads where you want to work. Another great thing about these websites is that you get to choose the leads you’re interested in and send each customer an introductory message. If the customer likes your offering and profile, they will immediately shortlist your profile and engage in a conversation about the job. Once the work is completed, you can ask the client for feedback on the trading platform to help you score more work in the future. These platforms come with symbolic membership fees that are nothing compared to the job leads you will get.
Use Social Media To Increase Job Opportunities
Creating and operating a brand page or profile is invaluable for your trade business. Via the social media channels, you can expand your business’s reach by sharing great content and letting people know what you do, how you do it and give your trading business a credible and approachable face. According to a survey by MyJobQuote, over 70% of homeowners use Facebook to find tradespeople online. Even though LinkedIn, Instagram, and other channels can generate job leads, we believe that there is no better social media platform to generate job leads for tradespeople than Facebook.
Facebook Ads will allow you to expand your reach to an even broader range of potential clients. Using this marketing technique, you can target the audience that’s going to see your content by their age, gender, and location. Even though the trade industry is not an industry that is renowned for its dependence on social media platforms, the numbers reveal that this is an arena that needs to be explored and exploited to its full potential. Establish your presence on these marketing channels, as there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Register Your Business Within Professional Bodies And Trade Associations
Invest in becoming an accredited member of a professional body or trade association within your framework and give your business a massive boost of credibility. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Association of Plumbing and Heating, the Federation of Master Builders, or the Gas Safe Register. Making your trade listed as a registered partner of these institutions will give your business an air of reputability and prestige. Once you become a registered member, don’t forget to use the logos and details of these associations and bodies, as they can be placed on your website, social media outlets, and the side of your business vehicle so people could easily notice that your business is as legitimate as it gets.
Offer Multiple Payment Methods To Your Customers
Even though everyone prefers the conventional ways of payment, such as cash, cheque, or with a credit card, have in mind that with technology advancements and payments moving to mobile, you may be missing out on tech-savvy customers that prefer to do their banking online. Do your research into cashless payment systems like PayPal or a mobile Electronic Funds Transfer At Point of Sale terminal that accepts “tap and go” payments with Apple and Android Pay. This way, you will offer something to your customers that the vast majority of your competition would not.
Final Words
So there you have it. These are our five profound ways of how tradespeople can increase their business in 2020. Try and test a particular method and then evaluate the results because no guaranteed strategy works for all tradespeople. If you are satisfied with the initial results, dig deeper into the matter and launch another even more successful campaign. If not, try the next strategy on the list. In our line of business, it’s all about making the right noises to the right people, and building from that.
