Word-of-mouth marketing can be a very effective marketing tool for tradesmen, but you shouldn’t rely on it alone. There’s a lot more to consider if you’re going to effectively attract new customers. Not sure where to start? Try these marketing tips for tradesmen to get more work.
Set Up A Website
A website is usually the first thing that a customer will look at when they’re searching for a company. A website makes you seem more legitimate and can set you apart from other businesses that offer similar services.
When building a website you should put useful customer information front and centre. This include:
- Your business name and address
- Contact details
- Information about your business
- Any trading bodies and trading standards scheme that you’re registered with
- Any qualifications you have that are recognised in your sector
- Photos of past work
- Reviews from happy customers
If you’ve built a website before, don’t worry. You don’t need to be a coder. There are lots of tools to help you build a professional-looking website, without needing to understand code. Alongside your website, use a tool like Onsite 7 job management software to help you keep your jobs straight after you’ve drawn them in with your new website.
Be Visible
After you’ve built your website, you need to make sure people can actually find it. To do this, you need to pay attention to search engines (Google is the most popular). There are lots of ways to rank well in search results, but some are more effective for small businesses than others.
- Organise your website’s structure. This means making your website simple to navigate around. How easy is it to find all your pages? How well do they link up with each other?
- Optimise your copy. Include relevant phrases that are frequently searched for. For example, if you’re a carpenter based in Birmingham, the phrase ‘carpenters in Birmingham’ should be included in your page titles, headings and body copy.
Get Listed
Get your business listed in online local directories, such as Yelp, Business Directory UK, and Google My Business. It’s also worth getting into trade directories, such as:
- Contractors.com
- Ratedpeople.com
- Checkatrade.com
- Mybuilder.com
- MyWorkman
- Top Tradesmen UK
- Trust A Trader
- Trustmark
- Which?
Use Social Media
Social media is a great tool for reaching audiences who haven’t come into contact with your business yet. Many tradesmen get a lot of new business through their social media channels. Social media platforms are free to use, so you don’t need much budget to get started.
Start with Facebook. Facebook is the most popular social media platform, which makes it perfect for targeting your key customers. Share deals, promotions, case studies and before and after photos of your work to peak the interest of Facebook users. Make sure you include a link to your website, and all your contact information, as many people use Facebook to find a company’s phone number or website when they want to book them for work.
