Whether you’ve set out on your own to create a brand-new construction company or if you’ve been at it for years, marketing is always worth investing time in.
Our Marketing Manager, Rachel Betts gives us her advice to help tradespeople to stand out from the competition and win more work.
Online presence
Having a website for your business gives a professional impression, increasing trust from consumers, and should be thought of as the shop window for the services you offer.
Creating a website doesn’t need to be difficult, there are many templated versions available at a low cost or free resources to get you started. A quick Google will show you all the options available.
Many people look for a local tradesperson using a search engine, and in 2021 this is likely to be Google. Google favours local businesses when displaying search results, so including your business address on your website and social media channels will mean you are more likely to be found when someone searches for example, ‘landscaper in Stratford.’
As well as a website, many people use social media to find tradespeople so choosing to set up social media channels for your business is a good move. We’d recommend Facebook and Instagram as the places to get started, but the choice is yours…if TikTok is you thing then go for it and use this channel too!
TOP TIP: Make sure your Name, Address and Phone number (known as NAP in the marketing world) appears consistently across your website and social media channels. This consistency increases the chances of you being found online.
Social media engagement
Social media can be the modern-day word of mouth to recommend a builder or developer. Posting photos and video clips of the work you’re proud of, and asking your customers to do this too can really help to seal the deal to win work.
TOP TIP: You don’t need to be Steven Spielberg! Short mobile phone videos and photos showing build projects will do the job perfectly.
Local Facebook groups are worth searching for and joining as often people use these to look for local tradespeople for extensions or other repair and maintenance jobs. Usually, these kinds of groups will have group rules posted to the top which details whether posts promoting local businesses are welcomed or not. If you are allowed, post on these groups and showcase your work and services.
Social media also gives you the opportunity to have a two-way conversation to really help you build relationships. Responding to people on these channels can show that you’re professional, approachable and trustworthy; all key attributes consumers may consider when making their selection for building projects.
If you are comfortable appearing on camera include yourself talking about the job on any video clips you may do or include a photo of yourself on your website – this is something simple you can do to really help to build trust with prospective clients.
Reviews
There are a variety of places happy customers can leave reviews of your company’s work online. We’d suggest Google and Facebook reviews as the places to spend your time at first.
Setting up a free Google My Business local business listing will mean people can leave a review and you can respond too. This helps build loyalty and encourage repeat custom. This business listing will also help you rank in search engines too, so a no-brainer!
TOP TIP: Make sure your Facebook page is a business page so you can receive reviews via this platform.
Your Facebook page will have reviews turned on as a default setting as long as it is a Business Page, even if you do not have any reviews completed. This can be turned off, but we’d recommend leaving it on and working towards obtaining those positive reviews from satisfied clients.
Third party websites
Sites like Checkatrade are third party versions of an online rating service. They allow you to showcase completed work and also respond to adverts of jobs people want quoting, enabling you to reach those consumers who may not use social media to contact businesses.
If you’re a member of Checkatrade, you can also access Green Homes Grant jobs – learn more about this here.
Professional quotes
The quotes themselves are often overlooked and we believe very important marketing tool.
Let’s look at one example, your customer found you online, checked out your photos on Facebook and Instagram and has been in touch to ask for a price for their kitchen extension. Now’s the time for that all important quote which helps you to finally land the job. After a look at the project, you send them a quote via Facebook messenger – because that’s where they first contacted you, and you’re lost in all the other messages in their inbox, along with the other two builders they are also asked to quote.
Using our Estimating Service we can help you produce a professional quote that’s based on up to date prices from merchants, with quantities to reduce waste and with a schedule of works, but we will also create a customer friendly version, in your branding.
Presented in a slick booklet, with an overview of the quote, terms and conditions and timings, it’ll help you stand out from the crowd and make a good first impression.
Want to know more about how we can help you win work, just get in touch.