Regardless of how reliable you are, or how high quality your work is as a tradesman, you could still fail to secure all of the income that you require if you neglect the marketing side of your business.
Most tradesman may baulk at the idea of spending their time, effort, and hard earned cash on marketing exploits, they would rather be on the job. But there are a handful of marketing activities which all local tradesmen simple must do.
1. Utilise the local press
As much as people are now far more reliant on the internet to most products and services, when it comes to getting the word out there as a local tradesman the local press is key. Many people’s first port of call is still the local newspaper. An announcement in the local paper should be a fairly inexpensive way of getting your name out there and has a couple of notable benefits.
Firstly, being in the local paper means that your marketing efforts are focussed on the local community who will inevitably form the core of your customer base. Secondly, it can help to persuade those potential customers who may not trust a firm who can only be found online to get in touch and use your services.
2. Networking can work for you
Networking is a classic example of an activity that most local tradesmen would prefer to avoid like the plague, but it is important to embrace it for the marketing tool that it is.
Getting involved with the local business community, and making contacts within it, is crucial for a local tradesman, especially if you are offering your services to business customers. The local business community is also likely to include the suppliers who you will want to have a friendly and mutually beneficial business relationship with.
3. Word of mouth advertising for the digital age
The best way for a local tradesman to market themselves is by allowing their happy customers to speak for them. In the past this simply meant doing the very best job possible and hoping that your customers told their friends and colleagues about you.
In the technology age however, you can nudge this process along a little by collecting reviews and recommendations from those happy customers and then presenting them on your website and as part of your online profiles. There is nothing that speaks for you better than evidence of jobs well done.
4. Leaflet drops
There is nothing wrong with a little bit of lower-tech marketing and the good old fashioned leaflet drop can still reap rewards. There’s no question that this takes time and effort, but if your leaflets are high quality and you hit the right areas, it can be a truly efficient way of broadening your customer base.
5. Brand your vehicle
If you’re a local tradesman who’s always on the move around the local community then why not turn your vehicle into a moving advert? It is relatively cheap to add your contact details to a van or car and it has the benefit of being visible to a large number of people, both while you’re driving and whilst parked at home or at your places of work.