As a tradesperson who works for themselves, it can be hard, especially in the early days of business to draw in customers. Although word-of-mouth is the tradespersons best friend, in the modern age having an online presence is essential. If you don’t know where to start when it comes to promoting your business online, we are here to offer some tips.
Post your best bits
It’s often said about social media (and Instagram in particular) that’s it’s nothing more than a highlight reel of someone’s life. When using social media for business, this should also be the case. You should think of it as your portfolio, where prospective clients can look and see your standout pieces of work. So, if you’re in plumbing & heating, share images of finished bathrooms or a before and after picture of a boiler change. For those in landscaping, snap some garden pictures before you finish the job to share with your followers. You could even go one step further and add little tips and pieces of advice for maintenance or aftercare.
In a recent survey, AXA found that: “Almost 40% of people have looked for images of completed work before picking a tradesman for a project, so it’s important to take high-quality photos of your work and display them prominently on your website or Facebook page.”
Be engaged and consistent
As with any extra projects, it can be hard to keep up, especially when you have a business to run. However, when marketing yourself online it’s important to be engaged and consistent. It’s all well and good setting up an online presence, but if it’s never updated and messages are left unanswered it can actually do the opposite of what you want and leave potential customers unimpressed. For those who find it hard to remember, why not set 15 minutes aside each week to post and reply to messages? You can schedule posts on many platforms which will help you seem active without needing to remember to post at the required time.
Welcome online reviews
As we’ve already mentioned in this article, word-of-mouth is often the best marketing tool a tradesperson needs, as people will often recommend you to their friends and family after a good project is well completed. But, in the modern world, you can extend this and get customer reviews and recommendations online for the world to see. This way, people are able to give their honest accounts of your work to others who might be considering you. This is why it’s wise to adopt an online review platform (most people use Google Reviews as standard) and encourage customers to post reviews when you’ve finished your job. However, this will mean that for those who cut corners or lack customer manner, others will be able to see that too.
In 2020, BrightLocal found that 87% of consumers read online reviews for their local business, a number that’s been increasing year by year. The results go even further, explaining that “only 48% of consumers would consider using a business with fewer than 4 stars”. It just goes to show how important online reviews are and that importance is still increasing.
Be human
It can be tempting to try and portray a perfect image online, however, you should try to be yourself and be human instead. This might mean letting customers know if you are taking a break from working for a while to take a family holiday, sharing funny jokes or insights into your day or even just showing funny mistakes you made when starting out. Striving to be perfect online can be challenging and not allow your personality to shine through, however, if you are yourself, customers will be buying into you as a person (as well as your amazing work!)
Don’t overload yourself
It may seem like the best solution to simply set up everything you can in order to promote yourself, from an Instagram account showing off your work to a YouTube channel offering tips to your own website, however, remember that this is a large commitment. The best route is to start slowly and ease yourself in, especially if you are someone who rarely uses social media in their personal lives as well. Being highly engaged and offering a frequent stream of posts and updates on one channel is going to be much better for you in the long run than a range of platforms online that are mismanaged and forgotten about.
READ MORE: The best podcasts for those in trade
How to market yourself online as a tradesperson:
- Post your best bits
- Be engaged and consistent
- Welcome online reviews
- Be human
- Don’t overload yourself
With these tips, you are primed to make an impact online and start to gain more customers than you ever could have imagined. And, if you need more supplies to keep up with demand, RGB builders’ merchants are ready with whatever you need.
For more tips, guides, and advice, make sure to visit our blog.