To stand out from the crowd in today’s digital world, tradespeople can no longer simply rely on word of mouth to keep them in work – they need to get digital marketing savvy and have a good and more importantly, an active online profile. One way to do this is to enlist yourself with a reputable online directory like Checkatrade, but there are other ways you can build your online profile as the marketing experts over at Land Digital will be outlining below. As you start your journey with online marketing it’s best to be focussed and start with just a few actionable steps. This will help you start growing your online presence and ultimately your reputation which in turn will keep quality work rolling in.
Deliver a user-friendly customer journey
First things first, you’ll need a website – and this website should be optimised to provide a user-friendly customer journey. Sound a little technical? Not to worry, let us break it down for you…
The customer journey is the way in which a customer explores your site and how your site layout and design guides them from A (arriving on your site) to B (becoming a customer). Of course, you’ll want this to be as user-friendly as possible – and by that, we mean as logical and straightforward as possible for the user to engage with. Ultimately, you want your website to drive conversions, so consider how clear and obvious the path to your contact or quote page is for users, while still allowing your users to obtain all the information they need.
Utilise design and content features like breadcrumbs (the links across the top of a page that allow users to click between the pages they’ve visited seamlessly) and calls-to-action to refine this customer journey. Within this, you’ll also need to ensure your content actually adds value to the user and is clear about the types of services you offer. Whether this is through visual content (such as images or short videos of previous projects) or a concise list of services you provide, the key is to enable site users to easily find all the information they need to make the decision to use you.
By having a user-friendly site that makes use of intuitive features such as the ones mentioned, you’re likely to see more leads as a result – meaning if you’re not tech-savvy, it may well be worth your money hiring a professional web design and development team to create an optimised site for you.
There’s also no escaping the fact that a lot of work for tradespeople comes through customer recommendations, so it’s worthwhile including some customer testimonials on your site to increase the level of trust with potential customers and give your business an even better chance of being noticed.
Get listed on high-authority directories
We don’t need to tell you that directories have been the tradesperson’s best friend for years. Still, the days of Yellow Pages dominance are over – today, online directories have a significant part to play in generating business for tradespeople.
Sites such as Checkatrade enable users to search through thousands of recommended and vetted tradespeople at the click of a button – so ensure you’ve signed up and listed your services in your local area. What’s more, Checkatrade offers users the ability to review tradespeople, so make sure you harness any positive reviews you have and show them off to the world – after all, this is likely to have a direct impact on whether a user chooses your services over the alternatives.
While there are other online directories, you can utilise, ensure that, like Checkatrade, the sites you choose to be listed on are authoritative – as this can aid your own website’s organic search performance. By including a link to your website on a high-authority directory, you’ll strengthen your site’s link profile by driving link equity into your site. Put simply, and this will improve your site’s ranking potential on search engines.
Get social media savvy
Social media is now a staple of day-to-day life, making sharpening your social media marketing skills an absolute must for any tradesperson looking to harness the power of social media from a business perspective.
Though each of the world’s major social media platforms boasts its own advantages, we recommend setting up a Facebook business page or Instagram as your primary avenue for exploration as a starting point – ensuring your profile looks the part by uploading all of the essential details, such as your contact information, profile picture, website URL and page descriptions.
Whatever platform you use, another key part of being savvy with your social media presence and using it to engage potential customers is ensuring your pages are regularly updated with relevant posts. This could be updates showcasing your latest and greatest handiwork, providing a visual insight into what you do like Just Wood Flooring who use quality, wide lense images to show off their capabilities. Try to personalise these images where you can, too, so as to make your mark and increase brand recognition in the long term.
Skilled tradespeople get your business started
Just Wood Flooring showcase their best work with wide-angle shots on Instagram
Whether it’s a cool time-lapse video of a full kitchen remodel or before-and-after photos of a roof installation, be sure to take a leaf out of the books of forward-thinking tradespeople like K.Riley Services or LC Roof Contractors Ltd and get sharing these impressive outcomes on your social media accounts. Other ideas include sharing relevant industry news, blog posts and customer reviews – after all, word of mouth marketing still has a meaningful part to play in this sector. If you ever feel like you’re running out of ideas, make sure to draw inspiration from successful home building brands, who will no doubt have some transferable wisdom you can use to your advantage.
Instagram is another visual platform that’s primed for professional tradespeople, as its slick user interface and highly visual nature are ideal for displaying project pictures as APB Developments do very well. You can even go as far as creating your own hashtag or tapping into the Instagram Stories feature, which allows you to upload multiple images and videos capturing key moments from your day. With this content only being available to your audience for a 24-hour period, this offers a clever way to build excitement among your followers.
With any social media platform, the idea is to grow your audience – so a sensible place to start is joining relevant social groups and following influencers in your industry, which will naturally extend your reach. You should also relish every opportunity to engage with your audience by liking and responding to comments in a professional way – even the negative ones.
Finally, if your budget allows for it, we also recommend looking into Facebook advertising. This powerful paid platform will enable you to strategically target your chosen audience by specific demographics, including age, gender and location. This means that paired with a little market research, and you can tailor your ads to those most likely to become promising leads.
You don’t need to be a tech genius to get digital marketing savvy as a tradesperson. Above should provide you with a solid basis for introducing yourself to the online community, but for more in-depth advice watch out for Jon’s SEO articles and paid marketing tips. Packed full of actionable information and ideas geared explicitly towards tradespeople, it’s designed to help you master online marketing for your business – generating more leads and business growth as a result.
Jon Leighton is the Director of Land Digital, a full-service digital agency providing made-to-measure marketing, design and development solutions to help businesses in the UK solve their commercial problems.