Tradies need customers
Tradies are the lifeblood of communities in Australia. There have been many reports of a skills shortage, tradies being lost to the mining industry and tradies who have more work than they can handle.
Which one are you struggling with?
Tradies will always need more customers
There is more than enough work for all tradies to have a great business. However, some are always going to take the ‘lion’s share’.
So, how are you going to get some more for yourself?
It is going to take more than just a ute and some tools, so please keep reading…
Know how to quote to get the work
Something I see quite a lot is that the general public seems to have very little understanding of tradies and why they charge what they do.
For example, I recently saw a post on Facebook saying that a Gyprocker wanted to charge them $120 per hour, just to do a wall in their house. This person then went on to say that they should be a gyprocker if this is what you get paid! Now, this person obviously has no understanding of what it costs to run a business or the need to be paid for skills and so much more.
Naturally, there are some people that will never understand and they will think that the $120 goes in the gyprockers pocket and that’s about it. Excluded from the thought process is everything else that goes into that cost from running the business to the year of knowledge and experience that is all part of that $120.
However – Tradies do not market the value of what they offer. This is a problem right across many industries but it is very common in the trades industry. As business owners, we need to be marketing the value of what we offer right from the initial conversation with a prospective customer.
So how can this be overcome?
Tradies and all business owners alike must share the value and the benefits of doing business with them and the cost is the last point explored. When you are exploring the cost, particularly tradies, just quote for the job rather than your hourly rate.
This value must be shared on your website, social media, vehicle signage, conversations, quotes and any other time your business is visible.
As part of sharing that value, you are marketing your business to potential customers.
So where and how should tradies be marketing?
Vehicle signage
- Have professional signage on your vehicle/s – This I would say is the number one item and if you only spend money doing this one thing it will pay for itself in no time.
- Show you business name, website, phone number, license – Passers-by will often photograph your signage to call later.
Professional modern website
- Have a professional build and host your website
- Keep it simple and explain your value within the content
- Ensure your email is part of your domain hello@yourtradiebusiness.com.au don’t use a generic Gmail or other.
- Have it optimised for search engines, by a professional (SEO)
- Ensure it is linked to your social media
- Review and update the content regularly
Social Media
- You must be on Facebook as a minimum
- Instagram too is a perfect platform for tradies to show their expertise
- Aim to post every day or at least 5 days of the week
- Utilise Facebook advertising to attract local business
- Outsource it all to a professional – If this seems too time-consuming it can be incredibly affordable to outsource it.
Google Ads
- Consider doing ads on google
- It improves your exposure and you can also poach your competitor’s customers by appearing in their search results. Ask us how!
Database marketing
- Collect your customer’s email addresses
- Aim to send them a newsletter each month or quarterly as a minimum
- Ask for recommendations from your customers
- Ask for reviews from your customers
The above items are the minimum marketing efforts you should be considering and this is on top of having professional business cards, professional quotes and invoices.
If you need help in any or all of these areas, speak to Kelly at My Sassy Business.
