For those in the service industry, getting in front of potential customers may be a daunting task. They need to concentrate on their profession and not be aware of some simple marketing efforts that could bring in hordes of new customers.
For those who don’t have marketing skills, some efforts are easy to implement and won’t cost a lot.
How to Market Your Service:
In many cases, service industry professionals look to advertising and marketing professionals to help them elevate awareness for their services, but that comes at a cost. Others will add a young staff member to their team who has expertise in marketing or public relations. To keep costs down, they often hire young graduates who haven’t had professional life and business experience. This often comes at the cost of getting what you pay for.
In the real world, people don’t routinely call plumbing, heating, ventilation, and AC specialists until something goes wrong. So, in many cases, when they get a service call, it is out of extreme necessity, like broken pipes or the heating and air conditioning isn’t working.
If you want to get your name out there, here are some things that those in the service industry can do to attract new customers.
Digital marketing:
According to Plumbing Perspective, digital marketing is one of the first things you should do to elevate awareness for your business. Nearly everyone has the Internet or smartphone and uses those tools when they need a repair done. Any business that doesn’t have an online presence is missing out.
- Social media: You don’t need a marketing degree to use social media. Numerous platforms would elevate your online awareness. A well-thought-out, planned social media program can go a long way in keeping you on top of mind with your target audience. There are 4.6 billion social media users in the world, you only need to tap into a minute fraction of those to ramp up your business. You should post interesting jobs, monthly specials, hints on maintenance, and other information that would be valuable to your audience. You should consider Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), or LinkedIn.
- Increase valuable leads. If you are looking to generate leads, one of the best ways of doing that is to offer something for free or at a discount. This may bring in individuals, businesses, and organizations that could turn into repeat business. Many organizations will gladly help you by passing your name along if you offer them a service for free. Some examples may be your kids’ school, church, local sporting events, and 501C 3 organizations.
Increase valuable leads. If you are looking to generate leads, one of the best ways of doing that is to offer something for free or at a discount. This may bring in individuals, businesses, and organizations that could turn into repeat business. Many organizations will gladly help you by passing your name along if you offer them a service for free. Some examples may be your kids’ school, church, local sporting events, and 501C 3 organizations. - Develop a smart content marketing strategy. Everyone has something to say about their company and their expertise. So why don’t you share it with your audience and prospects? The first step is developing and scheduling when you will publish content and topics. You must stick to this calendar to keep people coming back for more information. There is nothing worse than looking at a client’s blog or news section to find that the information is months or even years old. Sharing home tips, maintenance tips, schedules of monthly or seasonal tune-ups, and other information can position the business and owner as an expert in their category. When an issue comes up, you call the expert.
- Utilize local resources. Make sure that your company is listed on Google, on Angi, and in local directories and maps. Some choose to use Google’s pay-per-click platform, but it does cost money, so before using it you need to set a spending limit or you may receive a costly bill. The benefit of this is that your leads are qualified. Someone needed your service and your name came up, hopefully, before your competitions.
- Build a good website. There are times when you may be able to handle some of these tactics on your own and other times when you want to use a professional. EZ Service Websites is a company that specializes in developing websites for those in the service industry. Their service websites are eye-catching and will deliver the messages that are important to your audience. The website should clearly communicate what you do. You should also have a blog or news section that can be updated regularly with content.
- Invest in advertising. Unlike some of the other options listed here, advertising will cost the business, so the owner or marketing executive should review options and determine where they can get the best bang for their buck. Some companies find value in weekly coupons like Val-Pak that come in the mail each week. This is an affordable option, but make sure that you track your leads from this advertising source to make sure it is worth the investment.
- Grocery store receipts. Some smaller companies, put ads on the back of grocery register receipts, again, should be monitored for viability. Companies that have deeper pockets may choose to run an ad in local magazines or newspapers. The cost for many though, may be out of range.
- Podcasts. According to an article in Entrepreneur Magazine, posting regular podcasts can be a very effective marketing tool. There are about 70,000 today, compared to 80 million businesses on Facebook. It is easier to find your niche in the service industry, and you can share valuable and timely information. Many people strive to reduce their time browsing online, so this is another option that may fit the needs of service industry people trying to grow their businesses.
Just about every business can use more clients. Utilizing affordable marketing tools can help grow your business and introduce you to new customers.
