As an electrical contractor and business owner, you want
your electrical business to be as successful and lucrative as possible—and that
means leveraging different strategies to connect with potential customers, get
the word out about your company, and drive business growth.
But how, exactly, do you do that?
Let’s take a look at a few actionable tips you can take
to increase your exposure, build your customer base, and grow your electrical
contracting business:
Develop your marketing plan
It doesn’t matter if you’re in start-up mode and trying
to get a new business off the ground or looking for ways to expand a
well-established electrical contractor business—if you want your marketing to
be effective, you need a plan.
Your marketing plan is like a road map; it outlines where
you are now, where you’re trying to go, and—most importantly—how to get there.
Marketing plans will vary from business to business, but
every plan should include:
● Your marketing goals (for example, landing 100 new clients before the end of the year)
● Your marketing budget
● Any necessary marketing tools or materials you’ll need to implement your marketing strategy (for example, a social media management tool, marketing brochures, or business cards)
● The different marketing strategies you plan to focus on in order to grow your business and reach new customers
Like the old saying goes, failing to plan is planning to
fail—so if you want to successfully grow your electrical contracting business,
make sure you invest the time in planning your marketing strategy.
Focus on your digital presence
One of the cardinal rules of marketing is to target your
customers where they already are. And in 2020, where your new customers are is
online.
Having a strong digital presence is a must when building
your electrical contracting business. There are a few different areas you want
to focus on when building your digital presence:
● Website. Your website is often a potential customer’s first experience of your business and your brand—and you only get to make a first impression once. Make sure your website is professional, well-designed, and clearly outlines your electrical services.
● SEO. You want your website to look professional—but you also want it to drive growth. Search engine optimization (SEO) helps your website become more visible in search engines like Google or Bing—and makes it easier for new clients to find and hire you. Depending on your website and budget, you can either find an SEO plug-in to optimize your site or hire an SEO expert to help you rank higher in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
● Social media. No matter what customers you’re going after, chances are, they’re on social media. Building a presence on relevant social media platforms (like Facebook or LinkedIn) can be a great way to connect with potential customers, have relevant conversations, build trust, and ultimately drive new business.
● Online advertising. Online advertising (like Facebook or Google ads) allows you to target your ideal customers and send extremely targeted messaging at key times during the sales cycle—so if you have the budget, it’s definitely a marketing strategy you should consider investing in.
● Reviews. Social proof is an incredibly powerful marketing tool—and, as such, there are few strategies more powerful for growing your electrical contracting business than generating a host of glowing online reviews. Ask your existing customers to leave positive reviews on sites like Yelp and Google Reviews; that way, when new customers search your business, they immediately know you have a reputation for doing high quality work—which will make them more likely to reach out and hire you.
Leverage existing customers
for referrals
One of the best opportunities for finding new customers
and growing your business? Tapping into your existing customer base.
Word of mouth marketing can be one of the most effective
ways to find new clients and grow your business. Because the potential customer
was recommended to your business by someone they know (like a friend or family
member), there is already a baseline of trust—which makes it easier for you to
convert them from “potential customer” to “paying customer.”
Ask your existing clients if they have any friends,
family members, or colleagues who might need an electrician—and, if so, if
they’d be willing to refer that friend, family member, or colleague to your
business. If you really want to drive your word of mouth marketing, incentivize
your existing customers to send new clients your way (for example, by offering
them a discount on their next service).
Bottom line? People feel more comfortable doing business
with a new company or service provider if they hear about it from someone they
trust—so ask your existing clients to help spread the word.
Partner with other local
businesses to increase your exposure and expand your customer base
If you want to grow your electrical contracting business,
you need to get in front of as many potential customers as possible.
And a great way to do that? Partnering with other
businesses that have a similar customer base.
Look for other businesses in your area that do another
type of work that your potential customers might need—and see if you can join
forces to increase the exposure for both of your businesses.
So, for example, as an electrical contractor, you would
want to partner with other businesses in the home services category (like
plumbers, home improvement retailers, or landscape architects). There are a
variety of ways you can work with other businesses, including:
● Leaving flyers or business cards in their retail space
● Offering an exclusive discount to their customers
●
Cross-referring
business
Bottom line? Partnering with similar businesses in your
area can help you get your foot in the door with their customers—and can
ultimately help you grow your business.
Go and grow your electrical
contracting business
Knowing how to find new customers, expand your reach, and
drive revenue can be challenging. But with these tips, you have everything you
need to effectively market and grow your electrical contracting business—and
take your company to the next level in the process.
This article was contributed by
Deanna deBara and originally posted on Hourly.io