While more businesses and services are flocking to the internet for more reach and lower operating costs, there will always to be a need for local trade jobs. When referring to trade businesses, we are talking about electricians, plumbers, contractors, construction, and anything else that might be hands on.
The internet is great for many different things, but there is always going to be a need for these hands-on jobs. Even with most of these jobs being physical work and going into a home to get the task completed, there are still many ways to take advantage of the internet and what blogging has to offer.
That is exactly what we are going to be looking at today. No matter what type of local or trade business you currently have, be sure to implement the following methods, tools, and services today.
Blog Content, SEO, and Online Quotes
The most obvious benefits of blogging are quite clear. These are usually the aspects of creating content, ranking in Google, and also getting free exposure and advertising online. When looking at blogging from a trade business perspective, we can highlight the following:
- Using your blog as a resource tool to rank in Google for customer problems
- Ranking in the search results for your personal or business name
- Making it easy for customers to find your business online
- Ability to get free quotes and estimates for jobs
- Getting listed in local online directories
- Building a solid reputation and expertise
- Showcasing previous jobs and customer testimonials
In addition to using content creation and SEO to rank your site and services higher on Google, it’s also a great way to engage with your audience and potential customers. A perfect example of this would be if you were to create online surveys, detailed estimate submission forms or even providing customer reviews of various data points and services provided by your company. This can easily be done through the use of WordPress plugins or quick contact form PHP scripts. While many trade businesses will have free estimate forms, not many will go into detail on the needs of their customers and offer than more than just a traditional, name/address/phone quote form.
All of these benefits and features are ideal for a trade business, and if they weren’t to have an online presence, it’s like they might be passed over as well. Today, people want to connect with businesses online — whether that be through email, websites, online forms or social media.
Using Online Time/Invoicing Software
In addition to creating an online presence for your business, it’s also important to take advantage of online tools and resources to help you get more done. For example, if you have a website with a form to request free online quotes or estimates, you could easily start advertising to local residents through the use of geographic targeting on Google Adwords or Facebook Ads. Since you would be targeting to a local audience and only paying on a per click basis, this could definitely prove useful.
However, for all of this to work, you would need to actively track your ad spend versus incoming jobs and revenue. Again, this is where some online tools and resources can help.
- Invoicing – To properly track incoming and outgoing payments, you will need to have quality invoicing software. Some business owners or contractors like to use software, while others will prefer web-based solutions or even mobile applications. Either way, if you take enough time to search around, you will find a good app for tradies.
- Time Management – Just like you need to know how much money is coming and out for your trade business, it’s important to know where your time is best being spent and how to accordingly bill for it as well. This article has a great selection of time management tools that can help with this task.
- Facebook Ad Spend – With all of this time and money going in and out of a business, it’s also important to track your lead generation and online spending as well. Having previously used Facebook Ads as an example, there are several great tools and resources for tracking this as well. Neil Patel highlights some of the best Facebook advertising tools on his site.
No matter what type of local trade business you might have, it can definitely benefit from each of the invoicing, time management, and online advertising tools and references mentioned above. Now it’s time to discuss the many opportunities that lie within branding yourself as an expert while showcasing your talents and customer ratings in the process.
Show Off Testimonials & Expertise
When looking for a business professional or trade expert, most people will head to Google and type in something like “job task + zip code/city“. This will often bring up a wide range of results, usually from Google Local and sites like Yelp or Angie’s List. These sites are all great, but they also list most local businesses in the same way. The only real difference between them is that some have reviews and ratings, and others won’t. In addition to having all of these local directories and listings online, there are plenty of benefits associated with having a blog of your own and better protecting your reputation online.
Again, this is where a business blog or website can really come in handy. Since most of these review sites will allow businesses to link to their main site, it’s a great opportunity to show off your expertise, customer tutorials, pictures of previous work, and how to best get in touch with your business.
Here are some tips to help you get started.
- Create social profiles on all platforms, and link them back to your site
- Showcase customer testimonials and use photos of real people
- Make it easy for individuals to contact your business through phone and email
- If possible, link back to your main website through local listing and rating sites
Trade business owners or individual contractors are always in a war to win more business. With the internet now in play more than ever before, we will continue to see a larger divide between those who are taking advantage of the tools and resources it has to offer, and those who stick with traditional print and TV advertising.
Having read through all of our recommendations and tips, what side of the business do you want to be on?