Previously, tradespeople have relied mainly on word-of-mouth, and to give credit where it is due, it has been pretty successful. However, as the world of technology advances, more tradesmen and women are moving online to advertise their business locally.

To compete effectively, you must keep up-to-date with marketing and advertising trends as it helps to increase visibility in an already saturated market. For example, suppose a business has an efficient and effective way of generating leads, the owner can focus more time on managing the company rather than worrying about where the next sale comes from.

If you are reading this post, you are likely wondering where to start when aiming to advertise your business locally. Below is a list of our top 10 proven methods to help you remain competitive in the ever-growing trade industry.

1. Create a Website 

Whenever we need something, the well-known phrase ‘Google it’ usually comes to mind. Why else would you spend time scouring for a product or service when the internet has already done it for you? The same concept applies to those seeking tradespeople, meaning a website will put you in good stead for those on the lookout.

Not only do websites allow customers to find you quickly, but they are also an excellent way to showcase your work through videos and imagery. You can display your reviews from previous customers, list your services, pricing, and more. Your website is essentially one place where potential customers can go to find all the information they need.

As most people now use the internet to search for products and services, if you cannot be found online, your business can’t compete. This will instantly put you below your competition.

Comparing website building tools against bespoke sites, website maintenance, and web design are all things you will need to consider when creating a site for your business. Luckily, you have come to the right place as these are all areas we can cover for you!

If you’re going to start to advertise your business locally, a website is an ideal base.

2. Get Listed on Business Directories

Another way that customers search for trade services is through online directories. Places such as Checkatrade, MyBuilder and Rated People provide users with lists of tradespeople within their search radius. Listing on business directories is a great way to make yourself visible, compete effectively, and remain relevant within your trade. 

People don’t like spending time searching for something, your chances of new leads decrease if you can’t be found online in a couple of clicks. However, there are several other excellent business directories to advertise your business. Sites like Yell, Yahoo local, Bark, and more will help increase your online presence.

3. Improve your Local SEO

Once your website is up and running, it’s time to work on SEO. Search Engine Optimisation refers to the steps you take to get your business ranking higher on Google. The first step is registering with Google My Business, which helps potential customers find you quickly when searching phrases such as ‘builders near me’ or ‘tradespeople in my area’. A valuable thing to note is that all local mobile searches will showcase the map-based business listings before any other results. It’s vital to be visible here. 

In addition to registering with Google My Business, you should also ensure your website is optimised for popular search engines such as Google and Bing. Your site must focus on keywords and phrases with your business area. With numerous other trade companies fighting for a position on page one on Google, you are in a better place to rank if you use keywords and phrases with less search volume.  

Another way to improve how your business is visible on search engines is to ensure that your website has a great mix of imagery, videos, content, reviews and links to other reputable sites. All these aspects help search engines view you as a better site, increasing your chances of driving customers to your website.

We have only scratched the surface regarding SEO, but these points will help get you started. Search Engine Optimisation is often a minefield with several things that all work together to help a website rank. If you want more information on SEO, feel free to contact us, as we are always happy to offer our expertise.

4. Use Social Media

One of the best ways to advertise your trade is through social media. It is a powerful tool capable of reaching audiences that haven’t yet come into contact with your business. Plus, social media platforms are free! 

Social media allows businesses to be seen by large audiences while providing users with brand and service visuals. It is a quick and easy way for customers to get a feel for what you do and, more importantly, how others feel about your business.

A useful tip for social media is to use ads. Ads can be a great tool in driving direct enquiries. Alongside this, social media ads can increase your website traffic and build brand awareness. You can target homeowners in your area and you can even show ads to people who have visited your website or brand channels in the past, usually resulting in better conversions (more leads!).  

Whilst social media is an excellent tool for advertising, we do not recommend using it as a stand-alone. Instead, we suggest using these platforms alongside other advertising tools. This is mainly because social media is a place for browsing; you want to ensure that you grab the customer’s attention whilst they are in the process of searching for something.

5. Start email marketing, like now…

If you have access to a database of contacts, sending emails is a great way to reach large groups in one go to let them know you’re open for business! It is important to note that many emails end up in either the customer’s bin or junk folders, so try to make them personal, unique and to the point. You need to grab their attention the minute they open it; differentiation is crucial! 

If you need to build an email list then offering brochures, calculators, or guides on your website in exchange for details/email addresses is a must. Typically, the more you know about the person you’re emailing, the better. 

When you’re sending your emails, focus on storytelling. It sounds weird, but telling a customer story about Mrs Smith who had new windows, and a conservatory on her house which increased the value by X amount, alongside before and after photos is a powerful way to help visualise the impact of your service. Instead of what all your competitors are doing. Seriously – go to your competitor’s website and sign up for their newsletter.

By thinking outside the box, tradespeople can really stand out against their competitors. You can do some impactful stuff with email marketing. Speak to us about how this could look for you.

Incentives can also work by enticing people to exchange their details. Discounts, offers and competitions all help to drive sales and retain customers.

6. Create Visual Content

Offering a service is usually a challenge, mainly because people like to see something before they invest money into it. Using imagery and videos on your website is a great way to showcase your work, all whilst helping boost SEO through an increase in user engagement and accessibility of your site!

As the trade market is so big, competing is often tricky. Providing visual content for customers to see your previous work allows them to differentiate you from the competition. Imagery is also an excellent way for people to see where you work and helps audiences know what area you are in for those seeking someone local.

You can use this across all platforms. Create once, use multiple times across multiple channels (Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Website, Emails).

7. Gather Reviews

As customers can now gather information online about all types of businesses, reviews are essential to advertise your trade. Social proof is king, no seriously. 

Reviews allow potential leads to see how others view you and your work and are also great for putting you above your competitors. 

The more positive reviews a business has, the better its chance of gaining new customers. In addition, if people can see your portfolio of work, it helps them make an informed choice about your business, all whilst allowing them to see that you are a reputable tradesperson and put their minds at ease. 

There are a lot of cowboys out there and customers are rightfully wary. Like buying a product on Amazon, the first thing people do is look for proof that your business is reputable. 

A quick tip: Make sure you send an incentivised request after every job you do and get in the habit of pushing customers to your review sites.

8. Run Online Ads

Advertisements help promote a product or service to attract interest, engagement and sales. An ad aims to ensure that you are visible to potential customers; if people don’t know you exist, how will they use your services?

Businesses display adverts in several ways, but online ads are great for placing you in the consumer’s mind as they scour the internet, whether in their conscious or subconscious. Typically, adverts are shown on many different platforms, you see them at the start of a YouTube video, in the middle of your social media newsfeed, at the top of Google’s search engine and everywhere in between.

It is important to remember that as a local business, you must focus on the demographic of your target audience. This helps to ensure that you are advertising to the right area and not wasting money targeting people who are too far away and unlikely to use your services.

Adverts usually take a lot of trial and error and often take time to get right. A great place to start is by reading through tutorials or analysing what your competitors are doing to help decide what ads work best.

9. Make Content Specific to your Local Area

When advertising your trade business locally, the content you produce should target your local region. Customers want to read relevant content – whether that’s how to save them money, hassle, or time alongside building trust in their supplier. Anything you create should have your audience in mind. 

Producing content specific to your local area also helps make your business feel more personal. Referring to places or attractions your customers are interested in holds more relevance to the reader and shows the customer you’re from their neck of the woods, not just a big corporate company that doesn’t care. You could also do this by supporting local teams or charities and shouting about it in your communications!

Blog articles are a great place to start when seeking to produce content specific to your local community. Writing about regional spots or things happening in the area will help drive traffic to your site and increase the visibility of your business. 

So what next?

After reading this article, we hope you feel better informed on how to advertise your trade business locally. The information we have provided will help ensure that you make all the efforts to create more leads for your trade. However, using these approaches in conjunction with one another is always best, as they are often most useful side by side rather than alone.  You now have a good idea of where to start and advertise your business locally.

If you work in a trade and aim to advertise your business in your local area, we offer a range of skills and years of expertise to help you do just that. We cut all the jargon to make things simple for our clients, making the whole marketing process as easy as possible. So get in touch for more information and get started today!