Marketing on a Budget: Cost-Effective Lead Generation Strategies for Tradespeople and Contractors

Promoting a business is hard work, and tradespeople and contractors running small businesses have unique challenges and advantages. On one hand, you might be struggling to get the word out about your business while it feels like there just aren’t enough hours in the day, but on the other, you likely have a large base of potential customers living locally – that is, if they know your business exists, and have trust in your ability to do a great job for them.

Doing this – establishing a reputation and building trust – is easier said than done, however. To make sure your business is discoverable and, ideally, seen as a local leader, you’ll need to develop a marketing plan and invest in it. Fortunately, there are cost-effective lead generation strategies you can use for your business, so doing this doesn’t have to break the bank.

Create a Well-Designed, Well-Optimised Website to Draw in Leads

Having a quality trades website is imperative for doing business in today’s world. The website you create for your trades or contracting business will serve both as a reference point for those who already know about your company and as a discovery place for those who are simply looking for your services “near me.”

It’s not as simple as just having an old website, though. To ensure that people searching for services like yours find your website during web searches, you’ll need to ensure that you (or anyone you partner with to build your site) are following Search Engine Optimization (SEO) best practices. You’ll also want to make sure that your site reflects the professional image you want for your business – quality graphics, intuitive user interfaces, and well-written content are key for shaping your brand’s image.

Utilising Customer Reviews on Your Website

Word of mouth is an incredibly powerful marketing tool, and you can harness it on your website with the help of your most satisfied customers! If you’re able to get a few written or even video reviews back from happy customers, you’ll be making a great case about your business to site visitors, at essentially no cost.

Use Social Media for Free and Cost-Effective Lead Generation

Although you might not have launched your contractor or trade business with the dream of social media influencing, you shouldn’t underestimate social media’s potential to draw in new leads for your business. Whether you choose to run paid ads or stick to free posts shared to your network, social media can help get the word out faster and more cost-effectively than just about any other medium, and a full social media profile can provide a great place for new leads to discover, learn about, and contact your business. Depending on the type of work you do, social media profiles can also be powerful pseudo-portfolios for showing off your best projects.

Prioritise Customer Service to Translate Leads to Customers

Having a low-cost lead generation strategy for your trade business is essential, but don’t forget about converting those leads into real customers! Be sure that someone is available to answer the phones (and emails, texts, and social media inquiries)  when they start coming in, and make sure that your customer service skills are strong enough to back up all the wonderful work you do and convince those calling for more information that they’re in the best hands if they work with you. 

Unsure Where to Start? Consider Working With an Expert Trades Marketing Team

Creating a full low-cost lead generation strategy and launching that plan can be daunting. Fortunately, you can always call in the pros at a trades-focused marketing agency, like Digital 4 Trades, to help you out! The team at Digital 4 Trades has the expertise to guide you through all things trades marketing – just contact us to get started!

For more information on Marketing on a Budget: Cost-Effective Lead Generation Strategies for Tradespeople and Contractors talk to Digital 4 Trades Ltd