‘ the key to success in the online world is your online reputation
’ Search engines are businesses too , and the quickest way to get a high listing is to pay . Pay-perclick ( PPC ) advertising sells positions on their results page on an auction basis – the more you pay , the higher you get listed . You probably need professional help to make this work well and the same companies can often also help with your organic rankings and links to your web site .
Matthew Stevenson , who runs landscape company Bespoke Outdoor Spaces , understands how important web site promotion is : “ We get a lot of our business through our web site but we have had to work hard at promoting it ”.
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Nextdoor
Nextdoor . com is a service for people to share things effecting their locality . People often ask for recommendations of trades businesses so joining Nextdoor may help you to see what is being asked for .
Trade focused marketing companies
A new group of companies , including Checkatrade , MyBuilder and Rated People , are trying to create the online equivalent of word of mouth . These get real customers to rate tradesmen so other homeowners can see the ratings . There are two models . Either you have to pay to be members of the directory ( Checkatrade ) or pay directly for leads ( MyBuilder and Rated People ). In discussions with the customers of my company , Powered
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Now , all of whom are trades people , we have heard mixed stories of the results . For instance , Matthew Stevenson has had poor results : “ We tried Rated People and unfortunately it was not successful for us ”. But handyman Guy Hodgson found them useful , “ I used MyBuilder a lot when I was first getting started ” although since then he has relied mostly on word of mouth . In many ways the jury is still out .
The big advantage of MyBuilder and Rated People is that you have discretion to turn the wick up or down on new work . Other marketing methods don ’ t have that advantage .
However , it is very difficult to get started on these services . It ’ s just like the problems young people find when looking for a job - until you have ratings people are less likely to buy from you ,
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but until they buy from you , you won ’ t get any ratings .
People have had mixed experiences with these services but once you have some good reviews , it is likely your success will pick up .
Email and text - market to existing customers
Often in the quest for attracting new customers it ’ s easy to forget about the ones you already have . Existing customers are your greatest asset ; you ’ ve already done the hard work , they already know and trust you .
One of the most effective methods of marketing to your existing customer base is the email campaign . For instance , if you have replaced the front door windows , they may want back ones installing . Likewise , conservatory and garden rooms advertisements .
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Winning the War
When it comes to using online marketing methods , measuring the results versus the cost is crucial . Once you have some results , you can decide whether the effort was worth it and whether you want to continue .
This article has only skimmed the surface , but it is possible to get a return on your marketing investment very quickly . If you haven ’ t tried any of the ideas , isn ’ t it time to investigate ?
About the author Benjamin Dyer is CEO and co-founder of Powered Now . Powered Now ’ s mobile app aims to make it easier for installers and other trades to run their businesses .
www . powerednow . com
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