Any entrepreneur should know that marketing is the key to growing their business which is why its so surprising that around 78% of businesses will fail each year directly due to a lack of marketing themselves effectively. At Brave, we are asked by many of our new clients who are newer to entrepreneurship, why the phone wont ring despite money being thrown at Facebook ads and self proclaimed SEO specialists. In this post, we will explain the fundamentals of marketing for new home service business owners and how to quickly grow a client base of targeted customers and provide tips that will help you to grow your business in your area.
"Good marketing makes the company look smart. Great marketing makes the customer feel smart" - Joe Chernov
Before we get into the strategies used by our home service students, There are 4 different levels that we currently teach in our coaching programs at Brave Academy. Each program is designed based on the size of your business and each level will be more relevant to your marketing budget and time capacity.
While some of our students are mastering level 4 techniques - Level 1 through 3 are still very much at play and make up the overall marketing effort which continues to grow their businesses.
For this post we will focus on aspects from our "Level 1 Marketing" program which is designed for newer entrepreneurs and younger companies that have been operating for less that 2 years.
Create a marketing plan and set your budget
The first thing we need to think about before we dive into the specific steps is building
marketing plan and setting aside a budget. You can do this on paper, in a spreadsheet or on one of the many apps that are designed for this exact task. Next set aside a percentage of your revenue to reinvest into marketing - we recommend at least 10% or more for businesses in year 1 as a minimum. Its important that you create your plan leveraging more than one of these marketing strategies.
Consider the costs associated with the following when putting your budget together;
- Branded Flyers and Business cards
- Vehicle wraps
- Company uniforms
-FB/Instagram ad spend
- SEO/PPC costs
Once you have established what actions you will take and a budget, its time to get boots on the ground and start marketing your business.
Step 1: Owning the neighborhood
Pick a neighborhood where you think your ideal customers might be living. This could be decided by the average home size or demographic of the area and will help you to target your ideal client and the types of homes you want to work on.
Once you have found an area you would like to work in, its time to kick up your visibility in that area and get to know the occupants of the homes and businesses there.
Here's a few ideas to get the ball rolling on how to approach advertising in these areas.
(a) Door knocking (cold calling) - This is still a great way to meet prospective new clients and offer your service. Although some hate to cold call, it is an effective means to getting credibility within a neighborhood when you are face to face. If you do decide to knock on doors, consider what your service pitch will be. Remember you are trying to solve a potential problem for your client so ask lots of questions to find out what they need. They may not need your service right away but some day down the line, they may remember your interaction and call. Another thing to think about is how you present yourself. Are you wearing a clean company uniform and look professional? This is also key to standing out as a respectable pro and clients will be looking for sharp dressed, well spoken people to work with.
Step 2: Getting a job lead from every job
Once you do land a project in your target neighborhood and your team does a great job for the client, there is a key window at the end of the project to capture two extremely important marketing actions that you can do while you have the clients attention. The first should and always be to ask the client who else they know that might need some similar work done. Clients will almost always know another home owner who could benefit from your service whether that's immediately or sometime down the road. Either way you must let the client know that you are actively looking for new clients and you would love to work with more people in their network. If the client recently purchased the home, getting the realtors name and contact details can also be a great way to expand your network. Call the realtor using the below script.
" Hi Realtor - I own xxx company and we just did a great project for one of your clients {insert clients name} - Id love to work with more of your clients. Whats the best way for me to do that? and how can we do more work together? - You'll be amazed at how many realtors we grew relationships with in our painting business using this exact strategy.
We provide a complete production guide in our Bronze, Silver and Gold coaching packages and also in our 6 week Brave Academy courses. The guide covers all of the action steps needed to produce an excellent project on time, on budget and on brand. The guide includes an on-site marketing checklist for your team to check off on every job. Visit our website www.wethebrave.ca to find out which coaching option or courses might fit your business goals.
Continue reading below for step 3
Step 3: Leveraging your branding with marketing materials
Ever seen a great company's flyer or lawn sign as you've been travelling to a job site? Marketing materials such as flyers, door hangers and lawn signs are some of the best and cheapest ways to directly target your ideal customer and are fundamental in Level 1 marketing strategies. If you haven't done so already - Get some catchy flyers printed and have lots of them on hand to distribute at every job site, share with realtors and trade partners and hopefully to neighbors passing by the jobsite! In 2023, we are blessed with the power of free tech so designing any kind of marketing material can be done free or extremely cheap using programs like Canva.com or Microsoft Designer studio. You can craft high quality print material in house and make instant changes should your branding change or you need to make a specific offer to the people or places where they will be distributed. If you are not tech savvy - You can also use sites like www.fiverr.com to outsource your design needs to and usually at very low cost.
Lawn signs are another great way to let potential clients know that you are in their neighborhood. Lawn signs can be placed at entrances and exits of the neighborhood you are working in where local residents would be forced to see your branding should they leave home. Additional flyers or door hangers placed in mail boxes around the home you are working will further solidify that you are the top dog contractor in that area.
Vehicle Wraps - This one is a no brainer and usually one of the first things id encourage any of my own coaching clients to do ASAP. The return on investment is almost instant and with a great design can be one of the most effective ways to share your business with potential clients WHEREVER YOU GO! . Although vehicle wrapping can be an expensive, this should be something you should include in your annual marketing plan as a marketing milestone. It may help to have a revenue goal in mind for when you wrap your vehicle(s) i.e. each crew must be producing X dollars before we wrap the vehicle. Having rewards that benefit the business will help your business grow and show your team that you strive to keep the business on brand.
Branded uniforms - if you want to look like a well-oiled machine, consider getting some eye-catching company uniforms. Not only do they make it easier for customers to spot your employees in the neighborhood, but they also help build trust, promote team spirit, and give your brand a consistent and professional image.
In summary - Marketing your small business in specific neighborhoods can be a game-changer, but let's face it - it's not always easy. That's where I come in! As your trusty business coach, I can help you navigate the ins and outs of local marketing, show you how to target the right neighborhoods, and help you crush your competition. So why wait? Head on over to my website and let's get started on making your business the talk of the town!"
#onsitemarketing #homeservicepro #Braveacademy #wethebrave #businesscoaching #marketingideas #growmybusiness #7figurebusiness
Visit our website to book a no fee half hour consultation to see if we could be a fit for coaching and how Brave business solutions could help your small business scale to 7 figures in 2023 and beyond.
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