When setting out on any new venture or establishing a company, one of the key factors in determining its success, is its reach. The quality of the product or service offered will not matter if it remains inaccessible to its audience. And to make it accessible, it must be marketed well.

This holds true for all electrical technicians too. The services provided must first be made known to potential clientele before they can request it and experience its quality.

For this reason, it is crucial that a wide variety of options are employed to effectively market your electrical contractor business to reach the target audience and boost revenue.

Fortunately, marketing comprises of many channels, both online and offline. And a good balance of both is a sure-fire way to get you started.

So, what are you waiting for? Follow these steps and watch as your electrical business fires off!

Step 1: Groundwork

First things first. You have to be clear about your goals and expectations. Some questions that need to be answered prior to coming up with a marketing plan include:

• What type of electrical business do you hope to create? Are you looking for large-scale projects focusing on new constructions, or repair and maintenance work?
• What is your target market? Based on your first answer, your target market could either be contractors, architects, or property owners.
• What is your marketing budget? Essentially how much of your annual budget will be put towards marketing and advertising in order to generate revenue.
• Where do you want to advertise? With a known budget and an identified target group, a detailed marketing plan could be made to determine how to best reach potential customers.
• What are your marketing goals? Working towards specific goals provides you with a clear idea of what you want to achieve from your marketing plan.

These questions help guide you towards implementing a successful marketing plan with several effective marketing ideas to kick-start your electrical company. These strategies are expanded on below.

Step 2: Word of mouth

It might seem a bit casual but you can never underestimate the power of this particular mode of marketing. It is simple, but still very effective. Start with your immediate circle of family, friends, and neighbours. Ask them to spread the word about your electrical company too.

This strategy focuses on creating a network. So existing customers can also be requested to refer your electrical services business to their contacts. After all, a good recommendation from a close friend is valued by many.

Step 3: Business cards and flyers

This is also considered to be a more traditional marketing medium, but it helps in building up your network. A simple business card containing all your contact details could be handed to every new or potential client, contractors, or property managers.

Similarly, flyers strategically put up or distributed in residential areas or districts that feature many ongoing or future developments could bring in many new clients.

Step 4: Company van

An electrical company’s van prominently displaying its contact details acts as a moving poster. Driving it to jobs and parking it at conspicuous locations increases its visibility and its reach.

All of these marketing ideas, though effective, are limited in their reach and may not be able to generate sufficient revenue. This is why, as a small business owner, it is vital to also implement a digital marketing strategy that has incredible reach and unmatched potential in boosting your business.

Listed below are a few of the steps involved in launching a digital marketing strategy for your electrical business.

Step 5: Creating a website

A website acts as an interface between you and your clients. So, it is imperative that the design of the website should create a flawless first impression of your business, as well as generate leads and optimise the customer experience. To do this, here are some tips to keep in mind when designing your website:

• Make it fast- Speed matters. Your website should aim to have a page loading time of 2-4 seconds.
• Attractive landing page- The landing page design of a website is crucial in retaining its users’ interest. Aim to have a clean, uncluttered landing page that has an attention-grabbing call for action and a clear menu layout.
• User-friendly- This should go without saying, but a website design that is easy to use and navigate has a greater chance of retaining its users by providing efficient access to the required information.
• Mobile-friendly- With over half of all searches being conducted on mobile devices, it is imperative that your website is easily accessible to all mobile users and preferably optimised for voice searches.
• Good quality content- Creating and posting relevant content by way of blog posts can generate a lot of traffic to your website that could convert to leads. Focus on creating content that would be both informative and useful to users based on common questions regarding electrical concerns for homes and developments.
• Optimise for SEO- A great website is only as good as the traffic and leads it generates. And for that, it has to be visible. Search engine optimisation involves optimising the website’s structure and content to increase its rankings in Google searches and thereby increase its visibility to potential customers.

Step 6: Use of social media

Social media is an essential aspect of digital marketing. Its relevance in creating an effective marketing strategy has been vastly acknowledged with over 50% of all small businesses using it to advertise and promote their companies.

Creating business pages on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and sharing these links with your network, helps increase leads and create sales.

And through relevant posts, helpful content, and interesting hints, you can personalise your brand identity which increases engagement with prospective clients.

These social media platforms are also incredibly effective in generating interest surrounding promotions or new electrical services offered. All of which results in more clients coming your way.

Step 7: Email marketing

Email marketing is akin to sending out digital flyers and is a great strategy for staying in touch with previous clients and creating leads that convert to new customers.

It is also extremely cost-effective and targeted considering you are reaching out to those who already required electrical services.

Offering incentives to sign up to email newsletters and delivering valuable content through it ensures constant engagement. Creating email lists of existing clients is also effective for advertising promotions. And offering discounted rates for client referrals allows you to expand your customer base.

Step 8: Google AdWords campaign

AdWords is Google’s platform for pay-per-click advertising. Investing in AdWords is a sure-fire way of increasing leads and has enormous potential in generating revenue.

Since advertisers only pay if users click on their ads, it also has a very high return on investment.

Its targeted traffic and remarketing feature also allows you to generate continuous leads and increased conversions.

Step 9: Asking for reviews

A recent survey has found that over 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a recommendation by a friend. Keeping this in mind, great reviews left by previous clients can have an incredible impact on your business.

So, ask clients to review your services highlighting the quality of the electrical services and customer service they have experienced.

Conclusion

An electrical contracting business is an incredibly exciting venture that holds immense potential. But to maximise that potential, it is vital to generate interest and optimise your reach to make your services accessible to potential clients. This is the primary goal of implementing a marketing plan.

An effective marketing plan should comprise of all the vital elements and strategies that help target potential customers, increase leads, create sales, and grow your customer base. A good balance of different conventional and digital strategies, specifically designed to increase visibility and engagement, will help you to fulfil your business’ potential and maximise revenue.

If you are looking to strategically market your electrical company, contact the team at Serendipity Int. We will create bespoke digital marketing strategies for your business that will generate increased traffic, leads, and ultimately revenue.