Owning your own handyman (or handy woman) service can provide a lucrative income and allow you the freedom to work for yourself and set your own hours and business model. The challenge, however, can be getting new customers. To do that, you need to have an effective and an efficient marketing plan. Here are some things to consider when you’re advertising your business, both online and off.
Find Your Customer Base Online
You need to target customers who live within driving distance of where you’re willing to travel to do the work. When you’re setting up your website, be sure to integrate geolocation into your SEO. For example, instead of “handyman service” use the keyword “handyman service in Atlanta, Georgia.” This is the way most people search for services and will get your page ranked by Google.
Remember to broadcast your positive customer reviews. Add them to your homepage where they’re clearly visible, and respond to customer comments on your Facebook page and on sites like Yelp. A simple “thank you” goes a long way.
Consider placing a Google ad for your business, and don’t even think about forgoing Facebook. A Facebook page for a small business is just as valuable as your website these days, and if you aren’t harnessing its power you will miss out on customers. Plus, it’s free, so you really don’t have anything to lose.
Send a newsletter out to the customers you already have. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, so don’t worry if you don’t have the budget to hire someone. Just keep it simple, and make use of spell check! Offer seasonal discounts on certain services you know your customers (and potential customers) might need, like gutter cleaning in the fall. Keep the emails succinct, clear, and friendly.
Reaching Your Customers Offline
As powerful a marketing tool as the internet is, not all of your customers can be found online. There’s still room in marketing for good old fashioned tricks of the trade like signs, flyers, and car decals. Printing the name of your business, logo and phone number/website on your car or truck is an excellent form of passive advertising, especially since you spend time driving from location to location. It doesn’t get any easier than a traveling billboard that will be seen by hundreds of people on your commute.
There are a lot of ingenuitive options on the market today when it comes to vehicle decals, so you can get creative here and stand out from the old days of just a name and 1-800 number in white lettering. Now, you can even find reflective car decals that allow you to show off your company logo at night. Scope out what’s out there and put your car to work doing your marketing.
Flyers and mailers also work well for home repair businesses because they often serve as reminders to homeowners to fix something they’ve been putting off. With your name and number right in front of them, it may prompt them to make the call.
When making mailers, be specific about what types of work you do. Don’t just say “handyman available” – list your services so people know what you do and feel confident about calling you.
Finally, don’t forget about word of mouth. If you do a good job, you show up on time and are professional, your customers will advertise your business for you for free just by telling their friends. Now that’s a great advertisement!
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