As an electrical contractor and business owner, you want your electrical business to be as successful and lucrative as possible—and that means leveraging different strategies to connect with potential customers, get the word out about your company, and drive business growth. But how, exactly, do you do that? Let’s take a look at a few actionable tips you can take to increase your exposure, build your customer base, and grow your electrical contracting business. Develop Your Marketing Plan It doesn’t matter if you’re in start-up mode and trying to get a new business off the ground or looking for ways to expand a well-established electrical contractor business—if you want your marketing to be effective, you need a plan. Your marketing plan is like a road map; it outlines where you are now, where you’re trying to go, and—most importantly—how to get there. Marketing plans will vary from business to business, but every plan should include: Your marketing goals (for example, landing 100 new clients before the end of the year) Your marketing budget Any necessary marketing tools or materials you’ll need to implement your marketing strategy (for example, a social media management tool, marketing brochures, or business cards) The different marketing strategies you plan to focus on in order to grow your business and reach new customers As the old saying goes, failing to plan is planning to fail—so if you want to successfully grow your electrical contracting business, make sure you invest the time in planning your marketing strategy. Focus On Your Digital Presence One of the cardinal rules of marketing is to target your customers where they already are. And from 2020 onwards, your new customers are online. Having a strong digital presence is a must when building your electrical contracting business. There are a few different areas you want to focus on when building your digital presence. Your website is often a potential customer’s first experience of your business and your brand—and you only get to make a first impression once. Make sure your website is professional, well-designed, and clearly outlines your electrical services. Website You want your website to look professional—but you also want it to drive growth. Search engine optimization (SEO) helps your website become more visible in search engines like Google or Bing—and makes it easier for new clients to find and hire you. Depending on your website and budget, you can either find an SEO plug-in to optimize your site or hire an SEO expert to help you rank higher in the search engine results pages (SERPs). SEO No matter what customers you’re going after, chances are, they’re on social media. Building a presence on relevant social media platforms (like Facebook or LinkedIn) can be a great way to connect with potential customers, have relevant conversations, build trust, and ultimately drive new business. Social media Online advertising (like Facebook or Google ads) allows you to target your ideal customers and send extremely targeted messaging at key times during the sales cycle—so if you have the budget, it’s definitely a marketing strategy you should consider investing in. Online advertising Social proof is an incredibly powerful marketing tool—and, as such, there are few strategies more powerful for growing your electrical contracting business than generating a host of glowing online reviews. Ask your existing customers to leave positive reviews on sites like Yelp and Google Reviews; that way, when new customers search your business, they immediately know you have a reputation for doing high quality work—which will make them more likely to reach out and hire you. Reviews Leverage Existing Customers For Referrals Want to know one of the best opportunities for finding new customers and growing your business? Tapping into your existing customer base. Word of mouth marketing can be one of the most effective ways to find new clients and grow your business. Because the potential customer was recommended to your business by someone they know (like a friend or family member), there is already a baseline of trust. This makes it easier for you to convert them from “potential customer” to “paying customer.” Ask your existing clients if they have any friends, family members, or colleagues who might need an electrician—and, if so, if they’d be willing to refer that friend, family member, or colleague to your business. If you really want to drive your word of mouth marketing, incentivize your existing customers to send new clients your way (for example, by offering them a discount on their next service). Bottom line? People feel more comfortable doing business with a new company or service provider if they hear about it from someone they trust—so ask your existing clients to help spread the word. Partner With Other Local Businesses to Increase Your Exposure and Expand Your Customer Base If you want to grow your electrical contracting business, you need to get in front of as many potential customers as possible. A great way to do that? Partnering with other businesses that have a similar customer base. Look for other businesses in your area that do another type of work that your potential customers might need—and see if you can join forces to increase the exposure for both of your businesses. So, for example, as an electrical contractor, you would want to partner with other businesses in the home services category (like plumbers, home improvement retailers, or landscape architects). There are a variety of ways you can work with other businesses, including: Leaving flyers or business cards in their retail space Offering an exclusive discount to their customers Cross-referring business Bottom line? Partnering with similar businesses in your area can help you get your foot in the door with their customers—and can ultimately help you grow your business. Go and Grow Your Electrical Contracting Business Knowing how to find new customers, expand your reach, and drive revenue can be challenging. But with these tips, you have everything you need to effectively market and grow your electrical contracting business—and take your company to the next level in the process. This article was contributed by Deanna deBara and originally posted on . Hourly.io

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