While the economy may seem like it’s all doom and gloom, there are many opportunities for tradies to grow their business in 2023.
In theory, as long you get your services in front of the right people, you can find work. The problem is that there are so many options available, it can become overwhelming and confusing for business owners.
No matter if your small business is new or if you are trying to keep up to date with the ongoing changes in marketing, there’s still plenty of time to put together a marketing strategy designed to deliver growth in 2023.
Here are 5 tips for tradie businesses that will hopefully make 2023 a fruitful year for your business.
1. Sharpen up your digital marketing skills
What comes to your mind when you hear “digital marketing”? Your website? Your Facebook feed? Your online booking system?
While all these digital platforms are terrific for engaging and booking your clients, it won’t mean much if you don’t invest in your brand’s digital identity.
Try and be effective in capturing and keeping your audience’s attention to familiarise them with your brand.
Your online presence may be missing out on potential sales if it doesn’t include high-quality photography, compelling videos, engaging copy, and strong calls-to-action.
2. Consider free marketing ideas
Marketing doesn’t have to be costly. It’s not always wise (or possible) to buy billboards and bus seats while appearing on the first ad-break on the six o’clock news.
There are many free online tools and strategies that can deliver great results. All you need to do is select the one that suits your needs.
MailChimp – MailChimp might be worth your time if you do a lot in email marketing. However, if your leads are mostly through social media, social analytics and scheduling tools will likely prove more beneficial.
Google My Business – Google My Business is a powerful and free tool that could be invaluable to understanding how your website ranks in search engines. Essentially, it will allow you to manage your business profile through Google.
Customer reviews – Your customers can be your greatest free advocates. If you’ve given a great service and your clients love it, ask them for a review!
Unbiased opinions can go a long way to creating trust with potential clients.
Encourage your clients to review you by adding review buttons to your website or to the bottom of their email templates. Consider adding an incentive if the take-up is too low.
3. Analyse your competitors
An extensive competitor analysis is one of the best ways to understanding your key competition. Your competitors might be doing something that you can improve on and incorporate into your business to increase your chances of growth.
Likewise, you may find a niche in the industry that your competitors are yet to exploit. When analysing your competitors, consider the following steps:
- Identify your competitors.
- Check out the websites of your competitors and their customer experiences.
- Find out the market position of your competitors.
- Take a look at the pricing of your competition.
- Check out the social media performance of your competitors and get their feedback.
- Analyse the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis) of your business.
4. Build your tradie business plan
While there are no guarantees in business, developing a strong business plan could help you stay on track and hit your growth targets.
A business plan is designed to be the blueprint to your success. It will include your business goals and outline the strategies that you think will achieve them.
If you’ve already developed a business plan, consider adjusting it to your current conditions. There’s no point in wasting time and money towards an irrelevant outcome.
If you don’t have a business plan, no dramas! Check out this blog here.
5. Get covered from risks
One way to stop your business from growing is to not get covered from the risks you face.
There are many risks tradies come up against every day, whether you’re a plumber, a carpenter, or a brickie. Tradie insurance provides protection for your business and gives you peace of mind when things don’t go to plan.
Don’t be a hero and go to work without tradie insurance just to save a few bucks. A claim against your business can be extremely costly, especially if you have no insurance in place.
Sort out your insurance for tradies through BizCover today.
This information is general only and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. It should not be relied upon as advice. As with any insurance, cover will be subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions contained in the policy wording. © 2023 BizCover Pty Limited, BizCover Limited is owned by BizCover Pty Ltd.
