If you are a small business owner, you know that digital marketing has become a cornerstone for business success. For many small businesses in the home services sector, the challenge lies in navigating cost-effective strategies that yield swift results. You can easily spend thousands of dollars in on-line advertising and pay-per-click ads and see little to no results. In this blog post, we will delve into a few quick and (mostly) free digital marketing methods tailored specifically for home services businesses. Whether you’re a plumbing service, landscaping company, or home renovation contractor, this post will empower you with practical tips to improve your online marketing game without breaking the bank. Get ready to discover the keys to expanding your reach, engaging with your target audience, and ultimately driving growth for your small business.
Updated Professional Website
This is the one item on this list that doesn’t totally fit into the “free” category. However, if you don’t already have a website, you can get a good, professional looking website for a very reasonable price. If you don’t believe me, just check out our Website Services. Why is this important for digital marketing? Your website will be the landing page for all of your digital marketing efforts. So once someone learns that you exist, your website will be their first impression. It doesn’t need to be fancy, but it does need to look professional, and it definitely needs to have up-to-date information on it. Finally, it’s important that your site is mobile-friendly as over 50% of searches now occur on mobile devices.
Create Your Google Business Profile
We all know that Google is king when it comes to internet searches. In fact, Google accounts for 91.54% of the global search engine market. Google processes 5.9 million searches every minute, and 63% of those searches occur on mobile devices1. Setting up your Google Business Profile allows you to influence how your company appears on Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Shopping. Best of all, this tool is completely Free!
Maintaining a Business Profile helps you increase your visibility on Google, gain credibility with reviews, and control your business information.
Lyons, Kelly, “Google My Business: A Guide to Google Business Profile”, Semrush Blog, https://www.semrush.com/blog/google-my-business/
Get Client Reviews on Google
In addition to controlling how your company appears, having a Google Business Profile will also allow clients to leave reviews for your company. The number and rating of your reviews will influence your ranking in search results on Google. Once your Google Business Profile is setup, you should begin reaching out to current and past clients and ask them to leave reviews on your profile. You can also reply to reviews which helps build trust with your potential clients.
Post on Social Media
Statistics show that social media is widely used and an easy way to reach potential clients. In years past you may have relied on word-of-mouth referrals, but today those referrals are happening over social medial.
In the United States, the total number of social media users is projected to be over 313 million in 2024. Similar to the global adoption rate, social media usage in the U.S. continues to increase by about 3 to 5 million people per year.
Sonnenberg, Anna, “Social Media Statistics to Guide Your Strategies in 2024”, agorapulse, https://www.agorapulse.com/blog/social-media-statistics/
There are several different social media sites, and new ones come along often, but we are going to focus on Facebook as they continue to claim nearly 50% of the share of US-based social media visits. However, I encourage you review social media statistics for your target demographic and apply these same principals to their preferred social media platform. Setup a page for your business on Facebook. Be sure to load your logo as the profile picture and enter your website address to link back to your website.
While there are tons of options for paid advertising on Facebook, we are going to focus on what you can do for free. Since social media is the new “word-of-mouth”, we suggest focusing your efforts on getting referrals over social media. Do this by regularly posting pictures of in-progress and completed projects on your company page. Tag your client so the posts will display in their news feed and encourage them to like and share your posts of their projects. Finally, after you post pictures from a completed job for a client, actively reach out to that client and ask them to share that post in their relevant Facebook Groups. Most neighborhoods have Facebook Groups where people that live in the same neighborhood can share things. Ask them to share your post with a comment about what they thought of your service on their neighborhood Facebook group.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the digital realm offers numerous opportunities for small businesses in the home services sector to thrive without breaking the bank. By implementing the outlined strategies, including updating your website, optimizing your Google Business Profile, garnering client reviews, and harnessing the potential of social media, you can significantly enhance your online presence and foster a positive reputation. These cost-effective approaches not only expand your reach and engage with your target audience but also position your business for sustainable growth in the competitive digital landscape. Embrace these practical tips to navigate the digital marketing landscape successfully, creating a strong foundation for your small home services business.
- Google usage statistics as reported in “34 Eye-Opening Google Search Statistics for 2024”, Semrush Blog, https://www.semrush.com/blog/google-search-statistics/. ↩︎
