What is Marketing

Defined by Oxford Languages marketing is “the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising”. I think that sums it up pretty well so I’ll leave it at that.

The Dilemma For Tradesman

Marketing is a tough game, there have been many fortunes won and many more lost. For tradesmen, most of whom are in business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing presents a unique challenge. The challenge is “how do I get in front of consumers who are in need of my service right now”. Now, this is not a new concept, but it does become more difficult for tradesmen when you take into consideration that these consumers usually only need your service for a very limited time and oftentimes only once.

The Solution

In a perfect world, the solution to this problem would be simple. To create a list of unending leads that calls you. This is easier said than done. There are many proposed ways of marketing to consumers on mass (social media, paid ads, direct mail, magazines) but the key is to maintain profitability. This narrows our options to only a handful of potential marketing platforms. Social media is often the first medium that individuals flock to, due to it being free and readily available. The problem with social is it demands consistent content and a substantial amount of resources to be successful. So for the business owner whos new to marketing, this is not the route for you.

Not Social Media

The platforms that should be tried early on are business cards, signage, and newspaper classified ads. A great way to start is with business cards. They allow you to generate new leads as well as referrals which are a lot easier to close compared to paid advertising. You’d be surprised how far someone will go to refer someone they like and trust.

Signage

Signage is a great way to generate consistent leads month after month. Make sure to place them in well-traffiked areas and that the message is simple, stands out, and has a clear call to action (phone number or website). I also recommend tracking these signs with call tracking using a service like CallRail. This way you have a complete understanding of what signs are performing best and which are losers and should be changed.

Newspaper Classified Ads

Now, this may be controversial because most people think newspapers are dead, but they’re not. Newspapers are still very valuable as they maintain a consistent readership among an older demographic who controls the majority of wealth in the country. Classified ads are relatively cheap but need to be run consistently for at least three to six months before you can really judge their results. With all advertising keep the messaging simple and the call to action clear. Remember to track the results!

Next Steps

If your looking for the next steps after this I would recommend using paid ads, particularly Google Ads as they bring the highest quaility leads who are in the market to buy, but are not cheap and need to be set up correctly to work. Then consider expanding to social media and testing new waters.

All The Best,

Matthew D. Miller