How To Market Your Contracting Business

If you run your own business as a contractor, it’s important for you to get your name out there to encourage customers to pick you for work.

Whether you’re a carpenter, plumber, landscaper, consultant, or cleaner: you have to look for employment in the right places. Depending on what line of work you’re in, it could be one-off projects or steady long-term contracts that work best for you and your business.
What can you do to let people know that you’re available for work and that they should pick you over other competitors? Well, it could be that using marketing as a tool for your brand is the best way going forward. There are many ways in which you can promote your organization - and which may be best for your business type - so have a look at these tips on how to market your business. Some you may be familiar with, or they could be new ideas that kick-start the next stage of your success.

Use Channels That Your Potential Clients Do

There’s a large variety of channels online where you can interact with people, which can be distracting - but they can also be powerful tools for advertising your services. This can then lead to you winning more clients and work for you as a contractor. Business is about personal connections and interacting with other people: you need these essential skills to find work from different clients. So have a think about where your potential clients may be, and spend your time there.
So, if you think your customers can be reached through Facebook, for instance, then set up a page here; this will make you visible to your potential clients and could help you to boost sales. You could target media-savvy clients on Twitter by sharing little pieces of your expertise, or share advice with others online. You could even post pictures to Instagram and Pinterest to win new customers.
Make sure you use your time wisely on such sites and get value out of them. Some findings have suggested that 18% of time spent online is on social media, so you shouldn’t ignore this area.

Have A Plan For Your Strategy

It’s good to have an idea of where you want your contracting business to go - but it’s also good to put it down on paper, which is the best way to make it a reality. Not only are we liable to forget important plans, but you can then refer back to your business strategy and see if you are following it.
So, your marketing strategy could include goals that you can achieve in particular time frames. They shouldn’t be unrealistic, so aim for a goal such as engaging with a certain number of people online. If you achieve these goals, then great - but don’t dwell on it if you don’t. Look at why you didn’t and see what you can do differently in the future. Make sure you track your progress, so you can see what you’re doing well and where you can improve.

Talk About Your Credentials

How do you convince potential clients that you’re trustworthy enough to take on the work they want you to carry out? Well, you could create a business portfolio that showcases your skills and capabilities as a professional. Having the right information in your portfolio can turn it into an effective tool to communicate with your target market. Your portfolio should include details such as your educational background and credentials; this could be college or vocational training, courses you’ve taken, or other certifications relevant to your role. Also, talk about the products and services you can offer your clients, including detailed descriptions. List accomplishments, customer testimonials (if you have any already), and relevant images of what you’ve done.
If you have any professional affiliations with major corporations or prestigious organizations related to your industry, then mention these as well. Highlight your involvement with all these groups, or your position within them. You may also want to tell potential clients that you have the correct insurance cover for your business. If you have contractors insurance by Next Insurance, for instance, you can opt to have just one policy that combines both general and professional liabilities. So not only will a policy such as this suit your needs, but you can also save time and energy - which you can then put towards marketing your brand.
Also, mention the history of your company in your portfolio and what it can provide. Be sure to include contact information, too, so customers can ask you queries.

Make Sure You Have Share-Worthy Content

Making your contracting business a success online means getting more people to know about what you do - and creating content that people will want to share is a great way of doing this. If users know they will always find something on a page that they’ll want to share, they will keep on coming back. Great content will not only get you traffic from potential leads but will give you an authority in your sector - with both customers and other professionals. The engagement that you’ll get will also give you more information about your industry and your audience.
Half of being able to create content that people will want to share is about knowing what your target audience values the most. However, another important point to consider is making sure your posts are visual.

If You Get A Complaint: Respond

It may be that, at some point, you will get a complaint through one of your social media channels. If that does happen, then you should always respond to them. A lack of response says you don’t care. When you do, make sure that you are friendly and personable in your response: the more human you are in such interactions, the better. Be consistent in your replies as well because, if customers are getting different answers to your questions, then you might be harming your reputation. You could use prepared responses for frequent inquiries, which can also cut down on your response times. Keep track of your interactions as well, so you can better serve your customers.