How to grow your electrical business

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You completed your apprenticeship, collected your electrician’s ticket, put in your time as a journeyman, and are now a seasoned master electrician. The next step in your career is to grow your business. Here is a collection of marketing tips and tools you can use to help take your business to the next level.

Get your website working for you

If designed properly, your website can be your number one tool for attracting new business. Several platforms, including SquareSpace and Wix, offer low-cost online templates for building a website. If you don’t have the time or confidence to tackle it yourself, hire a designer to create a custom site for you.

Regardless of how you build it, your site must include some key details including your contact info, list the services you offer and locations where you work, an “About us” page to explain your experience and qualifications, and testimonials from satisfied customers.

You’ll also want to make sure your site is locally search engine optimized. SEO is the tool web browsers use to deliver traffic to your site. But, given that your service area is going to be geographically fixed, you want to make sure you attract clients in that area. That’s why its key the list all the communities where you work.

The free Google My Business tool helps promote your business on the search engine and its Maps feature by registering your company name, contact info, and hours directly with Google. You should also register your business on sites that clients use to find contractors, such as HomeStars and Houzz, and then link to those profiles from your site.

If you have the time and writing skills, consider adding a weekly or monthly blog on your site to help develop your persona as an industry expert. If there’s a particular niche that you specialize in, such as energy conservation or Smart Home installations, write a brief overview of the subject and your expertise in it.

Master social media

People are increasingly using social media platforms as tools to find contractors, which is why you should be using them to promote your business.

While social media experts will tell you that you must post daily, you don’t really have to. Unless you’re looking to become the social media electrician in your market, you’re really looking to build a portfolio of images and info that you can easily share with potential clients. Establishing a presence online doesn’t have to require a lot of work. Along with your website, a simple Facebook business page provides another avenue of exposure for your company.

Instagram is one of the most popular apps out there, and one of the easiest to use. All you need to do is post a photo – each one tells a thousand words – and a caption describing what people are seeing. Do you take pride in your clearly labelled electrical panels? Are you a master at creating tight runs and bundles of cable? Even simple before-and-after shots of light fixtures you’ve installed will garner attention.

It also doesn’t have to be a daily chore. All these platforms allow you to draft messages ahead of time (when you do get that elusive office catchup time) and then schedule them to be posted later on.

It is worth noting that social media users do expect a timely response, so you’ll want to schedule part of your day – or at least once a week – to manage your accounts by adding new content and replying to any inquiries.

If you want to boost your audience level, all these platforms offer “pay-per-click” options that will promote your business. Don’t forget that any money you spend on building and maintaining these marketing tools is tax deductible, so keep your receipts.

Old-school marketing

While everyone seems to be obsessed with social media today, you shouldn’t neglect some tired-and-true marketing vehicles, including your work vehicle. A decal on the sides of your truck with your company name, logo, and contact info turns your ride into a rolling billboard.

To expand your base in a new neighborhood, ask your clients if you can put a sign on their law, and drop some flyers in neighboring mailboxes.

Finally, you should always have some business cards handy. Just make sure they’re not dog-eared and covered with coffee stains.

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