6 tips for electrician marketing
As an electrician, you're the expert when it comes to everything electrical. Your years in the business have left you with a vast pool of knowledge, skills, and experience that make you a certified professional.
When it comes to marketing your business, you might be looking to amp up your voltage.
Fortunately, these marketing tips for electricians can help you reach a new customer base locally and boost your business profile. So whether you’re learning how to become an electrician in a new business looking for your big break or a veteran company hoping to revamp your image, here are the top marketing tips for electricians you should know.
#1: Craft a marketing plan and budget
All successful traditional and digital marketing campaigns begin with thorough planning and budgeting. It helps to be clear about your goals at the outset and then work backward to formulate a business plan to make those goals a reality. Knowing how much electrical contractors make and what specific returns you hope to see on that investment can make it less of a gamble.
Here’s what to know about successfully planning and budgeting your electrician marketing campaign:
- Planning – It’s important to decide what advertising mediums you’ll use early on. Will you focus on digital marketing options, like online ads and email marketing? Or will you incorporate traditional methods, like billboards, posters, and radio and TV commercials? You may also plan how to produce and implement your campaign, which could mean outsourcing to a marketing agency, hiring an in-house team, or doing it yourself.
- Budgeting – Keep in mind that advertising is an investment. Most experts recommend that businesses spend between 5 and 10% of their sales revenue on electrician marketing. For most small businesses, that’s no small sum. Planning a budget that accounts for website design, advertising materials, and renting advertising space can ensure that your marketing plan is adequately funded without overspending.
#2: Build a top-notch website
First impressions can make all the difference in any marketing campaign, especially when those first impressions occur online.
In a web credibility study conducted by Stanford University, researchers found that 75% of study participants judge a company’s credibility based on the company’s website aesthetics and ease of use.
Give your customers a convenient, clear, and accessible place to find out who you are and what you can do for them with a clean, easy-to-navigate website.
Whether you’re learning how to start an electrical business website from scratch or renovating your current website, use the following as a rubric for a successful user experience:
- Well-designed and professional – Try to stick to designs that keep your website visually interesting and easy to read. Be sure to feature consistent branding across all its pages.
- User-friendly – Your website should feature an engaging interface that’s also easy for the average web surfer to use. Make it easy for your customers to find and navigate the information they most need, like your services, contact information, and “About Us” page.
- Feature relevant and engaging content – Elevate your website by adding a company blog, a FAQ page, and business testimonials. This will also give customers a greater sense of what your electrical company stands for.
- Be mobile-friendly – A website that looks as good on a desktop as it does on a phone screen gives you double the opportunity to make a fantastic first impression.
- Easy to find – Keep your domain name short and try to include your company name if the URL is available. Your web address should be short and easy to spell and remember.
Checking the websites of other electrical contracting businesses in your community can give you a sense of your local industry standard and customers' expectations in your neighborhood. It can also give you website design, features, and branding marketing ideas. After all, knowing what an impressive website looks like is the first step to building one for your company.
Take Skyline Electric, a small business in Chicago, IL., as an example. Their website features beautiful graphics of the city of Chicago and clear, legible fonts. A brief business description and basic contact information are immediately visible on the first page, as well as handy links to the company’s About, Services, and Customer Reviews pages.
#3: Launch an email marketing campaign
No marketing campaign is complete if it doesn’t incorporate an email element. Despite the variety of web-based advertising options available, email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to reach consumers.
This is because consumers overwhelmingly prefer their correspondences with the businesses they use to come via email. What’s more, almost all of them—99%—check their inboxes every day. Email marketing is a trusted, inexpensive, and reliable advertising method for electrical contracting businesses.
#4: Help your business stand out
One of the most exciting elements of a successful marketing campaign is having a strong and consistent brand identity.
Visual elements like a company logo, brand colors, and fonts certainly go a long way to solidifying your brand image. But it’s just as important to make sure your branding is true to your company's ethos, values, and beliefs.
Your marketing strategy should lean into what makes you unique when it comes to branding. What sets you apart from the competition? Is it:
- The range of services you offer?
- The level of experience you bring to the job?
- The breadth of your licenses and certifications?
For example, in Chicago, IL, Arnold’s Electrical Services offers niche services that focus solely on maintaining and repairing residential wiring. But they leverage that specialized expertise as a unique and compelling aspect of their identity.
#5: Invite customers to advocate for you
Small businesses thrive on the power of word-of-mouth advertising. To attract new business and retain regular customers, you need community support.
One way to get that, especially if you’re a new electrician business, is through customer reviews. It only takes a few positive mentions for your electrician business to stick in the mind of a potential customer. Here are a few tips on boosting your customer reviews:
- Solicit reviews – There’s nothing wrong with asking for reviews directly from the customers you serve, especially if you know they’re satisfied with your work. You can ask them in person, include survey information on a receipt, or include a forum on your website that allows customers to read reviews and post their own.
- List your business with Nextdoor – Nextdoor is an app-based service platform that connects small businesses with local consumers. When you list your business with Nextdoor, users can post recommendations for your service and recommend your business to their neighbors on and off the app.
Of course, good word-of-mouth begins with providing excellent customer service at every turn. Your service standards should be prioritized as highly as your marketing efforts.
#6: Enliven your web presence
In addition to an impressive website, your electrical business needs a vibrant web presence. A lively web presence makes your business easier to find.
To harness the power of the Internet for business, you can:
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Take advantage of social media marketing – There’s no shortage of social media platforms out there, and businesses are optimizing nearly every one to their advantage. You don’t need to tackle all of them, but choosing one or two that you like and that work for your electrical company can go a long way to building your online presence.
- Engage customers with video marketing – Video marketing is an increasingly popular way for small businesses to stand out online. Consider producing short videos for your customers, such as tutorials for resetting tripped circuit breakers or tips for organizing all the wires and cords behind an entertainment console. These videos can be integrated into your website or posted to your social media marketing accounts, or both.
Market your small business where it matters with Nextdoor
When it comes to a marketing strategy that works, success lies in reaching customers where they are. Fortunately for small businesses, we know where to find them: right Nextdoor.
Nextdoor is a unique and effective way for small businesses all across the country to connect with local consumers. From Business Posts that let you spread the word, source feedback, and attract a new customer base to Nextdoor Ads that help show you’re the best on the block, Nextdoor has the solutions you need to grow your business locally.
Almost one in three households already use Nextdoor for trusted business recommendations, local news, and more. Plus, 88% of them support small businesses in their area at least once a week, making Nextdoor the best place to reach the neighbors in your community. Getting started is free, so claim your Business Page today.
Sources:
Service Titan. Top Electrician Marketing Tips for 2022. https://www.servicetitan.com/blog/electrician-marketing
Broadly. Digital Advertising Strategies for Electricians. https://broadly.com/blog/electrician-marketing-ideas-2019-advertising-tips-get-clients/
Skyline Electric. https://www.skylineelectric.co/
Hubspot. The Ultimate List of Email Marketing Stats for 2022. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/email-marketing-stats
Hubspot. 12 Benefits of Email Marketing Your Marketing Team Must Know. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/benefits-of-email-marketing
Arnold’s Electrical Services. https://www.arnoldelectricchicago.com/about-us/
Blue Corona. Ultimate Electrician Marketing Plan (Strategies, Ideas, Tips). https://www.bluecorona.com/blog/how-to-market-electrical-contracting-business/
Fundera. How to Promote Your Business on Social Media. https://www.fundera.com/blog/promote-social-media
Stanford University. Stanford Web Credibility Study. http://credibility.stanford.edu/guidelines/index.html
