Starting a small business is a dream come true for anyone who decides to hang out their own shingle. At the same time, there’s a ton of work involved with launching a business and scaling it successfully.
Whether you’re in HVAC, towing, plumbing, roofing, or any other service-based industry, your business growth often hinges on effective marketing strategies. The good news is that with the right combination of digital marketing and business management tools, you can increase revenue and make a splash in your local market.
Toward that end, we’ve put together this list of five actionable tips to help you start strong and grow your business. As you get up and running, use Townsquare Interactive’s Business Management Platform to manage your operations and improve your bottom line.
1. Leverage Local SEO for Increased Visibility
Getting discovered locally requires strategic search engine optimization (SEO) strategies that help customers find you online. Google reports that searches for “open now near me” have increased by 400% globally year over year. In other words, customers are relying on local searches to find local businesses.
For service-based professionals like plumbers and roofers, the intent behind such searches is to find a specific type of business immediately. If your business appears in local search results, including the Google Local Pack displaying map-based search results, you have a much better chance of customers finding you.
To improve local SEO, incorporate local keywords into your website’s content, meta data, title tags, and other areas. You should also claim your Google Business Profile and complete your listing. Additionally, check that your business’s information, such as hours and contact information, is accurate and up-to-date across the web. Townsquare Interactive’s Business Listings Management service makes it easy to keep your business details consistent everywhere.
2. Build a Professional Website
Having a website is a must for any kind of business, even if you don’t sell your services primarily online. Consider your website a digital welcome mat, inviting visitors to see what you offer, read customer testimonials, view previous work, and get to know the people behind the brand.
Even if you have social media channels where you’re promoting your business, it’s essential to build a professional website, too. You’ll have much greater control over how your website looks and the information you share with a website you own. In contrast to your own page which can be maintained using website monitoring tools, social media pages can experience outages, downtime, and fleeting customer attention spans.
To put your business’s best face forward online, you’ll want your website to incorporate a responsive, mobile-first design, considering the vast majority of people search from their phones. User-friendly navigation and useful content are also musts, ensuring you capture and hold visitors’ attention.
Your website is often the first impression potential customers have of your business. A professional, user-friendly website can establish credibility and make it easy for customers to find the information they need.
3. Don’t Ignore Social Media
Although you won’t want to rely on social media alone, it should still be a part of your digital marketing plans. Social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn can be invaluable for capturing new leads, converting followers into customers, and nurturing customer relationships. With social ads, you can generate even more potential leads and increase your following.
An active social media presence also allows you to engage directly with your audience and understand their needs and wants. Few digital marketing mediums offer such up-close-and-personal interactions with your target audience.
When choosing your social platforms, focus on the ones where your audience is most active or those where you hope to make the most impact. For example, if you want to build partnerships with like-minded businesses in the service industry, you can post thoughtful content on LinkedIn and grow your connections there. If you want to reach more local customers, you can focus more on Facebook and Instagram. Just remember to be consistent, respond to comments and questions, and keep the content relevant for the best results.
4. Implement CRM Software
As you generate new leads, you need a way to collect their information quickly, keep them in the sales pipeline, and get them booked on your calendar. Customer relationship management (CRM) software is a crucial tool for small businesses looking to manage leads and improve communication.
A good CRM system can help you track customer information, automate follow-ups, and build customer loyalty. It’s much easier to provide personalized service when you can easily look up customer details, respond to inquiries, and identify trends over time.
Townsquare Interactive’s cloud-based CRM and lead-management tools can help you streamline your CRM processes. No opportunities will slip through the cracks because you’ll have an organized, systematized way of keeping track of every customer interaction.
5. Automate Email and SMS Campaigns
As with CRM tools, email and SMS automation software is vital for communicating with customers. By segmenting your audience according to demographics, past purchases, interests, behaviors, and other data, you can personalize messages in ways that speak to your customers. Additionally, according to HubSpot, segmented emails drive 30% more opens and half as many click-throughs than unsegmented emails, making it worth your while to individualize your communications.
Email and SMS tools also allow you to track performance metrics, such as open rates, click-throughs, and conversions. You’ll get a clear picture of how your campaigns are performing, allowing you to make improvements and optimize future campaigns.
Drive Business Expansion and Propel Your Business Forward
The right combination of digital marketing strategies can be a powerful force for small-business growth. When paired with additional tools, such as for booking, scheduling, billing, and invoicing, these strategies can help you thrive in your local market.
As you consider ways to start and grow your business, it’s important to explore your options for the most effective tools and strategies. We invite you to contact Townsquare Interactive to see how we can help drive your growth efforts and lighten your load as a business owner. To learn more, book a free demo today!