Editor’s note: this is a guest blog from Andy & Angela Smith, co-founders of Lifestyle Tradie.
An Often Forgotten Yet Vitally Important Trade Business Marketing Activity… Do You Know What It Is?
So, you’ve got the job booked in… This means a new customer has found you somewhere along the way; perhaps through ‘word of mouth’, potentially they saw your vehicle signage or maybe they stumbled across your website.
Whatever it may have been, your trade business’s marketing ‘stars’ have aligned to bring them to you, which is great! Who doesn’t love new customers?
However, what you may or may not realise is that your marketing strategy should not stop at simply getting these new customers. Once you have a customer on your books, it is ESSENTIAL to continue marketing to them so that they remain loyal to your business well after you finish your first job with them.
The reason behind this is simple… repeat customers spend on average 3 times more than new customers.
Not only this, but it is extremely easy and incredibly inexpensive!
Lifestyle Tradie have pinpointed this as the ‘Post-love’ phase of ‘The Marketing Maximiser’ – a marketing strategy we specifically designed for trade businesses (it also includes a ‘Pre-love’ and ‘Present-love’ phase). We’ll be speaking about this at length at our LIVE event ‘The Future Tradie’, exclusively for trade business owners (see below for event details, locations and discounted tickets).
You are probably wondering what is ‘Post-love’ and how do I apply it to my trade business?
It’s just like dating…(stay with us here…!)
Imagine making the effort to dress up, arrange with your friends to go out to a nightclub all so you find a girl. You spot her in the crowd.
The energy it takes to build up the courage to buy her a drink, hold an intelligent conversation and have her agree to go out on a date is exhausting!
Fast forward a week and the date goes really well. You’re excited. She really liked you and you liked her BUT… you don’t contact her again.
Now here’s the truth… You aren’t in her thoughts anymore because you simply haven’t stayed in contact. She doesn’t even remember your name!
This is the story of your business. They loved your service and would have been happy to use your services again, BUT they quickly forget about you simply because you haven’t stayed in touch.
It is for this reason why ‘Post-love’ is so important to your marketing strategy.
It’s all about subtly reminding customers that your business exists so that when the time comes that they (or even a friend) require service for a particular issue in your field, your business is front of mind when deciding who to call.
With ‘Post-love’, the aim is to make your customers feel important using both online and offline techniques. This will increase customer loyalty and encourage them to use your service over and over again!
A great offline marketing strategy is a membership program.
With everyone taking to online strategies in the past few years, offline seems to have been forgotten! Great for us tradies, seeing it often provides a greater cut through with your marketing.
Membership is technically a ‘present love’ strategy, however for those customers who have said ‘no’ on the day to membership, this provides a great opportunity to you.
On a monthly basis you can send a personalised letter saying that they have been selected as lifetime members of your business. A tangible membership pack to include discounted prices on your services is sent. This single activity has brought in 12x the return on investment.
If online is more the way that your customer ‘avatar’ likes to communicate, then you can’t go past an e-newsletter (perhaps on a bi-monthly basis).
Mix your newsletters up with topical information so that there is always something different about it. You may wish to focus your newsletter around certain holiday periods (e.g. Christmas, New Year, Easter) or around common problems experienced during different seasons (e.g. Winter – hot water systems & burst pipes, Spring – blocked drains).
In your newsletter you can include information about:
- The company so that all stakeholders can stay informed
- New technologies you’re using
- Accomplishments e.g. awards, features in any news publications
- New products and services you are offering
- A profile of a particular product you use – list its features and benefits
- Special discounts and offers
- The employee of the month
- Topical news e.g. family news (such as the addition of a new puppy) or eventful jobs that we fixed (such as exploding hot water systems and major gas leaks)
It is critically important to position yourself and your business as an authority figure by providing valuable, educational and informative tips to your customers (without asking for something in return!). Using platforms such as Facebook (if you’re targeting stay-at-home mums) or LinkedIn (if you’re targeting strata managers), including recent testimonials you have received, handy tips related to your services or sharing useful resources such as articles related to your industry.
So there you have it! ‘Post-love’ marketing…
Always remember that your marketing doesn’t stop once you have finished the ‘Pre-love’, lead generation side of your marketing strategy. Showing ‘Present-love’ where you add value while at the customers home is equally important, as is ‘Post-love’. ‘Post-love’ will prove to be the most time-effective, profitable and easiest marketing method your business could try.
To find out more about the ‘The Marketing Maximiser’, ‘Pre-love’, ‘Present-love’, ‘Post-love’ and MUCH more, check out ‘The Future Tradie’ live event – www.futuretradie.com.au/servicem8
P.S. ServiceM8 has secured DISCOUNTED tickets to The Future Tradie for you! Instead of paying $297, get yours for $47 and bring a friend for FREE… Get your ticket now!
Andy & Angela Smith
Husband and wife team, Andrew & Angela Smith, are the co-founders of award winning business Lifestyle Tradie Group Pty Ltd. A powerful and unique membership to inspire, energise, connect and educate tradesmen and their wives/partners, Lifestyle Tradie is dedicated to helping trade business owners fast-track Business and Lifestyle success!
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