In today’s fast-changing world of marketing, businesses are consistently on the lookout for innovative ways to promote their services. With the rise of social networks, wearable devices, voice assistants, and business review sites, digital marketing has gained momentum. Studies found that 97% of users find local businesses online more than anywhere else.
How to start promoting your services business? Here are a few simple tips to help you.
1- Productize your Services
Productizing your services is an opportunity to create a new revenue stream and attract more customers. Depending on your industry, there are many ways to turn your services into products. Be creative and come up with original product ideas that work for your target audience.
For example, if you are a yoga instructor, create a full guided product to sell on your site. Or, SEO professionals could host webinars, crate online lessons, or produce eBooks to sell.
2- Offer Online Conferencing Options
Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, people are at home more than ever. It is not surprising that online learning has seen exponential growth over the past few months. For many businesses, that is an opportunity to expand their reach. By offering video conferencing sessions via platforms like Zoom or Skype, you are not limited to local clients. You can cater to customers from all around the world.
For example, if you are an accountant, you can have clients sign up and buy your services directly via your website. Let them book individual virtual meetings on your calendar. Fitness instructors that cannot host in-person training sessions due to COVID-19 can set up a conference video call with clients.
3- Build a Website
For your service business, a website is its identity card. It tells what kind of services you offer, builds trust with your target customers, and encourages them to buy faster.
Precisely because of that, your website needs to be highly user-friendly:
- Obtain a domain name that matches your brand name to make your company easier to find on Google.
- Make sure the site is fast, responsive, and mobile-friendly.
- Keep your website logical and easily navigable.
- Keep your contact information, forms, and social media handles easy-to-find.
- Focus on the overall appeal of your website. Create high-quality visuals and use legible fonts.
- Ensure the site is clutter-free. Eliminate unnecessary popups, ads, or auto-play videos that may compromise your site’s credibility.
- Implement a live chat option to provide customers with faster feedback.
4- Invest in Local SEO
Many service companies focus on targeting local audiences. For example, say you provide remodeling services in South Florida. In that case, the goal is to get your website noticed by customers located in South Florida looking to improve their homes.
Google’s statistics say that 76% of users who search on their smartphones for nearby businesses visit them within a day, while 28% of these visits result in a purchase.
Now, many SEO factors impact your visibility in the local search. Some of them are Google My Business signals, link signals, review signals, and on-page signals.
- Claim your Google My Business listings. Keep all business information, such as its name, address, and phone number, consistent.
- Include photos, maps, perks for customers, and photos to make sure your business looks legit.
- Register on other third-party business directories, such as Angie’s List, BBB, or Yelp. The information on these sites should be in line with that on your GMB account.
- Encourage online reviews on GMB and business directories. Apart from helping your SEO strategy, they are also significant for your brand image.
- Optimize for local keywords that include your location.
- Publish guest posts on authoritative local websites in your industry.
- Sponsor local events to obtain a quality link.
5- Get on Social Networks
With so many people using social networks to find brands and purchase products, these channels have become critical to your service business’ presence. The goal is to do research, identify which channels your customers use, and focus on them.
When creating and posting social media content on your own, start by performing competitor research and determine which content types resonate with your audiences. Also, analyze when your customers are active on these channels. Based on this data, create a monthly editorial calendar for each social network and stick to it.
Alternatively, consider investing in paid social campaigns. Major social networks, such as Facebook, offer targeting options, and let you choose where your ads are delivered. For example, you can segment your ads on various criteria, including customers’ demographics, location, behavior, or connections.
Start Promoting your Business
Irrespective of your industry and audiences, the future of your service business lies in digital marketing. I hope these tips will familiarize you with the most effective marketing practices to boost your company’s reach and maximize sales.
