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Trades Business Marketing Continued (Part 2 – to Consumers for Projects)

Written by: Jon Dale | @smallfishcoach

Last week I wrote briefly about Find Me marketing for trades who are called in by punters to fix stuff or do minor jobs. Today I’m thinking about people who want a project done for them and how marketing for this kind of work is different.

In contrast to a pre-existing need for someone to fix something or improve something, a project – a new kitchen or bathroom or roof or fence or pool or floor – is not a need that presents itself fully formed.

Sometimes it does, of course, and you need to be found just like for the small jobs. But you can also stimulate the demand (for a new kitchen, for example) by doing different marketing.

Advertising is lovely and stimulates the desire for new things but it is expensive and a bit hit and miss. It’s common and useful for trades businesses like these to advertise in the local paper and in specialist publications that crop up – home and garden liftouts and the like.

An interesting concept that applies here is that of clustering and keeping up with the Jones’s.

If Mrs Jones puts in a new kitchen and her neighbours learn about it, they’ll all want a new kitchen too. Perhaps we could call it the politics of envy. It’s particularly apparent with solar panels – perhaps because they are so very visible.

So, if you are involved in a domestic project it makes sense to take advantage of these politics of envy – make very sure that everyone in the neighbourhood knows that you are working at that property and what you are doing:

  • Have highly visible and attractive vehicle signage (a wrap is best)
  • Have a-frame signage on the property
  • Put coreflute signage on their fence or their house (and “forget to take it away when you’ve finished)

Hand-deliver fliers round the neighbourhood with images and a message that tells them you are building something beautiful for their neighbour and you can help them if they want.

You get the idea. Local marketing that capitalises on the desire awakened by their neighbour’s new project.

Of course, my coaching program, Tradies Toolbox, will help you decide which of these strategies is best for your business and will help you plan and then actually get on with doing them. And keep doing it.

There’s a webinar on its way where I’ll explain more. Brace yourself.

Or you can call me below.

There are four ways you can engage with me:

1. Subscribe to these emails and get them once a week in your inbox so you never miss a video from me.

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3. Attend my next Tradie Profit Webinar.

4. Book yourself a 10-minute chat with me. We’ll talk about whether coaching is right for you now and if it is, we’ll go further into the process before you have to make your mind up.

See you later.

Click here to book a money maker call with Jon.