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E L E C T R I C A L CO N N E C T I O N
A U T UMN 2 0 17
TIPS
I
t used to be enough for tradies to
have a classified ad in the local
newspaper, be listed in a business
phone directory and maybe even do
a leaflet drop to find new clients.
However, these tactics are no longer as
effective as they once were.
This is because people now get most
of their information online, including
doing their research for trades, services
and products. Thanks to search
engines, social media, news sites,
blogs and email, there are now many
more effective options for attracting
customers from your local area.
Here are a few digital techniques that
can help you attract local clientele.
OPTIMISE YOUR WEBSITE
With so many people doing their
research online, in order to make
decisions about their home or building
project, it’s imperative to have a
website that showcases who you are,
what you do and how to get in contact
with you.
When targeting potential customers
in your local area, ensure your website
is optimised for people researching
local tradespeople using search
engines, i.e. Google. At the very least
you should include the names of the
nearby suburbs you service on all
pages of your website and in the page
titles too.
You can also consider including
localised terms, such as region names.
For example, many people may use
‘best plumber in the hills district’ as
their search phrase.
Tip: don’t add a whole heap of
suburb names to your website thinking
this will help you rank higher. Google
favours websites that are relevant.
Focusing on the two to three suburbs
nearest your business will likely get
you a better outcome.
BUILDING A LOCAL
CUSTOMER BASE
It is well known that most
clientele for almost any small
business, particularly those
in the building and trades
industry, will come from within
a 10km radius of its location.
Oneflare head of technology
James Martin
shares some
tips on how to attract more
local customers.