Is your business ‘outstanding’?

With so many companies all competing for consumer attention, standing out is not just an option – it’s a necessity. For tradesperson keen to pip the competition to the post, there’s a wide range of things you can look at to make sure that your business is getting the attention you need to generate leads and enquiries.

In addition to offering attractive prices, great customer service and becoming an expert in your field, we guide you through a several ideas you can try to make your business stand out from the rest.

Here are our top five tips to help your business shine in a crowded marketplace.

www.getonline

First things first. Make sure that your company has a website as well as relevant social media platforms, depending on the industry in which you work.

There’s an incredible number of businesses out there, from sole traders to larger businesses, who still don’t have any online presence and receive all their business from word-of-mouth connections. Some may rely solely on Facebook. You could be missing out. With your good reputation and incredible customer testimonials ready to share, once your website and social media platforms are created, it could actually be quite easy to gain traction online.

Whether or not you invest in a professional website by a website developer all depends on your own knowledge as well as the knowledge of your friends and family and your own time. If you can call in a favour from family and friends who are tech savvy, then you might be able to save yourself some hard-earned cash!

However, outsourcing this job to a professional will also mean that you can be honest with your feedback on tweaking the text or design without worrying about hurting a loved one’s feelings, which helps you get a website that you are truly happy with, and a business cost you can put through your books.

Conquer Mount Google

The importance of Search Engine Optimisation or ‘SEO’ is not to be sniffed at.

But, for many, SEO can be an intimidating and confusing minefield, but it is a very important strategy to help your online business be visible in local search results. It’s well worth your time and effort to acquaint yourself with how it works.

In a nutshell, SEO helps potential customers find your website when they are searching online. You will need to use a list of relevant keywords when writing the content of your website to help people find you. If you are a plumber in Norwich, then using ‘Norwich plumber’, ‘plumbers in Norwich’, ‘plumbing’, etc. will all help people find your website. You can find lists of the keywords your site should use on Google Ads Keyword Planner, or ask your website developer who should be a dab hand at SEO.

Don’t fear blog-writing

In much the same way as tailoring your website content to help people find you when they are searching online, writing and regularly posting blogs is an easy way to boost your SEO and help the Google algorithm find your business.

According to Entrepreneur.com a blog is one of the most effective ways to boost brand awareness and reach your target audiences. If we go back to our handy Norwich plumber working on his website, he could write blogs on a wide variety of topics to help even more people find his site, for example,: ‘How to fix a dripping tap’, ‘How to unblock a toilet’, ‘How to retrieve a ring that went down the drain’, How to bleed your radiators and so on! All of those headings will help you rank in search results.

Be more social on social

Once you’ve got your shiny, new website up and running, it’s time to sort out your presence on social media. Not having a social media platform might be losing you thousands of pounds a year (conversely, only operating from Facebook is just as risky, so make sure you have a website in addition to your social presence).

Some platforms might be more relevant than others to your industry so don’t waste time on channels that won’t work for you or you’ll struggle to maintain (for example Tik Tok may be great for videos but be realistic about how often you can upload to it, versus where your target audience is online, and your demographics age group). Not wasting time is as good as saving time. Instead, do some research to see which platforms are the best for you.

Engaging with your audience on social media through regular posts, interactive content, and responding to comments and questions creates a sense of community around your brand. This connection can set you apart by creating a memorable and personal experience for your customers. They may even be inclined to share their wonderful experience on Facebook for you to share en masse.

Tip: Don’t forget to put your website address on your social media pages, and put links to your social media platforms on your website.

Get snap happy

From photos to videos, people love seeing what you’re up to, particularly if there’s an element of sharing what happens behind the curtain.

In particular, videos are one of the most popular forms of content for social media. They’re a great way to deliver long messages where your audience may not want to stop and read. Make sure you show people the ins and outs of your job and what it takes to be you. It helps paint a picture of what people can expect from you and why you are so great at what you do.

Alongside testimonials and ‘before and after’ photos, videos explaining what you do at work are a great way to engage directly with prospective and repeat customers online.

In a competitive business landscape, standing out requires a multi-layered approach. By harnessing the power of blogs, manipulating your website’s written content to be SEO friendly, using videos and photos and engaging on social media, you can craft a strong, recognisable brand identity.

Howden is here to help

You may have noticed we’ve got a new name – and a whole new look to go with it! However, the one thing that hasn’t changed is our commitment to our trade clients. If you need to discuss your insurance needs, whether that be for equipment, public liability, van, and more, our friendly team are on-hand to help. Simply give us a call, or head into your local branch.

Sources: Forbes, Experian, Entrepreneur.com, INC