Just last month Nova Insurance wrote a news article discussing how a number of tradesmen and trade companies are using online services in order to improve their businesses. However, how can you make this work for you? Going online is a great way to attract new customers and build up the relationships you have with your current ones, and here are four easy ways to start:

Sign up to Social Media Accounts

Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram were once mainly used by individuals sharing news or other important events with friends and family, however more and more businesses are now also starting to use them. Even if you don’t have a personal account on any of the aforementioned social media platforms, setting one up for your business only takes a few minutes, and each one is designed so that users can get to grips with it in next to no time. Naturally, when you first set up your new social media accounts you will probably only add people you already know, however they are also a great way to get in touch with others in the tradesmen industry or local people looking for tradesmen. If you have a spare five minutes today why not set yours up and see what you can find?

Creating your own Website

There used to be a time where only large, established businesses had websites, however these days even businesses consisting of one or two people have them! When looking for a tradesman most customers will firstly search online to see who is available in their area, so having a website means that you are more likely to be seen. There are multiple ways in which you can set up your own website, either by yourself or by paying a company to do it for you. One thing you should remember is that people are now using their mobiles more often to search for things online, so if you do have a website you need to make sure it’s easy to view and use on mobile devices. Again, there are services online you can use to optimise your site, or you could talk to a website developer if you want something more specific.

Make use of Review Centres

Unfortunately, with people increasingly using technology to talk to their friends and family there is also an increasing risk of complaints about your business becoming visible to a wide audience. You have probably already seen reviews of certain hotels, restaurants, and even tradesmen online, and not all are positive. However, as a business owner if you keep an eye on reviews concerning your services you will be able to gain an idea of what the general online consensus is about your business, and have the ability to reply to those who have been unhappy with your work. There are even websites dedicated to tradesmen reviews that are used by customers looking for a tradesman to complete a job, so signing up to one of these is essential if you want to protect your online reputation.

Move to The Cloud

We constantly hear the term ‘paperless’ these days from a number of companies, including banks, tradesmen liability insurance providers, and anyone else whose company previously relied on having countless pieces of paper at hand in order to stay organised. Thanks to what is called ‘cloud computing’, businesses around the world have been able to safely store all their information online, which their employees can then access at any time. For tradesmen, cloud computing can be extremely useful if you have a large amount of employees or jobs, as it means that anyone can access vital information quickly and easily. This not only saves your company time but also money, as you will spend less on paper, ink and other printer supplies. Furthermore, you will never have to deal with someone saying they forgot an important piece of information when on a job!

In order to improve your businesses and stay ahead of the competition, it is vital for you to start embracing technology and make your trade business visible online. Not only will this help you manage your reputation, but also streamline your day to day tasks helping you save both time and money!