Being a skilled tradesman doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to get work; in fact more and more young people are now choosing to take up vocational courses instead of going to university which means competition is getting even fiercer. In order to stay ahead of the pack it’s therefore essential for all tradesmen to actively advertise their services and build up their reputation. While this may sound difficult and time consuming at first, Nova Insurance has three simple tips that every tradesman can use:

Old Fashioned Advertising

One of the most obvious ways to advertise your business is to create some signs and use these when you are working on a job. It’s not uncommon to see signs in construction areas showing which company are doing the work as they can be an extremely cost effective way of attracting new customers. However, before placing your sign it would be polite to ask the owner of the property you are working on if they would mind as the last thing you want to do is make them feel put out and ruin your reputation (more on that later!)

Tradesmen such as plumbers and kitchen fitters may find it more difficult to advertise their business as they are traditionally based inside buildings, however if they apply graphics to their vehicles they can also get noticed. Applying graphics to cars and vans is a very common form of advertising for tradesmen, so make sure yours stand out in order to stay ahead of the competition!

Using Technology

These days when someone is looking for a product or a service one of the first things they do is search for it online, which means that as a tradesmen you could really benefit from creating an online presence. Even having a simple website with information about your services and your contact details can improve the amount of customers you receive. If you really want to push the boat out you can also include recommendations from previous customers and add a contact form where customers can provide information about a job they have and you can arrange to call them back.

There has also recently been an increase in websites where customers can rate tradesmen and the work that they do so that future customers can choose which one is best for them. It’s important that you keep an eye out for these websites as if you receive a bad rating it could affect the amount of business you receive in the future. However, if you receive a good rating you could find yourself becoming extremely popular in just a short matter of time!

Work on your Reputation

For tradesmen there is nothing more important than having a good reputation, as word of mouth is still one of the main ways that people find out about a new tradesman. One of the best ways to improve your reputation is to make sure that you are friendly and courteous on every job and explain every aspect of the work. One of the biggest worries for customers is that they are not getting good value for money, however if you explain to them the work you are doing you can provide some piece of mind.

If you really want to improve your reputation and advertise your services then it’s a good idea to try and get involved with the local community. See if there are any town meetings you can attend or try and get to know other business owners in the area. You will be surprised how much knowing people in the community can really boost your reputation and the amount of work you receive!

Tradesmen generally have a large number of outgoings including tradesmen insurance, tool maintenance and travel costs, which is why it is essential that they strive to promote their business and attract new business on a daily basis. Even a little bit of effort can make a huge difference, so make sure you adapt some advertising techniques today!