Content marketing is the future for businesses. But how can a field service business benefit from content marketing? These key elements will help you get started.
Know Who Your Customers Are
The very first thing you should ask yourself is exactly what demographics correspond to your customer base. This can include things like age, income status, and whether they own or rent a home. For example, does a young couple or a retiree typically seek your services?
The basis for marketing any business is knowing the demographics of your potential and existing customer base so you can cater to their needs. Help them understand your field service business, your expertise, and how you can simplify the little headaches in their lives.
Know What Customers Are Looking For
Put yourself in the place of your potential customer — what kind of services might they be googling for? If you run a plumbing business, they might be searching for “who can fix a leaky pipe” or “plumbers in Chicago, Illinois. “
They will likely search specifically for servicemen in their area. That includes the city, the county, the state, or even the region where you do business. In a large city, they may even narrow their search down to which neighborhood they live in.
Think about what you would search for on Google for a specific problem and how you would word it. Then create content using those terms as keywords throughout your blog posts. This will help you rank higher in Search Engine Optimization (SEO.)
Know What Else They Are Talking About
There might be certain trends for a field service business, including new equipment and technology to make repairs or installations. Social media pages like Facebook will likely have local chat groups where you can research what people are talking about. You can also search for industry-specific groups and learn what’s new in your industry, whether it’s plumbing, lawn care, commercial cleaning, or HVAC.
If you’re the first in your area to add a new service or product to your business, people will talk about it and you can generate more business through word-of-mouth. You can also get a good feel for the services that customers need the most. Then you can create content that specifically addresses their needs and makes you look more credible and professional.
Know What Employees Can Create Expert Content
Sure, you can hire outside people to write your content that are experts in writing. But they might not be experts in your field service business. On the other hand, you might not be the best writer in the world and find it difficult to create your own content.
This creates a tricky situation unless you find employees not only with expertise in your business, but that have the writing skills that you might lack. When you create marketing content for your field business from someone who actually works in it and works for you, that can drastically raise your authority in the business and locally.
Customers can read the content created for your marketing and it helps them get to know your field service employees on a more personal level as experts that can help them. That makes them more likely to want to hire someone that they’ve gotten advice from either verbally, or via a blog article.
Know Alternative Media Resources for Field Service Business Content Marketing
Content marketing through social media is nothing new, with businesses creating Facebook pages and Instagram accounts. But there is so much more you can do. You could start a YouTube channel answering questions about plumbing or HVAC. That can serve as a resource for easier jobs people can do themselves. They may do small jobs themselves, but they’ll remember how much you helped when it comes to something bigger that’s beyond their scope of expertise.
Try a variety of methods for your content marketing to reach different audiences and their different preferences. One person may want a short video on how to quickly fix a problem they can handle on their own. Another may want a longer, in-depth video about a major project where they’ll need extra help. This can get your foot in the door for developing new potential customers.
Know How Effective Your Content Marketing Is in Reaching Customers
Once you figure out some alternative means of marketing content for your field service business, you want to know which types of promotion are the most effective. What platforms are generating the most response?
You could offer customers some incentive to take a brief survey and tell you where they heard about your business, like a coupon. If you have a contact form on your website, many people include a section where customers disclose where they heard about your company, so you know where you’re getting your business from and where to spend most of their advertising dollars if you’re using paid advertising.
You can also gauge which of your social media platforms is most popular and warrants most of your time creating marketing content to generate customers.
Manage Your Content Marketing and More
ServiceWorks can help you manage all your marketing and leads, but it does so much more. It creates invoices, manages inventory if you have stock to sell, tracks employees, and makes their appointments more efficiently.
You can try it out for free to see how it can help your field service business. You don’t even need a credit card for your free trial!
