Between generating fresh leads and brainstorming new marketing ideas, you’re sacrificing blood, sweat, and tears to convert leads into paying customers. If you’re already working overtime to win electrician jobs, why go through all that headache for a new client?
We’re going to let you in on a secret: You don’t have to. Instead of navigating the customer journey every single time you take on a new job, it’s time to start appreciating your existing clients. Why? Well, they’re essential for your bottom line. In fact, marketing studies show that boosting customer retention by as little as five percent can increase profits between 25 and 95 percent.
Nothing beats a familiar face, especially when it can save you the time, effort, and resources of generating new leads. So, what’s the catch? Contractors and home service professionals have notoriously low trust among customers, so you need to build a trusting relationship and keep customer satisfaction rates high.
Ultimately, you need to create an amazing experience that keeps your customers coming back for more—and you need the marketing expertise to keep your business top of mind. Here’s how to get started.
Sure, it goes without saying, but converting your average customer into repeat business starts with exceptional service. For electricians, creating an outstanding customer experience means setting expectations early on—before assumptions and misunderstandings have the chance to wreak havoc on your electrical project.
So, where do you start? Before you start working in the field, make sure to maintain regular communication through text messaging. Unforeseen issues can come up when you’re taking on electrical work, and you don’t want to surprise customers with any unexpected costs or prolonged timelines. Report issues as soon as possible, let them know what progress you’re making, and keep your work as unobtrusive as possible in their daily lives.
At the same time, make sure you’re listening to your customers’ needs. Satisfaction isn’t always about the end result; it’s about the journey it takes to get there. You need to ensure you’re on top of homeowners’ requests and needs, which means considering every aspect of their project and delivering top-tier service. When you listen to their requests, you can better understand what they want so you can give them exactly what they need each time.
And remember: Your communications shouldn’t end with regular text messages and progress reports. Whenever possible, you should take the time to chat with your customers in person when they’re available. At the end of the day, there’s nothing like having a face-to-face conversation. Plus, clear, strong, reliable communication might just be the reason a customer hires you for their next electrical project.
Most contractors follow up after completing a project, but you’re going to take a different approach. Instead of sending a basic follow-up text to make sure they’re satisfied with your work, consider calling your customers to ask for their feedback and settle any issues that might’ve popped up after the job was completed.
This way, you can pinpoint areas of improvement in your process—all while showing customers how much you appreciate their feedback. At the same time, you’re solidifying your reputation for quality service and showing customers that you’re willing to go the extra mile to exceed their expectations. It’s also a unique opportunity to discuss future projects your customers might be considering—whether they’re interested in buying a new generator or installing outdoor lighting—and to remind customers about your referral program.
One of the best ways to encourage repeat business? Build a referral program to incentivize your customers to spread the word about your business.
Referral marketing (see: using your current customers to recommend your business to new customers) is one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies. Not only that, but a referral program can make all the difference on your bottom line. According to statistics on referral marketing, a whopping 92 percent of customers trust referrals from someone they know, while customers referred by other customers have a 37 percent higher retention rate. Homeowners are more likely to trust recommendations from friends and family compared to traditional ads, so a referral of your business basically serves as a guarantee of your services.
Everyone loves a good deal, especially when it comes to costly home services projects like electrical work. When you start a referral program, you’ll simultaneously boost your chances of repeat business and new customers. Sounds like a win-win, right?
You’ve finished the job, followed up with your customer, and even got a glowing review on Google. That means you can stop communicating with them, right? Not exactly.
Instead of just waiting around for customers to book their next electrical job, you need to take action. Think about it: The more you stay in touch with your customers, the more likely you’ll land repeat jobs when their home needs more electrical work. From quarterly email newsletters to regular social media posts and seasonal sales, you need a strategy to stay top of mind with your existing customers.
Where do you start? Your goal is to become your customers’ go-to source for electrical work, so encourage them to sign up for email newsletters, follow you on social media, and sign up for SMS marketing. This way, you’ll be able to remind them about important electrical projects (think: generator maintenance before the winter) and upcoming discounts. You can even send personalized birthday or holiday cards to keep your name at the top of their minds.
If you’re having a hard time driving repeat business, it’s probably time to rethink your current retargeting strategy.
Simply put, retargeting is a digital marketing strategy aimed at warm leads. You might target people who’ve already visited your website, members of your contact list, or past customers. Your retargeting audience is composed of people who already know about your electrical company, so you don’t have to jump through the same hoops as other marketing strategies.
Why should you incorporate retargeting into your electrician marketing strategy? Because it works. According to a Comscore study, retargeting generates the highest rise in search queries compared to other display media placement strategies. Plus, a well-crafted remarketing strategy can boost your conversions by as much as 150 percent.
When you’re ready to kickstart your retargeting campaign, head to Google Ads to start building your new audience. From there, you’ll be able to create lists for your retargeting campaigns using your past customers’ email addresses, phone numbers, and other contact information. You’ll also be able to paint a clear picture of who they are, what their interests are, and what kind of messaging will resonate with them.
Once you’ve built your retargeting audience, it’s time to tap into your customer data to create laser-targeted, ultra-personalized ads. With the right data at your fingertips, you can drastically improve your messaging so you can avoid showing irrelevant ads to certain audience segments. For example, if you’re remarketing to past customers who purchased smoke alarms, you can stay top of mind with relevant ads on smoke alarm maintenance, cleaning, and replacement.
Even if you’re offering the best service in town, you still need a data-driven marketing strategy to convert your customers into repeat business. The good news? It only takes a few steps to build a process that keeps your customers coming back for more.
Are you ready to ignite your remarketing strategy? We’re here to answer any questions you have about electrician marketing—from following up with customers to creating personalized ads. Get in touch with our team to grow your business with quality leads.
