What approaches and channels are you using to attract the attention of your target groups and existing customers to the services offered by your company? Does your media mix include the regional press, social media and/or video platforms, email newsletters and a company website that offers added value?
Email marketing – focus on proactive digital communication
Newsletters allow you to actively approach customers and prospects by email as part of a service-oriented strategy. Anyone subscribing to your email newsletter is showing an interest in your company and its products and services. This not only allows you to draw attention to your portfolio but also to disseminate targeted messages. The best way to do this is by using a professional newsletter tool.
These software solutions provide you as a business operator with important insights into your newsletter recipients by analysing their open and click rates and indicating which content was of particular interest. When choosing a suitable newsletter tool, you should make sure it offers the following: GDPR compliance, ease of use when designing and compiling newsletters, well-structured data administration, comprehensive data analysis and of course, support if required.
Industry-specific software – cloud systems help accelerate digital transformation
Nowadays, every company should be using a modern, industry-specific software solution from the cloud that can be connected via interfaces with the digital “rest of the world” (apps, tax accountants, suppliers, banks etc.). If the (data) communication between the office and site is largely digital, this ensures up-to-date project and process statuses that all participants can then access depending on the task in hand.
Incidentally, if all parts of the company’s operations are interconnected, from the office to employee communications and from site documentation to bookkeeping systems and tax accountants, those annoying piles of paper on the desks of bosses or employees will finally get much smaller – and that’s a promise!
Review websites – let customers do the promotion
Nowadays, when potential customers contact you, they have already long since formed a picture of your company on the internet, either on one or several online review platforms or on your website, if it allows satisfied customers to provide feedback about how it was to collaborate with you. On completion of a project, you should therefore actively encourage your customers to rate you on a review website of your choice.
However, customers and other interested parties also like to watch videos on your website or on YouTube to find out about your company or get information on a topic relating to an order they wish to place. It makes sense to set up a dedicated area (media centre) for this on your website or a YouTube channel where you can post structured videos on diverse topics or about your company, its working methods, your team etc.
Make your website the hub
Talking of websites, you should in any case make sure that your company website is the nerve centre for your online activities and therefore that it is always up-to-date technically and in terms of content. Visitors to your website will expect value-added digital offerings like technical information, quotation calculators, configuration tools, and the ability to make direct contact.
When it comes to social media, you need a plan
Social media (SoMe) are always useful as digital sales channels However, every social media channel works differently and calls for a different strategy. Content needs to be compiled, followers approached, and contacts, inquiries and comments managed. In the beginning, as always, there needs to be a plan.
This means: What is to be posted and when? How do you communicate with online contacts? Who will do this job? How do you react to praise or criticism? Note: It is essential to include your social media channels with logos and links on your website. This can push you further up in Google’s search result rankings.
Summary
Make your business its own brand! Even skilled trade enterprises can reach this status, whether by delivering special products and services, being known for quality and reliability, or perhaps also due to the business owner and their team and the way they deal with customers and their “concerns”. You will have reached brand status as soon as customers and prospects immediately think of you and/or your business when it comes to a certain project for which they need a capable and reliable tradesperson.
All recordings from the forum Digitalisation@GaLaBau – Digital Practice Live in Action are available in the playlist on the GaLaBau YouTube channel.
