Free Marketing Strategies for Home Service Companies Looking to Grow

In the world of home service companies, every penny counts. If you're losing $10,000 a month, pouring money into digital marketing feels like a risky move.

Lucky for you, I've got several free digital marketing strategies for home service companies that use social media platforms and old-school marketing to drive traffic and grow your business without spending a dime.

You don't always need to dump money into Google Ads to get conversation rates up and a banging customer base. Here’s a breakdown of his advice and how to apply it to your home service business.

Free Digital Marketing Tips - Organic Traffic

One of the most effective ways to market your business without spending money is by focusing on organic traffic. Organic traffic is visitors who come to your website through unpaid search results.

You get there through search engine optimization (SEO) and creating valuable content that your target audience is searching for. However, if you're just starting out or in a financial crunch, heavy investment in SEO might not be feasible.

Instead, you can focus on simpler, yet effective, free strategies to drive organic traffic.

Engage in Facebook Groups

Facebook Groups are a social media platform goldmine for connecting with potential customers. Join local community groups, home service-related groups, and any other groups where your target audience can see your social media marketing in action.

Engage in conversations, provide value by answering questions, and subtly promote your services when appropriate. Building a reputation as a helpful and knowledgeable member of these communities can lead to word-of-mouth referrals, potential customers, and direct business.

Utilize Local Coffee Shops

Think about old-school marketing tactics like placing your business cards or flyers in local coffee shops. Many people visit these places, and having your information readily available can attract local customers.

Coffee shops often have community boards where you can post about your services. Think of it like a blog post, but in person.

Optimize Your Google My Business (GMB) Listing

Your Google My Business (GMB) listing is huge for local SEO and can significantly impact your visibility in local search results. Here are a few ways to optimize your GMB listing:

• Post Regularly: Use the posts feature to share updates, offers, and news about your business. Stay up to date!
  ‍
• Get Reviews: Encourage your happiest customers to leave positive reviews. Respond to all those reviews, showing that you value customer feedback.
  ‍
• Local Backlinks: Find opportunities to get local backlinks. This could be through local business directories, partnerships with other local businesses, or local news websites. Your target audience is geographically close to you, after all.

Grassroots Home Service Marketing

Grassroots marketing involves leveraging local community networks to spread the word about your business. It’s about getting down and dirty, interacting directly with potential customers, and building relationships within your community.

This is also where you can make content marketing, backlinks, and blog posts do some lifting for you. After all, it's free to write great, relevant content that reeks of great search engine optimization. This may also be where you put a little bit of money into mailers, door hangers, and other print options.

Lower Your Prices (Not Forever)

When you’re in a tough financial spot, lowering your prices can help you break even and cover your costs. This strategy isn’t about sacrificing quality but about making your services more accessible to a wider audience. As John has talked about before, it's all about creating runway and staying alive.

Once you’ve stabilized your finances, you can start focusing on profit again.

Test Different Lead Aggregators

Lead aggregators like Thumbtack, Angie's List, and HomeAdvisor can provide huge leads for home service companies. Each local area responds differently to these platforms, so test a few to see which one works best for finding loyal customers.

Don’t rely on just one; diversifying your lead sources can increase your chances of finding new customers.

Free's Nothing But a Number

Running a home service company comes with its challenges, especially when finances are tight.

However, by focusing on the free, taking advantage of social media marketing, engaging with your local community, and optimizing your online presence, you can drive traffic and grow your business without breaking the bank.

Remember, it’s going to be a grind and a lot of work, but with dedication and persistence, you can turn things around and start seeing positive results.

There's free options that are powerful tools for creating an SEO strategy and digital marketing plan that works for your business. Don't avoid using them just because they might take time!

Sam Preston, CEO of Service Scalers
www.servicescalers.com

Get more Owned and Operated on YouTube, on Twitter, or with our weekly newsletter.