There are tonnes of advertising strategies you can learn about how to advertise a scaffolding business both online and offline.
Finding customers for your scaffolding business is actually easier, not harder, in the modern world. This is because a lot of the tools that are now available make it easier for businesses of all types and sizes to gain access to their audiences.
Scaffolding businesses are in one of the many industries lagging behind in regards to modern day advertising techniques.
We still see many scaffolding firms in things like the Yellow Pages and then refuse to get their own business website. If you were looking for a local scaffolding business and had no idea where to find one, where would you look?
Oh.. wait, let’s guess… The internet?
Many scaffolding business owners believe that because it’s “only scaffolding” and no one cares or will bother to look. And that’s the point of this article.
Why Marketing Matters For Scaffolders?
A scaffolding business can earn some serious cash by renting out its scaffolding equipment to builders and construction companies.
Scaffolding companies should make use of different ways to market their business in order to attract clients. As a scaffolding business, you can make use of social media, offline advertising, events and more, to reach out and attract potential clients to start a business.
88% of consumer local business searches on a mobile device either call or visit the business within 24 hours. (Nectafy)
46% of all searches on Google are seeking local information.
97% searched online to find a local business (Source: Hubspot)
Due to the growth of the internet over the last decade, the way customers are finding local businesses has turned on its head in comparison to before, where traditional marketing methods like book directories, leaflets and brochures were used to advertise a scaffolding business.
As it’s 2019 and most business marketing and advertising has migrated online, something such as the Yellow Pages is simply not as effective as it once was in the early 2000’s.
How To Advertise a Scaffolding Business To Find More Scaffolding Work
Now that you’ve read the facts on how customers have changed their ways of searching for local businesses due to the internet, you’re now ready to dive into what methods you should be using and how exactly you can implement them.
It just requires a little bit of work. Let’s look at how to advertise a scaffolding business using 10 different methods.
Get A Website For Your Scaffolding Business
A lot of the traditional scaffolding business marketing revolved around leaflets, brochures, networking with local builders and other ways.
While those are great ventures to undertake, it is not what we’ll be focusing on today.
This is all great and you should still do this regardless of what anyone or any advertising company say. Even me! But let’s be frank for one second… When 95% of your competitors have websites, why would you want to be the only one without one? How can a website for your scaffolding business help?
- Can increase the number of customers in the local area
- It can usually be cheaper than newspaper or other offline advertising
- Appear more professional and established (key for commercial work)
- Display your portfolio of previous scaffolding projects
- Keep up with other local scaffolding businesses
However, let’s talk about facts quickly. How do you find a local business? Let’s say a local window cleaner. Yes, you might know Dave down the road who cleans the odd window or two, but if you were new to the area you would do a quick Google search.
Luckily for you, not everyone knows a scaffolding business, so people will actively need to search for local scaffolding businesses in order to find the services they require.
Getting a website designed doesn’t have to be a long-winded or expensive process. Now I may be a little biased here because I own a web design company, but even if you are strapped for cash or just starting up your scaffolding business, there is always someone out there who will build you a cheap website.
A website allows customers and potential customers to have a look at your scaffolding business and what you have to offer, see what you’ve done before, and keep up to date with news surrounding your brand. More benefits include:
- Improving credibility
- Building a business
- Enhancing online presence
- Building strong relationships within the market
- Boost reputation
- Showcase your work
What features are needed are needed for a good website?
- Professional web design
- Fast loading times
- Clear call to actions (CTAs)
- Good quality images
- Mobile Friendly
- Reviews
- SEO
If you would like some help with getting a website set up we can help provide you with an affordable business website package. To be honest, getting a website set up and launched online is the easy part. But no fear because ShyFish Designs are here (obviously a joke). Get to the first page on Google!
Yes OK, I know, you probably get about 10 calls a week saying “I can get you to the first page of Google” and most of the time its spam.
However, figuring out how to rank your small business website higher on Google is not impossible. It takes time and patience but the reward is worth it.
For example, we have a scaffolding company who are ranked on the first page for their county and main town which receives around 80 searches a month from people looking for scaffolding in their local area.
We have created many top-notch websites to help scaffolders advertise their scaffolding business.
SEO For Scaffolders – How Can You Get To The 1st Page of Google
SEO. You’ve most likely heard this word before.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the practice of increasing the number and quality of visitors to a website by improving rankings in the algorithmic search engine results.
Google (and Bing, which also power Yahoo search results) score their search results largely based upon relevancy and authority of pages it has crawled and included in its web index, to a users query to provide the best answer.
Your ranking depends on a number of “Online” and “Offline” factors:
Online SEO
- Onsite SEO refers to activities on a website to improve organic visibility. This largely means optimising a website and content to improve the accessibility, relevancy and experience for users. Some of the typical activities include –
- Keyword Research – Analysing the types of words and frequency used by prospective customers to find brands services or products. Understanding their intent and user’s expectations from their search.
- Technical Auditing – Ensuring the website can be crawled and indexed, is correctly geo-targeted, and is free from errors or user experience barriers.
- Onsite Optimisation – Improving the website structure, internal navigation, on-page alignment and content relevancy to help prioritise key areas and target relevant search phrases.
- User Experience – Ensuring content shows expertise, authority and trust, is simple to use, fast, and ultimately provides the best possible experience to users against the competition.
Offline SEO
Offsite SEO refers to activities carried outside of a website to improve organic visibility. This is often referred to as ‘link building’, which aims to increase the number of reputable links from other websites, as the search engines use them as scoring as a vote of trust.
Links from websites and pages with more trust, popularity and relevance will pass more value to another website, than an unknown, poor website that isn’t trusted by the search engines. So the quality of a link is the most important signal.
Some of the typical activities include –
- Content – Reputable websites link to exceptional content. So creating amazing content will help attract links. This might include a how to guide, a story, a visualisation, news or research with compelling data.
Submit To Local Directories
An online directory is a website that contains a list of business information in relating to the search of the user. Having your scaffolding business on an online directory helps to increase your discoverability, improve your SEO and strengthen your reputation.
Businesses can use directories such as Google, Bing, Yahoo!, Facebook, Yell, 118 and Bizz Journals.
Social Media Advertising For a Scaffolding Business
Nearly all established small businesses are using social media nowadays. But how do you advertise a scaffolding business using social media?
Well it’s definitely not a way to get instant leads for your small business, but similarly to a business website, it takes time and patience.
However, there are several social media websites and advertising techniques you can use that will work best for a scaffolding business.
We have written plenty of blog posts on how you can benefit from social media marketing, so make sure to check those out.
With social media marketing, making sure that you stay on top of posting regularly and giving out quality content is key. Posting irregularly or even posting the wrong thing regularly can make your company less desirable, so it’s important to find that balance.
Facebook Marketing for Scaffolders
Facebook marketing can be used to promote services through Facebook, turning passive customers into active fans who follow news of promotions and developments, and who share with their own friends.
Benefits of Facebook for a Scaffolding Business
- Grow Brand Awareness & Traffic
- Keep Your Existing Audience Engaged
- Drive Revenue
- Educate New Customers
- Provide Customer Support
Facebook allows businesses to set up business pages that can make your scaffolding company look more professional. Business pages can be used to send out company news, give advice and interact with potential customers.
How to Set Up Facebook For Your Scaffolding Business
Step 1: Go to facebook.com/business and click Create a Page in the top right-hand corner.
Step 2: Choose a business type
Step 3: Enter in company information
Step 4: Click get started
Step 5: Add a short description
Step 6: Create a username
Step 7: Complete your about section
LinkedIn Marketing For Scaffolders
LinkedIn Amongst the other social media platforms is seen as a “professional” networking site. Businesses can use LinkedIn to engage with industry professionals.
Writing copy for LinkedIn is different to e.g. Twitter as the audiences are completely different as well as the different factors such as the 140 character limit on Twitter.
As you’ll be dealing with professionals, it’s also important to write in a professional manner.
Benefits of LinkedIn for a Scaffolding Business
- Creating shareable content that benefits your audience
- Introducing new products or services you’ve developed
- Differentiating yourself from your competitors
- Finding job candidates who can make a significant contribution to your business success
- Checking on what your competition is doing
- Improving your ranking in search engines
How to Set Up LinkedIn For Your Scaffolding Business
Step 1: Visit linkedin.com and create an account
Step 2: On your account homepage click the “Work” icon (a box with 6 squares) on the top right
Step 3: Input your company name, and desired URL
Step 4: Verify your authorization by checking the verification box
Step 5: Select “Create Page”
Step 6: Select “Get Started” and follow the prompts to edit your page
Twitter Marketing For Scaffolders
Now Twitter is a great tool for a scaffolding business to advertise through. Use the search tool within Twitter itself to find local people and builders in your area that would be interested in your service.
Tweets can be up to 140 characters long and can include links to relevant websites and resources. Twitter users follow other users.
Don’t spam, network. Send out friendly welcome tweets with a great offer (e.g. “Struggling to find a reliable scaffolding firm? To show how much we want to help, let us write out a free quote for you”).
Benefits of Twitter For Scaffolding Businesses
- Drive traffic to your web pages. Need website visitors?
- Network with others
- Distribute content
- Communicate your brand
- Boost your SEO
- Improve your chances of purchase
- Reach a bigger audience
- Increase authority
How to Set Up a Twitter Account For Your Scaffolding Business
Step 1: Choose a profile name. This is the name you’ll be known as on Twitter (also know as your @name)
Step 2: Add a photo of you, not your logo
Step 3: Complete your bio
Step 4: Add your website address
Step 5: Follow some people
Step 6: Get tweeting
Step 7: Check your mentions regularly
Instagram Marketing For Scaffolders
Instagram is a photo-based app that allows you to upload and share media content and has now become one of the top platforms businesses use to market their services. Instagram can be used to post pictures and video content to followers. For a scaffolding business, this can be a great tool to use as you can use some of their features to your advantage.
For a scaffolding business, you should think of Instagram as an online portfolio, and showcase the type of work you do.
Benefits of Instagram For a Scaffolding Business
- The visual clarity of what you provide
- Easy to share the brand message
- Made for mobile devices only (consumers love using their mobile devices to find businesses)
Paid Advertising (Pay Per Click)
We always get asked does PPC advertising work for small businesses? Yes (if you are careful)! Pay per click advertising can be a tricky but rewarding advertising method.
Pay per click, also known as PPC, is when you pay a search engine (e.g. Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc), to show your adverts on the first page of Google for certain keywords and phrases.
For example, if you run a PPC advert for your scaffolding company then you could set one up saying “scaffolders in xyz – your local scaffolding service” or “scaffolders in xyz – free quotes available”.
The idea behind PPC adverts is that you ONLY pay once someone actually clicks your ad and visits your scaffolding website. This is a great way to advertise a scaffolding business because it enables business owners with all budget sizes to drive potential customers to their website.
This method of advertising is extremely beneficial if you are requiring quick results and instant leads. However, this should take careful consideration as the wrong PPC campaign can drain your bank account (unfortunately, I found this from personal experience).
Benefits of PPC for a Scaffolding Business
- Cost-effective
- Targeted
- Measurable
- Customisable
- Fast
If PPC is making your scaffolding business more money and has demonstrated the ability to do so, we say go for it. PPC is all about trial and error and just like Facebook Ads, you have to do a few tests before you pinpoint which one works for your business.
For paid advertising, we recommended Google and Facebook Marketing.
Google is the most commonly used platform for paid advertising, with Facebook being second. Have a look below at an example of paid advertising vs organic searches in the Google search results.
Networking
Local networking events are a great way to find other local business who require your scaffolding services. Remember only attend events where your customers will be going to.
For example, there’s little point in going to a scaffolding networking event because why would another scaffolder want to use your scaffolding services? Obviously, they wouldn’t. Instead try and attend other business networking events, such as local roofing or building companies.
One thing to consider is your value proposition. How can you help your customers before you ask for anything in return? Maybe provide them with free quotes or consultation to develop the relationship early on.
The sale will then quickly follow. Ask open-ended questions and like you always are, be friendly and transparent. Some networking events will be beneficial, but equally, some will be an utter waste of time. Trial and error are key here.
Customer Reviews and Credibility
When looking for local businesses, one of the first things we do is look around for customer reviews. We do this to make sure that the company is legitimate and have provided previous customers with good service.
With this being said, it’s only right for you to aim to build up a great customer rapport. Providing customers with an excellent experience will enable them to recommend you to their friends and family as well as give you positive reviews online.
Looking for platforms to put reviews on? Try Google and Trustpilot!
Business Partnerships
A business partnership is a specific kind of legal relationship formed by the agreement between two or more individuals to carry on a business as co-owners.
A business partnership can be used as a beneficial exchange between two businesses that can work together. For example, as a scaffolding business working with builders would be a great idea.
Offline Advertising
Now saying all of this we definitely can’t write off other forms of offline advertising. We mainly stick to online advertising but the older methods still work. Word of warning!
Please make sure the value of the advert placement is actually worth the price they charge. For example, if there was an advertising space in a local magazine that cost £800, how many potential customers will actually see your advert?
A) Leaflet Drops Now you may be thinking, do leaflet drops actually work for small businesses and the truth is they can. Quite a few scaffolding businesses we’ve built websites for have actually had quite successful leaflet drops. However, think about the type of customer you are trying to target and then tailor your leafleting campaign around it.
B) Warm Calling People have a short memory and need to be reminded. Occasionally, give old customers a quick ring, text or email to remind them or your services. This will be easier than generating new customers because you already have built a relationship with them.
C) Discounts and offers People can’t resist a great offer or discount; especially when they need or want to use your service. This method will help convert the people who need that little extra push to make the sale because it creates a sense of urgency.
D) Press and media This advertising method is a tricky one and can be costly. It consists of advert placement inside magazines, local newspapers, banner boards, sponsorships, etc. It can be costly but effective if executed correctly. Think where your potential customers ‘hang out’ offline…
Right, now narrow those ideas even further and pick the one that best suits your ideal customer. For example, if you work best with local builders, then maybe a building material supplier would work best.
We really hope this article has helped you understand how to advertise a scaffolding business. Both from an online and offline perspective. Try and focus on a 2 or 3 of the above. On the contrary, don’t only start one advertising method because it won’t be around forever.
You need to ensure your scaffolding business is being drip fed leads from different sources. The best advertising mixture for our scaffolding company clients is having a website, good Google ranking position and warm calling with special offers.
If you are still unsure about how to advertise a scaffolding business or have any specific questions, then please feel free to get in touch and we will be more than happy to guide you through the process.
