How to boost your business with digital marketing

Even when business is booming, it’s better still when it runs smoothly. To make that happen, the right accounting software goes a long way. Miguel Nasr, Xero’s General Manager – Product, says he hears many stories from tradies who used to struggle with lost receipts, onerous manual invoices, missing cash flow data and more before they found out how to use Xero accounting software.

We’ve all heard about the tradies who drop a reel on their socials, go viral and suddenly have more work than they can handle. But it doesn’t always work that way, and there are other, more strategic ideas that can be better for your digital marketing. 

A social media presence is crucial for your business, though, so start by spending some time reviewing yours and how to improve it. That’s the advice of social media and marketing expert Natalie Lane, founder of Your Hive, who helps businesses find strategies for their online presence.

It’s not all about those high view counts, she says. “You don’t need to be dancing on TikTok every day! Those viral moments can give you a boost, but they’re unpredictable and there are other things you can do first that will help.” 

We spoke to Natalie and social-media-savvy tradie Rami Issa from Roar Constructions to talk us through the best ways to improve your social media.

Why digital marketing is important

Digital marketing, sometimes called online marketing, is the use of online channels (such as websites, social media, email) to promote your business. Having an optimised social media and online presence is no longer a luxury – it’s how your customers and potential customers learn about your reputation and authority. It can also help with:

● Customers finding your business

● Looking at what your competition is doing

● Uploading positive reviews and feedback from your clients

● Showcasing your work

● Engaging and speaking to potential clients

Tips to grow your online presence

Whether you have five followers or 5000, it pays to get the basics right:

● Do an audit. “Get a friend, a relative, anyone who will give you an honest opinion and ask them to search for you,” Natalie says. “Can they find you easily? Does what they find inspire confidence? If not, change it.”

● Check out the competition. “You don’t want to copy someone else, that just won’t work, but look at what others in your area are doing and how successful they are,” Natalie says. “Then ask yourself how you can do it better.”

● Chase down reviews. “If the last customer review you have is from 2018, people will wonder if you’re still active,” she says. “Ask clients for a Google Business review from a recent job and make sure it’s updated.”

● Start posting – and create a post schedule so you stay consistent. “Shoot some short videos of the tips from your trade. How to change a washer, how to cut in and roll paint, anything!” Natalie says. “Shoot a few in an afternoon and schedule those for the next weeks and months.”

● Interact. “Set alerts and if someone comments or gives feedback, reply to them,” Natalie says. “This is vital because the platform algorithm will notice engagement and boost you. The more you engage, the more you will be seen.”

The key is to be current, Natalie says. If potential clients see nothing but old reviews or videos and no recent interaction, they can – and will – click on to someone who has more recent activity.

Social media tips from a tradie

Get your online marketing right, says Rami Issa from Roar Constructions, and the difference to your business can be huge.

“I started recording step-by-step videos like, ‘This is how you build a footing’ – everything from marking it out, working with the surveyor, putting in the steelwork, pouring concrete – and I started to get a bit of attention,” Rami says.

When his follower numbers started climbing, he turned to a dedicated social media company that took over filming, producing and releasing the content and things really took off.

“Then I started getting messages from people saying: ‘Hey look, I bought some land and I’d like you to build for us!”

Five years later he has multi-million-dollar projects underway and the luxury of being able to say yes to projects that give him a better work-life balance.

Which online platform is best for marketing?

This depends on your business and your potential customers, Natalie says. “Find out where your customers are, then show up there regularly so they can find you. Make sure that they like what they see when they do,” Natalie says. “If you’re a plumber, for example, think about what people would do if they suddenly have a burst pipe. They’ll Google ‘plumbers near me’, check out your reviews online or maybe jump on a local Facebook group or hit Instagram for recommendations.”

You can always branch out to TikTok or other platforms once you get going but Natalie recommends you need to at least have a presence on Facebook and Instagram, and then a Google business profile.

“If you’ve got those three sorted then you’re pretty much guaranteed that you have the best foundation.” And then, like in the real world, you can build on that foundation, she adds.

You don’t need bells, whistles and dances

Sure, if you have time you can film tool reviews or dancing reels but for the most part, it doesn’t have to be complicated. “You don’t have to spend a lot of time on this, but it’s a reality of the world we live in that there’s a lot of smoke and mirrors in businesses and people are trying to cut through that,” Natalie says.

“Most people just want a tradie that turns up on time, does the work they’ve quoted for and gives them an invoice for the amount quoted. If you can use your online presence to show you’re real and relatable, that works.”

Want some more great advice for your business?

Check out our story on tips for keeping your staff happy at work.