In today’s competitive environment, reputation is everything. In years gone by, word of mouth was enough to keep most traders afloat; one satisfied customer’s recommendations could keep a trader ticking over steadily. Today, it’s not as simple: increased competition between sole traders, general handymen and larger companies; a rise in legislation governing how and when plumbers work; and the rise of the internet as a sole source of information for most homeowners, mean that simple word of mouth is not enough to ensure a trader’s survival.
Where once people would ask a friend or neighbour for recommendations, or look in the yellow pages, today the internet is the first port of call. For skilled traders, the thought of online marketing can be more than a little daunting. So how can you boost your reputation and your business, both on and off line?
Communication
A good reputation can take years to build and moments to destroy, so it is important that you stay on top of yours. Communication is an important element to this; by maintaining open channels of communication with your customers before a project starts through to completion, you can help to manage expectations and gauge customer satisfaction. A quick call partway through a longer project to check on how the customer feels the project is going can go a long way. Likewise, a follow-up call once a project (big or small) is completed will allow you to find out if there are any niggles and address them before they become a bigger, reputation-damaging, issue.
Brand Building
Building your brand isn’t just for large organisations; sole traders and smaller firms can build an online brand, too. Relatively simple activities such as social media and news article will help your name to become 
recognised. More skilled campaigns can help to launch your brand and help it to stand out against stiff competition. When it comes to online marketing, it is a relatively small step from recognition to trust- and greater trust in your brand means more business for you.
Customer Engagement
Customer engagement after the fact is the 21stCentury equivalent of a postcard in the local shop or a recommendation from a friend. By asking your customers to write reviews of your work, which you can present alongside before and after pictures or case studies, you are allowing your former customers to do your marketing for you. After all, who is better placed to tell others about the fantastic plumbing services that you offer than a former customer?
Online Directory
By joining a well-known online traders’ directory, you will be able to build your brand and secure customer engagement with minimal effort. Organisations such as trustatrader.cominvest heavily in tv and radio advertising, online marketing and social media to get the brands of honest, hard-working traders out there, and to help customers to find someone near them that they can trust.
Traders must pass Trust A Trader’s vetting process before they can join. If successful, you will be helped to create you own profile page, where you can showcase the work that you can do, and where prospective customers can read reviews and contact you direct.
If you want to build your brand and want to know if you are eligible to join Trust A Trader’s directory of trusted, qualified and vetted local plumbers, get in touch.
PR Mailer
In today’s competitive environment, reputation is everything. In years gone by, word of mouth was enough to keep most traders afloat; one satisfied customer’s recommendations could keep a trader ticking over steadily. Today, it’s not as simple: increased competition between sole traders, general handymen and larger companies; a rise in legislation governing how and when plumbers work; and the rise of the internet as a sole source of information for most homeowners, mean that simple word of mouth is not enough to ensure a trader’s survival.
Where once people would ask a friend or neighbour for recommendations, or look in the yellow pages, today the internet is the first port of call. For skilled traders including plumbers, the thought of online marketing can be more than a little daunting. So find out how can you boost your reputation and your business, both on and off line with Trust A Trader.
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