Need to grow your Service Business, but don’t have a large marketing budget?  You are not alone.

Fortunately, there are plenty of way to increase your brand awareness and your sales at a very low cost.

This always needs to be first on your mind, first on your employees’ minds, and the first thing you focus on during every job.

Do the right thing, every time.

If you are honest, respectful, and dependable, your customers will find you.  Alternatively, if you fail at these things… everyone will be quick to share that information.  Don’t be that company.

And when you do have a positive customer experience, ask them to post a review for you on Facebook, Yelp, BBB, or Yellow Pages. Potential customers love reading reviews.

In Service Businesses, word of mouth typically plays a large part in getting new business, especially if your business involves going into someone’s home.  People want to do business with companies they can trust, so they turn to their friends, coworkers, and neighbors for suggestions.

When you do business with someone, let them know that you would appreciate a referral from them. Give out a few business cards for them to share.

When you attend an event, let people know you would appreciate their business.

Social Media is the easiest, most fun, and cheapest way to get your company noticed.  Build a business page and make sure your posts are relevant and interesting.  People will click and share things that are helpful, beautiful, fun, or entertaining.  Make sure your posts fall into at least one of those categories.

Here are some ideas:

• Are you a plumbing company? Post a helpful video about how to protect your pipes from freezing.
• Are you a locksmith? Write a post about home safety.  Be sure to include interesting photos.
• How about a Pest Control company that has funny articles about getting rid of pests like mother-in-laws or nosy neighbors?
• Landscaping companies could do a survey asking their followers to choose their favorite out of several cool landscaped yards
• Run a contest for a free inspection or one hour of handyman services.

Sometimes it makes sense to spend money, but it doesn’t have to be a lot.  Consider these options for low cost with high returns:

• Facebook ads

With Facebook ads, you can control your costs and set your own budget.  You can target just your town and demographic.  Typically, you will get excellent leads, but the costs can be higher if there is a lot of competition in your area.

• Post Card Mailers

This can be cheaper than you think, but if you are targeting neighborhoods, there is not a better, most cost-efficient way to do it.  Contact your local printing company to learn more.

• Online Want Ads

Want Ads like Craigslist or online swap/shop listings could even be free, depending on the website and your local market.  It won’t likely be your biggest source of leads, but it’s worthwhile.

• Online Directories

People are turning to online directories more often each year.  These include companies like Yelp, Houzz, Angie’s List, and others.  Most of these offer stepped pricing, meaning your listing could be cheap or even free, but additional advertising will be more costly.  All of these are worth looking into, but if you are on a budget, start with Yelp.

There are a lot of opportunities out there to build your business. You will need to do a bit of research and trial and error to find the perfect solution for you. Just make sure you are setting aside the time you need to keep your pipeline full of potential new clients.

Finding the time for your marketing efforts is crucial.