by tradespeopleinsights | Jul 22, 2014 | Marketing Tips, Traditional Marketing
Interesting question, isn’t it? I think everyone thinks because they built one, everyone will like and trust what you have up there.
I read an article from the Content Marketing Institute written by Dianna Huff entitled, Why 55% of Potential B2B Buyers Might Not Trust Your Website that highlights some interesting findings. These findings were from a KoMarketing Associates usability report and are worth discussing. The key in a B-to-B relationship is that trust and credibility be established up front. The more transparent you are, the better. Here are some highlights:
It’s the little things that can either make or break the next steps in the process. Their study showed that lack of phone number or contact info was the biggest stumbling blocks in building trust (55%). That one made me wonder. The next few were expected – lack of a true message, do it yourself sites and tiny texts were no surprises.
Content assets that helped establish credibility were lead by thorough contact and about us page. So I guess we need to carefully look at what we say about ourselves and give them several options on getting in touch with us. Email was the most preferred way (no surprise there) and phone came in second. The reality is vendors source suppliers online and if you don’t have a clear cut message and contact info, you’ll be passed over.
Here are a few key takeaways:
- Remove all barriers from people contacting you
- Include email and phone number on each page for easy access
- Include info about the people behind your company
- Consider the strategic importance of the “about us” page
by tradespeopleinsights | Jul 16, 2014 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Tools, Social Marketing, Traditional Marketing
What is Content Curation?
Content curation is the process of sorting through the vast amounts of content on the web and presenting it in a meaningful and organized way around a specific theme. The work involves sifting, sorting, arranging and publishing information.
Why is it important to Manufacturers who want to reach the Professional Tradesman?
Chances are you have lots of bits and pieces of information on your products/services. They are scattered all over from catalog, tech sheets installations sheets, presentations, etc. We as marketers are so focused on creating content, and in most cases, your first priority is to consolidate all relevant info on a product or service in one place. Once you see what you have, it will be easier to identify the pieces that are missing and need to be created.
Professional tradesman are always looking for help in solving problems, and it benefits both you and them if they can go to one source and get all their questions answered.
Wouldn’t it make sense for a potential customer who is interested in left-handed widgets to find one source that could:
- help evaluate your situation and options available
- give you an independent industry perspective on possible solutions
- give you guidelines on what products to consider for the project at hand
- give you tips on installation
- give you troubleshooting suggestions
- give you tips on maintenance
So if the number-one challenge to marketers is lack of time, doesn’t it make sense to organize first, then prioritize how you’re going to fill the holes?
Heidi Cohen wrote an interesting article, The Top 10 Reasons You Need Content Curation in Your Content Marketing Mix where she outlines her reasons to use content curation.
Here are a few that caught my attention:
- it provides a variety of perspectives which helps increase its credibility
- positions you as a thought leader in your field
- good content will be shared leveraging other people’s audiences
- builds your brand
- content can be segmented for social media and drive folks to your curated site with more information that they requested
So don’t take the ready-fire-aim approach to developing content. Take an inventory of current assets before developing new ones. Also don’t try to do everything at once. If you have products that serve several markets, pick one, do it well, document results and then plan the next one.
by tradespeopleinsights | Jul 15, 2014 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Tools, Traditional Marketing
Hopefully, as part of your strategy to move prospects along the selling cycle, you are using landing pages in order to deliver on what you promised. It’s also a great way to track responses. It could also be a way of losing a potential customer.
Here are some tips that might help results:
- Keep it simple – Deliver on what you promised to get them there in the first place.
- It’s not about you – How can you help them with a problem that got them there in the first place.
- This is not an ad – They’re not looking for a sales pitch, but answers to specific questions.
- Powerful content – Keep it relevant. Don’t focus on key words. Instead, make what you say useful and valuable.
All too often folks want to talk about 5 different things and give them additional links. It won’t work. Just ask yourself – why did they click on a call-to-action that got them here? Then deliver what you promised.
If you want to learn more, you might want to read:
Are you Using Landing Pages?
Product Landing Pages: Tips on How to Improve Performance
by tradespeopleinsights | Jul 8, 2014 | Uncategorized
Sonnhalter is deeply involved with the professional tradesmen. We recently completed an updated overview of the Electrical market. The purpose of the document is to give the reader a quick snapshot of the industry, its players and trends for 2014.
Highlights include association and buying group contacts, trade shows/meetings, training industry information and media publications. A free copy for download is available. Click here to sign up.
by tradespeopleinsights | Jul 2, 2014 | Marketing Tips, Traditional Marketing
In the B-to-B world that I live in, manufacturers have to balance their time and efforts when dealing with distribution, between the big boys like Grainger ($9.4 billion), Fastenal ($3.3 billion) and MSC ($678 million), and the independently owned small local distributors.
Here are a few facts about the independent distributors (ISA) that you might not have known:
They collectively represent about $153 billion in sales.
AD (Affiliated Distributors) members do about $25 billion and NetPlus Alliance more than 5 billion in sales.
Now I realize they need to sell both. The strategy and support for a big player is much different from that of the local independent distributor. Let’s look at the different personas of both.
Big Boys.
- Sell lots of stuff.
- Beat you up on price and delivery.
- Are more order takers than problem solvers.
- Most are high maintenance from a customer service perspective.
- Sales staff turnover high – most use sales as a stepping stone either inside that organization or for a position elsewhere.
- Because of the high turnover, it’s hard to train and build a relationship with them.
Independent Distributors.
- Collectively they sell more than the big boys.
- Usually you can make more margin.
- Are usually problem solvers not order takers (that’s their value proposition).
- Lower maintenance from a customer service perspective.
- More stable sales staff.
- Have actual relationships with local customers
- Able to train and build relationships with sales staff.
Logic and sometimes management says that we need to focus more time on the big boys as that’s where the biggest potential is.
Here’s a challenge for you.
Let’s take Fastenal for example. They have over 2,000 branches in North America. Besides calling on corporate, how many of the branches are stocking your product? What’s the average sale per year per branch?
Now look at the number of independents you sell to and what is the average annual sales for those that stock your product?
I think what you might find is that the independents will be outselling the big boys.
Now the next question is, what percentage of your sales teams times are being spent on both groups.
For those of you who do the exercise, I’d be interested if your results are similar to what I’m suggesting.
by tradespeopleinsights | Jul 1, 2014 | Marketing Tips
Many contractors have trouble navigating the digital scene. Here are some tips that can be forwarded on to them to help them get noticed and sell more of your stuff!
Guest post by Lachezar Stamatov, a regular contributor to the Work N’ Gear blog.
Contractor’s Online Success Strategy: Get Listed on These 4 Websites
ToolStop / Flickr / CC BY
For service-providing businesses, like contracting companies, greater online visibility can almost immediately bring more business. People’s primary way of finding somebody to do a job for them is by doing a quick online research. In order to increase your chance of being found online, one of the things you can do is get listed on websites for contractor services. Here are some websites worth considering.
HomeAdvisor
HomeAdvisor.com
With over 56,000 likes on Facebook and more than 14,200 followers on Twitter, HomeAdvisor is one of the most popular websites for home service professionals.
HomeAdvisor’s web platform is extremely user-friendly. There is a very wide array of home improvement categories to choose from. Homeowners pick one, describe their needs and they get matched with up to four professionals. They can also read reviews of a particular contractor’s services.
Perks of the site include the Home911 app, which homeowners can use to find contractors willing to take emergency calls and do immediate repairs. Another great benefit of registering with HomeAdvisor is that you will also get listed on other popular websites such as 1-800-Contractor, Realtor.com, Build.com and more.
CraftJack
CraftJack.com
CraftJack is a very versatile web tool which allows you to do a lot more than just get listed in a search directory.
CraftJack works much like a social network but one geared exclusively towards contractors. Each contractor has a unique profile page, which they can use to promote their business. You can use it to showcase your finished work by posting photos and videos. Plus, the page will display your overall customer rating.
CraftJack comes with a feature called Lead Manager, which can help you get more leads and referrals. You can even get discounts on the leads you win (e.g. by contacting a lead within 30 minutes of receiving the notification).
ACCA
Acca.org
ACCA stands for the Air Conditioning Contractors of America. But that doesn’t mean that only HVAC contractors can get listed. The website also works for contractors in refrigeration, plumbing, home and building performance, etc.
The way the website works is very simple. There is a search engine which homeowners, builders or building owners can use to find a contractor based on a variety of criteria, such as proximity, the kind of work they perform and the market segment in which they operate – commercial, residential or government. Site visitors can also find instructions on how to choose the most suitable contractor and see a list of questions they may want to ask the contractor before the work begins.
While you can get listed even if you are not a member, becoming one will grant you some extra benefits, such as opportunities to network during ACCA events or discounts on accreditation programs.
Angi’s List
Angi’s is for contractors who work in the areas of home and yard improvement, as well as auto and health services. The website claims to be used by more than 2 million US households.
There are two ways your business can get listed in Angi’s List’s search directory. The first one is if a customer that is really pleased with your services adds you there and recommends you as a professional. The second one is if you create your own free profile where you can list your areas of expertise, follow your ratings and respond to customer feedback.
If you receive a negative review, Angi’s List will give you the opportunity to talk to the reviewer and hopefully have the review removed. Bear in mind that you should have a valid license, because Angi’s List gives homeowners the option to check if you are licensed and bonded.
Some Additional Advice
These four websites will give your business great visibility and increase your chances of getting more business. But there are two other things you should also do. First, get registered with Google Places, so your business can appear in the “sponsored ads” column of Google search results. Second, try to get listed in the .gov website of your state, as this will give you some extra credibility.
What steps are you taking to advertise your business and make sure you are visible online?
