8 Low Cost Marketing Ideas with Big Results

Andy
Hell yeah! As soon as we say the word marketing, everyone’s ears prick up. Better still, low cost marketing with big results. Now, all your ears are propped up. 

Ange
Well, that’s what we’re talking about on The Tradie Show this week. And before we share eight of our low cost marketing ideas with you, we want to welcome our new listeners. It’s great to have you here. 

Andy
And of course, a shout out to our loyal listeners who tune into our shenanigans every single week. You guys are the absolute best and a big thank you. 

Ange
Yeah. I think you’ll agree, Andy, that marketing is always on the mind of trade business owners because marketing helps bring customers through the door.

Andy
That’s definitely right. But the thing is many trade business owners think that to spend money on marketing means paying thousands of dollars a week on Google AdWords or SEO. 

Ange
Well, Not to mention they can be a bit of a minefield to set up without an expert. If you’re just starting out, there are plenty of other marketing tactics that you can implement that are either no cost or low cost first.

Andy
Yeah, but before we go through our eight low cost marketing ideas, Ange, do you want to give our listeners a recap on the marketing basics? 

Ange
Yeah, sure thing. So most trade business owners are solely focused on what I call attract marketing. They often spend money only to get the phone ring. 

Andy
Which is a problem because there are a few other factors that need your attention when it does come to marketing.

Ange
That’s right. And at Lifestyle Tradie, we teach a marketing formula called the ACDR formula. And the four stages of marketing include attract, convert, deliver, and retain. 

Andy
So what we’re saying is marketing is not just an attract strategy to find new customers. You must be making the most out of it, every customer you work with and then encouraging them to come back time and time again.

Ange
Yeah, exactly. So if you think about attract and convert as activities conducted before the job, what activities do you need to action to encourage a customer to find you and engage in conversation before saying yes to being a paying customer? 

Andy
Well, once the customer says, yes, what are you doing to ensure you exceed expectations or increase the transaction spent? These are activities in the deliver stage. 

Ange
That’s right. And finally, in the retain stage or repeat, what are you doing to encourage the customer to use your services again? 

Andy
The way you go about this does depend on the type of work you offer. Plus you’ll want to consider something we call the three M’s of marketing.

Ange
Yes. So the three M’s influence your marketing activities and hence must be considered when creating your marketing plan. So let me just explain what they are. The three M’s stand for market, message, and media. The market is the “who you’re trying to attract”. The message is “what you want to communicate in your marketing”. And the media is “where exactly do you find them and when”. 

Andy
Yeah. With your marketing goals in mind, let’s start with a low cost attract activity Ange. 

Ange
Okay. So in no particular order, we’re kicking off with Google Maps marketing. Do you want to take this one away? 

Andy
Yeah, basically Google Maps helps drive local businesses by allowing your customers to find you by searching on either Google or on Google Maps. It’s a location search tool that connects geographically. 

Ange
Everyone uses their phone to search for businesses these days and that’s what makes it really powerful. So to appear in Google Maps results, you actually need to optimize your Google My Business profile to include all of your updated information. And then you must claim and verify your business location on Google Maps. 

Andy
So the key benefit of Google Maps is the fact that you’re trying to get a higher ranking in search results. Based on your geographic location. You know, if you work with the residential market, they definitely prefer to work with someone local. So that’s where Google maps can be a real money magnet for small businesses. 

Ange
Yeah, that’s right. And in turn will increase your business’s visibility and hence drive revenue. 

Andy
Exactly. Plus Google Maps marketing is free, but you can boost visibility with local search ads, which will bring your business to the top of the search queries for relevant keywords.

Ange
Yeah. You know what? I’m all for technology and using it to the max, especially when it’s free. But moving on to our second tactic on the list, I love getting back to good old fashion partnerships as a low cost marketing tactic. 

Andy
You can’t beat strengthening human to human connection, right? 

Ange
Yeah, exactly. Want to explain this one? 

Andy
Sure. I mean, just say you’re a painter. Why don’t you introduce yourself to the owner and the team at the counter at your local paint shop with the intention of becoming a preferred painter in the area? Because if you can make this connection and build trust with them, there’s a good chance they’ll recommend you.

Ange
Totally. And you know what? This works in reverse. You can actually recommend your customers to use the local paint shop too, instead of the big name businesses. So building rapport and a great reputation in your local area is a big winning marketing strategy. 

Andy
There’s no doubt about it. Trust is everything. And while we rely on technology to tell us where to buy a product or service, I’d argue word of mouth from someone you trust is next level effective. Pounding the pavement, so to speak, developing relationships with your local contacts will put your business name on their lips to recommend you. 

Ange
Totally. If you think about all the other local contacts you can make in your community from a business perspective and now you can become that preferred supplier of anyone who uses your services either before or after you is a great way to become known as that person in your community to rely on when you’re that painter. To me, it makes complete sense. So let’s move on to number three. Social proof is hugely influential to attract new customers. 

Andy
So just to get clear on this, social proof in a marketing content is evidence that other people have purchased and found value in a product or service offered by a business. They’ve been recommended by others. 

Ange
Absolutely. And that’s why it’s important to gather your own social proof by asking every customer for a review that you can feature on your website. 

Andy
Imagine the influence you can have on someone’s buying decisions if they saw over 100 five star Google reviews on your website. I mean, we’ve got some members of ours that have over 900 five star reviews. Yeah. Now tell me that doesn’t bring in the work. 

Ange
Absolutely. And one of the conversations that we have about that is if you do get even one review that might be like a three or whatever. The argument is to leave it there and just make sure that you actually are making comments immediately against that particular review because otherwise people can be a little skeptical, right? So I do think it’s important to pass comments that if someone were to say something not so savory, that you have a response, but you actually leave it there because, you know, a hundred plus four and five star reviews is going to outweigh that single negative one. 

Andy
Yeah, I think everyone out there looks at reviews these days. You know, when we book accommodation or a restaurant, we always go down that rabbit hole to see what other people’s experiences are before buying. And, and you’re right, Ange, sometimes there are some negative reviews, but you wade through the good. You look at the negative and sometimes you go, ah, yeah, that person’s just a bit of a weirdo and these guys are looking really good.

Ange
Totally. So let’s move on to number four, which is social media. You all know exactly what this is already, but the key is meeting your audience where they are. 

Andy
Yeah, obviously we got Facebook, we got Instagram, we got TikTok, we got LinkedIn, and that’s only the ones that are common right now, but I’m sure there’ll be a hell of a lot more in the future. The question is, where does your audience hang out? 

Ange
Yes. Do young people still use Facebook? Apparently, yes. Is Instagram a great visual platform for showcasing your work? Absolutely, yes. And would LinkedIn help you reach professionals like real estate agents and strata managers? The answer to that is yes.

Andy
The point is, know your audience. The “who” before you choose the “where” to start reaching out to them. 

Ange
Exactly. This is taking us back to these three M’s of marketing that we talked about before, which is marketing, message, and media. This is all about where they are, so this bit is important. Let’s move on to number five, which is a bit of a no brainer, but it’s getting a mention and it’s vehicle signage.

Andy
Yeah, if your vehicle doesn’t have signage, what the hell are you doing? You know, there’s no doubt about it. Your vehicle or your fleet of vehicles is a moving billboard. You know, as we used to say back in the day, you have one truck. It looks like you had two. You have two trucks sign writing, looks like you had four. You have four trucks sign writing. Looks like you have 20. You have 10 trucks sign writing. Looks like you have… 50. They are everywhere. The thing is, you can really consider which way you want to go. You can either go a full vehicle sign writing or a complete wrap. Now the wrap is much more expensive, but let’s face it, it definitely looks smeak and gives you a real strong brand presence.

Ange
You know what? It may not be strictly low cost, but it’s definitely a must have. In our opinion, every trade business owner should be communicating their brand through vehicle signwriting 100%. 

Andy
Every drive is a marketing opportunity, or just sitting your vehicle at a customer’s property for a few days or weeks is also the perfect marketing opportunity.

Ange
Yeah, it could be this simple thing that brings in one or two extra jobs a week. 

Andy
Exactly, but on the flip side, without vehicle signage, every drive could be a missed job opportunity and that could be thousands of dollars you’ve lost. 

Ange
Yeah. Ouch. That’s what that means. Sorry to interrupt the episode today, but there’s something really exciting happening and I know you’re chomping at the bit to tell our listeners more about it. Aren’t you, Andy? 

Andy
Yes, I am. We are super excited to let our listeners know that we’re touring the country again with our Lifestyle Tradie Live event. This September. Hell yeah! 

Ange
Other than your bald head, what can our listeners expect to see? 

Andy
Come on, come on, that’s a bit rough. Well, they’ll see how to go from chaos to control. With the ever changing economy and those high interest rate rises, there’s never been a more important time to get your business structure right. I’d like all our listeners to think of it like an in person, intimate podcast episode. 

Ange
Yeah, exactly. We really are real people. We don’t just live here in podcast land. 

Andy
Listen, if you’re sick and tired of working super long hours, you want to get off the tools, scale the business, maybe even sell the business, or just want to work on your business and not in it, then Lifestyle Tradie Live is for you.

Ange
If you truly want to make more profit, gain back your time to spend it with friends and family, or take that three week camping trip you’ve always been putting off, then tell your wife or business partner to come along to Lifestyle Tradie Live in a capital city near you because nothing changes if nothing changes. Take this first step to really set your business up for success. As Andy said, there has never been a more important time to get this right. You will love it. 

Andy
Register now at lifestyletradie.com.au. 

Ange
So let’s move on to number six, which we’re big fans of this one, which is entering industry awards. And just recently Lifestyle Tradie won the Australian Small Business Champion Awards for 2023. And wasn’t that a fun night, Andy? 

Andy
It was an incredible night, Ange, and actually we’ve won that award for the last two years. But winning an award just gives you that extra bit of credibility that your competitors may not have. 

Ange
Absolutely. If you’re weighing up between two businesses and one business has won a significant award, there’s every chance you’d select that one.

Andy
Well, just think about it when you go to the local shop to buy a bottle of wine. There’s no doubt about it. If you’re having a look and you’re just not sure on what to get, and you’re not sure of the brand, if you had two bottles in your hand and wanted one, a gold medal or a few awards and the other one hadn’t, which one would you choose? You’d pick the gold medal winner hands down. 

Ange
Yeah, I’d pick the medal winner every time. 

Andy
Okay, we’ve just listed six low cost ways to attract a new customer. What is important is making the most of every customer. 

Ange
That’s right. So this brings us to point number seven, which is actually about converting customers. So in Dr. Drip, which is a maintenance style plumbing business, we always use an inspection report to highlight what passed or failed within and outside of a house. Like maybe the second toilet doesn’t flush properly, or maybe the anode is rusty in the hot water system. 

Andy
It’s really important to help educate your customer about their property. To be honest, they don’t actually know. So it’s your job as a professional to tell them what needs fixing. 

Ange
Yeah. I find this interesting actually, Andy, because I say this often that when you very first start in owning your own trade business, you’re quite conscious about the fact that you’ve been to TAFE for like four or six years or whatever to know your trade. But over the course of time, been in business for 5, 10, 15 years, you become quite complacent about the knowledge that you have. And therefore, you don’t feel like your knowledge perhaps is taken for value and that people will really value the comments or the sentences or the information that you’re going to share with them about your property. But I think that’s what is important. If I was your customer, I’ve actually called you in because you have this exceptional knowledge and I know nothing about my property. So, you know, I think it’s important to value it. And this is where these inspections work because it does give us a process whereby the customer does see this inspection report and we use it internally for a business to actually upsell and cross sell because at the end of the day, ultimately it’s about us as trade business owners and tradies in the field empowering customers to make an informed decision, which comes from you sharing your knowledge about your skill set in your trade.

Andy
Yeah, you’re 100% right there and instead of going to a house for a 200 job too, you Say change a fan if you’re a Sparky, you may end up helping the customer with additional work like three additional smoke alarms or extra power points and, or maybe changing some globes to LED. You know, and all of a sudden you walk out of the customer’s house now and you may have made 1, 200 just as an example.

Ange
And you know what? The customer is happy because you’ve fixed some additional issues and they now actually feel safer at home thanks to your recommendations. And you’re happy because you’ve made more money than originally planned or while you’re still on site. To me, that’s just a win-win. 

Andy
And the idea is by conducting this free assessment for the customer, you’re going over and above their expectations of their business. Now, you’re not pushing them into something they have to do. You’re just arming them with the information and they can make the decision. 

Ange
It’s a professional report that uncovers any potential hazards and assists their understanding of preventative maintenance. 

Andy
Yeah. These reports were a central part of our marketing at Dr. Drip, and I know this is one of the things that our members are quick to incorporate because they really do work. And most business owners that are struggling with work can increase their workload by 20 or 30 percent by just implementing something as small as this. 

Ange
Totally. There is, however, definitely a right and a wrong way to introduce these inspection reports to the customer. And even the right language to use to ensure it does come across as somewhat casual or things we actually teach our members in detail. 

Andy
Exactly. And we’ve tried and tested it over many, many years. Yeah. So that brings us to low cost marketing idea number eight. 

Ange
So we’ve shared seven of our favorites, let me just recap them first. One, Google Maps marketing. Two, develop a local partnership. Three, social proof or five star reviews. Four, social media, considering more so where your customers hang out. Five, all important, vehicle signage. Six is, industry awards and seven, is implementing these inspection reports for conversion. 

Andy
And finally, branded stickers to drive repeat work. You know, for electricians, they go on the switchboard. In plumbing, they are placed on the hot water units at every customer’s house, for example. 

Ange
Yeah. So stickers drive repeat work. Let’s talk about this. So especially high profit margin work in emergencies. So let me ask you this. If a hot water unit bursts, who are you going to call?

Andy
Well, when most customers are panicking because there’s water flooding everywhere, they see a sticker on a hot water unit, they think, this company must have installed this unit, I’m going to get them to come out and fix this unit. 

Ange
Exactly. So, although I might also add this is a long term strategy because, you know, you put your sticker on that unit today at every single house you visit, every residential property you go to, they’re perhaps not calling you tomorrow, are they? So, it does stay there forever, but it does work. 

Andy
Yeah. And driving repeat customers is a must. And at Dr. Drip, we increased the average dollar sale three times based on the fact that customers knew and liked the business and trusted our judgment of recommendations. 

Ange
So, hold up a second. That point’s really important. So, listen to that sentence again, crew. Repeat work increased our average dollar sale three times. Ask yourself, what impact would this have on your trade business right now, if you had this repeat work in your trade business? 

Andy
I’d say it’s absolutely huge. 

Ange
Yeah, so marketing can sometimes feel really overwhelming, especially when you don’t know where to start. And that’s why it’s important to understand the ACDR formula, which we mentioned is attract, convert, deliver, and retain, and make sure you’re actually hitting all four. Don’t just focus on attract marketing. 

Andy
And think about your business and who you want to work with. So you can set a plan to start with some of these no or low cost marketing activities.

Ange
Absolutely. So the eight suggestions we talked through today are a great place for all trade business owners to start a simple sticker, a customer review, and a local partnership. 

Andy
Do what feels right for you and your business, your budget, and your customers. 

Ange
That’s our marketing ideas all wrapped up. So, let’s head straight over to Ask A&A Anything for this week. 

Andy
So, this week, a listener has asked, What phone system should I be using for my trade business? 

Ange
Well, I’d say most trade business owners divert an office mobile at the end of the day to their own phone for after hour calls. Sounds about right? 

Andy
Well, not entirely. I mean, lots of trade business owners are trying new platforms these days. I mean, we used a voiceover IP system, it was called Phonica, and pretty much it’s like an internet phone. I mean, we, Absolutely loved it because we could convert the phone anywhere at any time. We could also record every single phone call as long as you informed the caller and it helped us track where all of our marketing was coming from. The statistics were super, super helpful. I know quite a few Lifestyle Tradie members are using Phonica as well. 

Ange
Yeah, that’s right. We found the owner great to deal with and super helpful, which isn’t always the case, of course, with tech platforms. 

Andy
And as well, some of our members also who use ServiceM8 as a job management platform use the ServiceM8 phone, and we’re hearing some good reports about that as well.

Ange
Yeah, we are. And there’s another platform which is working well for members, which I believe is 3CX. 

Andy
Yeah, these types of conversations often come up inside the Lifestyle Tradie Membership where different platforms and technologies are discussed at length because what’s right for one business may not be right for the other.

Ange
Yeah, that’s fair. It’s a great way to understand what’s working and what’s not without making a huge investment and realizing it was a poor choice. 

Andy
Yeah, for our listeners, the basic premise, these are some of the phone systems that are being used by the people we know and trust. There’ll be others out there that may tick the boxes for you as well.

Ange
Correct. At least this is a starting point for your research anyway. 

Andy
Righto, Ange. I think that’ll do us for today. What do you reckon? 

Ange
Well, another awesome episode packed with some super practical takeaways. 

Andy
Whatever you’re doing this week, make sure you have a good one. 

Ange
Catch you next week. 

Andy
Subscribe to The Tradie Show, wherever you get your favorite podcasts, rate and write us a review or for more information about Lifestyle Tradie, head to lifestyletradie.com.au.