As a service based business you will have a specialized set of challenges and opportunities when having your website designed and built.
Even between service businesses there will be nuances to each web project. Does your business serve a local area that could be defined on a map? Or do you perform a service remotely, not limited by driving distance to your potential clients? How about your pricing system, do you price by the service (like a spa) or by the hour (like a plumber)? In that same example of spas and plumbers you also have the level of customization that each client receives. A hot rock massage is a pretty standardized offering of 60 or 90 minutes, whereas re-routing a water pipe through a home is going to be different undertaking at each address.
Get Clients to Understand Your Services
One of the most important things your website needs to do is truly inform your potential customers of what it is that you do. If your business is obvious, that’s fantastic — let’s go the extra mile and show clients why choosing your business is the best choice. On the other hand if there is some ambiguity about the service you provide, or if you are doing something wonderful and new that no one else does, we will need dynamite visuals and copy to get the message across.
There’s the service itself, and then there’s the benefit that we’ll want to dive into. We’re stepping a little into branding and marketing here, but let’s use your website as a golden opportunity to show new clients the problems you can solve for them. Your website is going to be a 24/7 sales representative and part of that job is to clearly communicate the service and value that you will provide to your customers. Let’s make it count!
Help Your Customers Take the Next Step
You’ll want an attractive user experience (so, solid branding and web design in place) with clear and obvious calls to action. Do you already know what you want your users to do? Maybe you think the only answer is to get the phone ringing, and perhaps that is true for your business, but there is so much more than just calling for a service today that you would be leaving on the table.
Say your service business has got all the contact information prominently on the site. That’s good! It’s a critical step for sure, but what about the folks who aren’t ready to buy yet? What could we be doing to get them a little more involved, a little more cozied up so that when they really need your services they will think of you first?
What we need to do for you here is a little bit of positioning and a little bit of customer outreach or lead nurturing. If we’re building a website for your plumbing business, why don’t we provide your users (at no charge) a free quarterly Homeowner Reminders email so they can stay on top of their home maintenance TODOs just by leaving their email address? Wow, think of all the leads you could collect and the folks nearby that you could educate and help. All the while you will simultaneously be building goodwill and positioning your company as the local expert that they will surely be calling when the time comes.
Did you see what we just did there? For everyone who wasn’t ready to take the step of hiring Joe Plumber today, we made a second ask to send them a little something, a little informational reminder to help them keep their largest asset (their home) in good order. They still took a step. You captured far more attention than just the “ready today” buyers, and it will make all the difference as those potentials take the next steps over time to transition from leads to customers.
Add The Value Your Industry Needs
Here’s a compliment that lights up my whole week: “We’re so excited to launch this, no one else has anything like it and our people are champing at the bit to start using it.” Yes, I do get this one at least once a year! Having the best and being the best in your industry online… What a splash you would make.
The best features aren’t always obvious, which is why I always recommend brainstorming with a good professional web developer, web marketer, or business strategist. We might be asking ourselves what we can be doing to push the envelope in your industry, or maybe your business is ready to start automating some critical tasks like taking orders online or handling some customer service through the website. What could we do to wow your clients? What could we do to free up your service reps? Are there opportunities unique to your business that we could capitalize on with the website?
If you’re really interested in taking your service business website to the next level I do have something for you. It’s my 35 Ways to Reimagine Your Website which you can grab from my self promotional web project She-Builds-Websites.com. This is a list of tried and true strategies that you can use straight from the PDF or as a springboard for new great things. How many ideas does it take to up your website game? Implement everything which will be a wise investment for your business, but you can always start with just one great idea.
Calling all service businesses ready to shine! We’ve got the experience and ideas for you, and a consultation is free. What are you waiting for? Take the next step, tell us about your project.