5 Ways for Trenchless Contractors to Build Their Client Base

Trenchless technologies provide a safe, efficient, and often eco-friendly means of solving infrastructure problems common to many aging cities and private homes. As a trenchless contractor, you know that the services you provide are superior to traditional methods of excavating to repair or replace existing hardware for utilities.

The problem is that your prospective clients may not even know you exist, or that there are better options for pipeline and sewer repair. Whether you’re catering to individual homeowners, commercial interests, or larger municipal clients (or all of the above), you can hardly offer them the best available services if they are unaware of your existence.

In other words, you need to find ways to reach a targeted demographic, perhaps in a targeted locale, that is seeking your services, whether they know it or not. How can you reach these people and build up your client base? Here are just a few ways trenchless contractors can expand their reach and build a larger client base.

1. Define Your Target Audience

Before you even start traditional outreach efforts like advertising you need to figure exactly who your clientele is. A trenchless contractor may work on private residences, with a target audience of homeowners age 35-65. Perhaps your intended customer includes commercial developers or city planners.

Once you have established a general demographic you should further narrow your scope. Maybe you want to focus on homeowners that are in residences older than 30 years, for example, or you want to reach business/commercial owners in older sections of the city.

You need to be very clear going into your client-building efforts who you are targeting so that you can hone your efforts and spend marketing dollars wisely. Otherwise you’re just taking a shot in the dark and probably wasting time and money in the process.

2. Increase Your Online Presence

Local advertising through print, radio, and television is a perfectly valid way to promote your business. However, it is also outdated and expensive, which means you shouldn’t make it your entire strategy.

Online marketing has emerged as an affordable and efficient means for businesses to market themselves, even if you’re only interested in marketing locally. Once you have a website and you’ve engaged in search engine optimization (SEO), you can continue to gain visibility by joining social media platforms, claiming listings on consumer review sites like Yelp, Angie’s List, and Google My Business, and engaging in tactics like geo-targeting to reach local customers.

Businesses can no longer afford to ignore the opportunities presented by online marketing efforts, and you should know that your competitors are almost certainly online, giving them an edge. Even if you’ve taken the first step and created a website so that at least you can be found online, it’s time to do more if you want to continue building your client base.

3. Encourage Reviews

Word-of-mouth advertising used to rely on the discretion of satisfied customers to use their trusted status to recommend a business to family members, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. Today you can do more on your own behalf.

4. Raise Community Awareness

Getting out into the community and meeting people face-to-face, so to speak, is a good way to build your client base. This could be as simple as placing temporary signage on your job site for passersby to see.

Or you could go the extra mile by participating in community events that help to raise awareness of local businesses. You could start by renting booth space at community fairs to build up your contact list and perhaps offer discounts for those who sign up.

Consider finding charity events to participate in, especially if you can lend your services instead of donating funds. This will increase visibility and help you to build a positive public image within your local community.

5. Cross Promote

A clever business owner can use the reputation of an established local business to promote their own brand. All you have to do is find an adjacent business, such as an electrical service, that is willing to promote you to customers.

You can encourage this by setting up suitable deals. For example, you could offer exclusive discounts or deals to any of your partner’s clients that come your way via referral. Your partner provides added value to their own clients and you get to build your clientele.