Be wise, advertise

Where do you find new customers? Do you rely on word of mouth, the local paper, or are you advertising online through social media? Registered Gas Engineer looks at the advertising options available.

Finding new customers is a vital part of any business.

But with so many advertising options available, choosing the best way to market your business can be difficult. It often depends on the type of work you carry out: do you mostly service boilers in people’s homes? Do you do commercial work? Or maintenance work for landlords or housing associations? Different advertising channels will give you better access to different customers, so you make sure you choose the right one for you.

Use the Register

Because you are a Gas Safe registered business, customers can find your details and check your qualifications through Find an Engineer on www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk

The Register advertises regularly online, on TV and in the national press, encouraging consumers to find and check their gas engineer online, and reminding them that Gas Safe Register is the only official registration body of gas businesses and engineers in the UK, Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey. This helps everyone be sure that they are only using registered, competent engineers.

Word of mouth

Word of mouth is easily the cheapest form of advertising and more than 80 per cent* of you regularly receive work because of it. It works because it’s all down to your reputation: when you do a good job, and people will use you again and recommend you to their friends and family. This type of advertising is free, reliable and people will always feel more comfortable calling you if you’ve been recommended by someone they know.

The advantage of word-ofmouth advertising is that it doesn’t require any extra work from you, other than concentrating on doing a good job. One drawback is that you have no control over when or if your customers will recommend you, or whether these recommendations will result in work during times when you are available.

Get found online

Having a dedicated website will make your business look more professional. People who are given your name are likely to look you up online before they pick up the phone, and a website that sets out what your business does, your qualifications and shows examples of your previous work will help reassure them that you’re the real deal.

The cost of building a website varies depends on its complexity. A bespoke site could cost £1,000+ but many website hosting companies have cheaper options, with simple drag-anddrop templates that you can use to create your own site. A unique domain name, such as www.yourname.co.uk, can be added to these websites for a small extra cost.

A website on its own may not help you attract new customers, so if you want a site that actively boosts your business, you’ll need to implement search engine optimisation. This means that if a prospective customer searches for ‘boiler repair’, for example, your website will appear near the top of the list of search results. Paid-for Google advertising can help too.

Social media

Fewer than 20 per cent of you say you use social media to attract new customers*. But being active on social media is a good way to establish yourself and to give existing customers an easy way to direct people to you. You can use Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to promote your businesses by posting examples of your work and letting existing customers know of any offers or promotions.

Social media is really useful for interacting with other gas engineers, and to encourage repeat business by reminding customers to check when their annual service is due, or to have their systems serviced or upgraded in the summer months while your workload may be quieter.

Many channels also offer paid-for advertising options to help you boost your posts so that they are seen by people who have expressed an interest in heating, for example, or who live in your area.

Marketing toolkit

Online directories

Online directories enable people to search for recommended tradespeople in their local area. You’ve probably heard of some of the more well-known directories such as Checkatrade, Rated People or Which? Trusted Traders.

Each directory varies slightly, but most let you include details of your business, often with images of your work and details of your qualifications. Potential customers then search the directory to find relevant businesses in their area. Many encourage customers to post reviews of tradespeople’s work, while some will carry out their own checks on new businesses before allowing them to advertise on their site. ■

*2023 Registered Gas Engineer reader survey

Don’t forget to make the most of the free Marketing Toolkit available to you on Gas Safe Register’s website. You can use the Gas Safe logos on your vehicles, clothes and promotional materials. This seal of approval is recognised nationwide and has a powerful impact on the perception of your business and team.

Just log in to your online account at www.GasSafeRegister. co.uk/sign-in and download the toolkit for logos, templates and advice on how to create your own advertising and stationery.