If you’re in the welding and fabrication business, your skills are niche but crucial to a wide variety of clients. Whether you’re following engineering plans to ensure the stability of a new piece of construction or helping with the demolition or renovation of a home with metal structures in its architecture, being a welder comes with a unique set of skills that’s often in-demand.
All of that being said, it never hurts to drum up a little extra business. Especially with the economy so uncertain because of the global pandemic and it being an election year, now might be the perfect time to look into growing your welding, fabrication, or metalworking business. Here are five strategies to tap to help build more excitement (and more sales!) around your business.
1. Upgrade your machinery.
One way to boost your business is to offer more services to your existing clients, while simultaneously attracting new ones. You don’t have to go back to school in order to build out this skill set either; you often just need to make an investment in some new equipment, like plasma machines, to get the job done. Also known as plasma cutters, plasma machines are able to handle a wide variety of materials and techniques, including bevel and straight cuts. This can be particularly helpful if you primarily deal with stainless steel or aluminum, or are frequently working in the automotive field. Don’t underestimate the impact that having excellent, specialized equipment like plasma machines can have on your sales.
2. Create new marketing materials.
Once you have new gear, it’s time to get the word out! It can be helpful to showcase the broad range of tasks and skills you have as a fabricator, especially if you have clients who only go to you for one specific task. Marketing your services on social media is an ideal way to show off your handiwork since it offers you a visual medium with a high ROI. If you need some help creating compelling materials that showcase your business, consider collaborating with another company — such as https://omnislashvisual.com/ — that specializes in animation and video. They have experience generating dynamic video content that’s perfect for all kinds of mediums and platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook, among others.
3. Improve your customer service.
Did you know that it costs more money to attract a new customer than it does to keep an existing one? This is one of the biggest reasons that investing in customer service is an important aspect of any business expansion. If you feel like you don’t have a lot of time to focus on your customer service, it might be worth looking into web based call center software. Nowadays, call center software platforms go well beyond voice calls and include SMS messaging, social media messengers, and even AI-powered live web chat. All of these mediums make it easier for you to field common questions so that you can keep interested customers informed while still letting you focus on building your business.
4. Boost your SEO.
Since metalwork and fabrication is such a niche industry, it’s ripe for organic search engine traffic. Customers are finding more and more information online with the help of search engines, and by improving your SEO, or search engine optimization, you can increase where you show up in potential customers’ search results. Think of organic web traffic as the same thing as someone walking by your storefront — ultimately, you wind up with customers you wouldn’t necessarily have found via targeted marketing. If you aren’t sure how to go about boosting your SEO, there are plenty of firms to help give you pointers and get things done.
5. Ask for referrals.
Positive word of mouth is always a business’ best friend so, if you have repeat customers often, consider asking them to spread the word about your business. You can even encourage them to leave a review on your business’ Google My Business page, Yelp, or Facebook page, so that other customers see them when they search for you. This helps put positive testimonials front-and-center for anyone interested in your metalwork.
