The words Recover Rejuvenate and Refresh in a diagram representing the positive effects of physical therapy or a visit to a spa
Bringing Website Security & Some Marketing Pizazz Together
It is your responsibility as a website owner, to set up a secure environment for your visitors and potential customers.
So many Tradies have not upgraded their sites to include SSL, which adversely affects their SEO Ranking.
Now is your opportunity to get a boost in your visibility and position your site to a better rank positions and ultimately more traffic and more sales.
UsForYou.com.au has joined together with Urban Digital Co. to provide you with a package that is designed to quickly get you up to speed.
Your business can get in on the cutting edge of this digital revolution.
It’s called the “Digital Refresh” that brings the talents of UsForYou Australia & Urban Digital Co together
It’s available for a low, one-time fee.
You get all of this…
Refresh your Digital Presence:
“About Us” Video Slideshow with content from your website and pictures you nominate to help your potential clients know more about you & your brand
“Review” Video Slideshow to showcase one of your longer reviews by turning it into a video
NB- Video Size suitable for Instagram, Google My Business, Facebook, Linkedin
Not Suitable for Instagram TV
You Tube Sizing available for an extra $50.00
Website Updates
Plugin and Theme Updates
Word Fence and Database hardening
Google Link check
Site Address Changes to HTTPS
Back up of your website WP
Site speed test – WP
Email & Phone number Clickable for mobile devices
(Only for WordPress)
You get everything in the package offer for just $649!
But we have a…“Special Time-Sensitive Promotional Offer”
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates just for tradies, plus promotional offers and special discounts that are only available to my loyal subscribers. The first 10 Tradies on our mailing list who purchase the Digital Refresh Package will receive a $100 Discount Voucher to be used towards your purchase. This offer will sell out quick, so don’t miss out… Hurry and Place Your Order Now!
Visit our Contact Page and enter your name & email address with the words “$100 OFF” to receive your discount.
We would like to congratulate Holly Carter-Madej for being chosen as the winner of the Tools Down Competition in Melbourne. We will be contacting you on how to claim your prize.
Congratulations,
Holly Carter-Madej!
Unless you are Holly, you may be a bit disappointed that you weren’t the lucky winner. That doesn’t mean that you can’t still feel like a champion. It’s still not tool late to redeem yourself. The Tools are going Down this Saturday & Sunday, November 10th & 11th at Batman’s Hill.Make plans to attend. Register now!
Well, “surprise, surprise!”, the top social media platform for tradies is…Facebook!
According to Sensis, Facebook has 15 million users in Australia, who diligently (and religiously) log on to their platform an average of 31.9 times per week! Somewhat astoundingly, the typical Facebook user also spends more than twelve and a half hours per week on the platform. That’s a whopping one and a half working days, spent trawling through the timelines of family, friends and the Pages of businesses they follow, like and support!
Word of mouth, or social proof will always be critical for tradies and as more and more people are going to Facebook first for service providers and supplier recommendations, a quick browse of your Facebook Page can showcase to a potential new customer your most recent projects, allow them to see customer reviews and testimonials and get a good feel for you and your business’ brand.
Pinterest – Surprisingly, Pinterest is converting sales at the second highest rate for suppliers, according to Basic Bananas (I’ve conferred with my peers in the marketing world on this and we’re all in agreement on this). I nearly fell off the chair I wasn’t sitting on, and mumbled “get trucked!” under my breath when I heard that. Pinterest’s ‘Save for Inspiration’ button is where the action’s at. Tradie suppliers are likely to do better out of Pinterest, as it’s a great platform for sharing product shots. Like Twitter, Google’s spiders can permeate, digest and index Pinterest content reasonably well too, which means that the content you post there will show up in search results in Google, providing you tag and describe your posts well.
Instagram – For now at least, the use of Instagram is on a bit of a case-by-case basis, mainly depending on the nature of your trade. There are some excellent building, carpentry and landscaping business pages on Instagram, for instance. However, the verdict is still very much out for plumbers and electricians, since these tend to be less visually-appealing trades. “Nice power outlet!”, or “Wow, look at that S-bend!?” are things you’re not likely to hear too often… Instagram does offer many of the same benefits as Facebook in that it does allow you to help tell the story of your business, and Instagram posts can double up as content you can share on your business Facebook page, so it’s worth being there too.
Twitter – We’re not super keen on Twitter for tradies just yet, unless you have a good relationship with a strong influencer who can retweet your posts regularly, because in reality, each tweet only has a super-tiny life of a mere 12 seconds! It’s valuable none the less, but it’s a very fast moving platform and content is king there. There are some tradies on Twitter, but they tend to be those with much larger companies, and in Australia most of them and posting to Twitter in an automated way, and then sending the potential customer’s clicks on the Twitter post through to their Facebook Page or Instagram profiles. Twitter, is also much more about enabling B2B and for catching the news. Business related activity on Twitter is more about the regular Monday-Friday, 9-5 routine. 🙂
Google Maps – Rounding out our wrap-up of social media platforms, and one that can be perceived as a bit on the boring side – and is all too often forgotten – is Google Maps. It’s content is made public and it’s obviously a Google platform, so let’s face it – when it comes to SEO we all bow down to Google, in the hope that we can wrangle the beast to get our content to rank the way we want.
Having a basic page on Google Plus can help get a jump start on the search engine rankings since business who are listed there appear on Google Maps, and ahead of the search engine results on desktop and mobile search.
Having your business properly listed within Google Maps will allow your business to show up on mobile devices as users pass enter the vicinity of your business. It allows you to be easily discovered bringing awareness to potential clients who may not already know that you are there. Additionally, reviews left in the google ecosystem will be attached to your business in Google Maps.
You can include your phone number and trading hours as well as set any special hours for holiday periods. You will also want to encourage your customers to leave reviews on your google places listing as this will also show up when people check out your business on Google Maps. This provides added social proof for your potential customers that will make you shine above other tradies.
So….lots to think about. It might seem all a bit overwhelming, but that’s where we at Usforyou Australia
can help out. Social media is SUPER important for tradies and you need to be there. Talk to us today to understand your business and your needs. We can get you up and running quickly and effectively.
WEB SECURITY IS NO LONGER OPTIONAL – IT’S A NECESSITY!
Web security is no longer an option – It’s a necessity. For several years now, the Internet has moved toward a heightened security. There has been a strong advocacy for sites to adopt HTTPS encryption. Over the past year, more and more users have been taught the importance of HTTP sites and made more aware of sites that lack proper security.
There has been an ongoing push from Google to gradually mark a larger subset of HTTP pages as “Not secure”. In July of 2018, Google began marking all HTTP sites as “not secure” with the release of Chrome 68.
Progress has been incredible. According to Google…
81 of the top 100 sites on the web use HTTPS by default
In fact, Chrome’s new interface will help users understand that all HTTP sites are not secure, and continue to move the web towards a secure HTTPS web by default. HTTPS is easier and cheaper than ever before, and it unlocks both performance improvements and powerful new features that are too sensitive for HTTP.
SSL – WHAT IS IT?
SSL is an acronym for Secure Socket Layers. It is a sublevel of HTTPS which is a secured form of Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. Basically, it’s what keeps the bogeyman from peeking through your window when he’s online.
SSL employs a public key infrastructure that utilizes the RSA method of encryption & authentication by way of security certificates. That’s like having a receptionist on duty to verify the three digit code on the back of your credit card before taking your order over the phone.
SSL is ideal for protecting sensitive information, such as customer names, addresses, birthdates, phone numbers and credit card information.
The Benefits of SSL Certificates in Data Exchange
SSL is value to both customers and businesses that are concerned with the level of security found in cloud-based transactions. Here a few immediate benefits you can expect.
Block Hacker Attacks
You can never be to cautious, especially when it comes to phishing sites. Phishing sites are an almost perfect replica of the original site that has been targeted. Hackers use many techniques to lure unsuspecting victims into providing sensitive information. However, SSL is able to detect what the human eye might overlook to ensure that fake sites are not able to go undetected.
It’s not possible for phishing sites to acquire a valid SSL certificate. When customers are alerted to the absence of an SSL certificate, they generally avoid falling prey to the attack. In addition, SSL certificates help protect targeted websites from eavesdropping, sniffing attacks and man-in-the-middle attacks.
Boost Page Rank & Increase Brand Value
Google has updated its algorithm to include HTTPS as a rank qualifier. All websites that are secured with SSL to provide a certificate and an URL with HTTPS protocol have a page rank advantage in search engines.
A site that has visible SSL will see a dramatic improvement in the perception of its brand and conversion by visitors. The confidence of your visitors is assured by the validity of the certificate, which adds a heightened level of trust in the site. Visitors will have an increase comfort and willingness to provide sensitive information.
Extended Authentication Builds Trust
Customers are far more aware of the security concerns of modern times. As a result, a lot of sensitive information such as account passwords and personal details are commonly exchanged in a cloud platform. A secure method of authentication is required to ensure the protection of sensitive data.
HTTPS is a clear indicator of website security. There has never been a better time to add SSL to your site.
UsForyou Australia has teamed up with Urban Digital Co and can get that sorted for your business website. Check out this exciting offer by clicking here.
You want to build on the success you’ve had so far?
You want to grab the opportunity you’ve made for yourself and take full advantage of it?
You want to do it properly.
BUT
You’re not quite sure how.
You know it can be done
You know you’ve got the goods, too.
It’s Frustrating!
THE FIX
The fix is simple too – learn how to grow and scale your business.
Learn a simple framework for growing – the structures and the systems with Jon Dale a Specialist Trade Business Coach
The Tools Down Workshop is a great place to start. You’ll learn: ○ The framework ○ The right place to invest your marketing money. ○How to sell your value instead of just giving a price.
WHEN: November 10th & 11th, 2018 (9:30 am start)
WHERE: Batman’s Hill, 623 Collins Street,Melbourne, VIC 300
We have our eyes on the Prize for being the number #1 in increasing your business through Social Engagement. As the [managing director] of Usforyou, I’m confident in my strengths and I’ve developed my business platform around providing Social Media Optimisation and Management for Tradies.
We optimise social engagement using know-how and real conversations, we use know-how not overpriced software to deliver results. This focus on real results, engagement and affordability means we are there for local business providing tradies with the results they want at affordable prices.
UsForYou gets builds your brand recognition on the leading social networks.
We are there for the little guys our local businesses providing the service and brand recognition they need to grow.
I have dedicated my time towards developing an understanding of how small business operates and the key drivers of success in social networks and social marketing. I know how to connect with a target audience to increase sales for those who offer straightforward services to people in need.
While Usforyou is pretty far away from a fully blown production company, we know our way around content. Through our simple, straightforward service we can provide ongoing support for small businesses to keep generating those likes, shares and (most importantly) sales.
If your focus is on creating community awareness rather than the top corporate high-tech solutions, Usforyou can provide you with results.
The talent we work with:
Copywriters:
Web Development:
Video Production:
Designers:
Usforyou connects your business with the best local talent to achieve fantastic results. Delivering ongoing, reliable solutions and manage these connections for a very small percentage of the job’s total cost.
Create “Before & After” pictures that clearly show what you can do. Get your customers permission before posting.
Tip: Make graphics clear. You only get 3 seconds to impress. So you don’t want your audience seeing a before photo and thinking that is your best work.
Celebrate your employees- Create open and engaging conversations with your customers and employees. Your employees spread the word about how good you too! Employees if valued create business and spread word of mouth through family and friends.
Is it the receptionist birthday?
Did one of your apprentices get awesome results in TAFE?
Did one of your employees do something great in the community?
Share a post celebrating the wins and milestones with them. Their wins are ultimately your wins too. A human connection is great to help customers connect with your business.
Post about local updates-
It might seem a bit crazy to be sharing other businesses stuff on Facebook when you are trying to get the sales, but by sharing other local businesses info that doesn’t compete with you, it shows that you are invested and proud to be part of that community.
It can also present some potential collaboration opportunities with other businesses in the future.
Attracting Followers with Live Video Streaming from Smart Phone. Vector Illustration
Video:
Videos are hot, Live Video is even hotter. Try to make your Facebook live and interactive but most importantly, let your audience get to know about you. Instagram also lets you do live video and share across both social networks.
Employment- By posting a vacant position in your social media feed, it gives people the opportunity to tag their mates growing your audience. You can also share this post on Facebook Marketplace and further extend your business’s reach.
A potential employee can also stalk your Facebook page, see pictures of your workshop, vans, other employees and reviews from customers etc.
Blogs from your Website- Helpful an engaging blogs shared onto Social Media can have a big impact on SEO. So sharing your helpful hints, tips and appropriate jokes on your social media. It will really drive engagement with your brand.
Significant Dates:
Celebrate and share your brand using dates of fun events, holidays & relevant Industry updates of interest to you and your customers. There are various lists available on the internet and it can help you plan your Social Media Marketing for the year.
Reviews: Got a great review via email on your google maps page? share it! You can do up reviews on various different graphics creating platform.
A Great rule of thumb is to treat social media as an open conversation do not “sell, sell, sell” and the “look at us, aren’t we great” thing all the time it’s a one-way conversion that doesn’t engage.
UsForYou Australia grows your business by increasing your businesses reach and engagement across social media delivering a return on investment that lasts. Enquire now limited spaces exist with packages starting at $200 a month.
So in Feb 2017, the hashtag of #rentinoz went Viral, thanks to the combined work of National shelter, Dontrentme.com.au, TUNSW and of course, the big trigger, this Choice Australia Report.
The Media, of course, had a field day of what to choose regarding peoples thoughts and experiences relating to the #rentinoz hashtag.
The quote below is just one of many in the pond that triggered my predictions for how rental rights will change
Renting is miserable. Our last landlord threatened to “fix” two broken air conditioners by removing them. Instead, they were left broken. garthk (@garthk) | Twitter
Prediction 1:
Real Estate agents will become a lot pickier with their clients and the quality of the repair work done.
Prediction 2:
Senior Property Managers will be able to breach the landlord to the local administrative court if they are breaking tenancy laws.
Prediction 3:
A new generation of Landlords versus Slumlords enter the market.
Property Investors in some areas are getting both savvy and empathic to the fact that these are people’s homes that they are paying off their mortgage of with. Therefore, I think owners/landlords will be more particular about the jobs are done and, as we know, in the trade industry, good quality has a price tag.
Prediction 4:
Australia is getting hotter, so air conditioning design will be more important, and with that, a shift toward renewable energy solutions such as solar power.
I also suspect this may become a mandatory requirement at some stage for landlords, but no doubts the laws will differ depending on the State.
So I’ve opened up a potential can of worms here
What happens if it’s the Tradie that owns the investment property and wants to do plumbing when he is a sparkie by trade? What happens if it’s a picture hook or a Rail that needs fixing? What about general maintenance duties? Will landlords be able to mow the lawn of the property they own while tenanted??
I just don’t know how that will pan out and I’m not in Parliment ( thank goodness) and in charge of fixing this embarrassing mess. I.E. Rental rights in a supposably Developed Country.The Landscape is changing slowing but surely.There will be lots more debate about this, as political parties press ahead with the issues.
So, this advice could be a little late if you have followed our previous blogs on joining FB groups, however it’s never too late to improve on what you are doing, so here goes:
Beware of your Stalkability!
Facebook may not be a real world, however what we are saying is that once your business page is out there and you are joining groups to get more hits on your business page, this doesn’t mean you (the person behind the business) remains invisible. If your name is “John Smith” you may not have to worry too much, but even then, if you are “John Smith” of “Smith and Son’s Plumbing” in Bexley, people can, and will, find you and check out your personal page. If you name is “Jamjar Wentworth Smythe”, you definitely need to worry about this.
You see, these days people want more than a tradesperson, they want a relationship with a trusted individual who they are prepared to invite onto their property and count on again and again. So, this is an opportunity to put prospective customers at ease and “upsell” yourself a bit. With that said, here are some pointers about your personal Facebook page that you should be following even if you don’t have a business page:
Present-ability: Pictures of your cute dog (or kids) doing something is good. Picture of your new “I hate Jesus” on your left butt check is bad. Be mindful when posting pictures.
Careful of what you share: Although not always possible, remember that prospective clients might be looking at your page. You might think that marriage equality is a bad idea or that Donald Trump is an idiot, but your next customer might be LGBQT or pro Trump, so best to keep it to yourself.
Keep it positive: Sure, you might be having a crap day and feel that life sucks and it’s OK to express that occasionally but don’t get carried away. People respond better to positivity, and posting on the bright sides will have the double bonus of helping you look on the bright side.
Rule of thumb, imagine you are looking for someone to do something for you (understanding of course that you are a tradie and can do most things yourself) and you’ve got a couple of choices. Imagine that you can see their FB pages. Which one do you go for? Well, your FB page should look more like the person you would give money to, to do a service for you.
So, hopefully by now you’ve found some local groups and you’ve joined them and are starting to think about content to post. We’ve mentioned about reading guidelines of each group before posting, however here are some other great hints on what not to do by Search Engine Optimisation guru, Kate Toon.
Our next bit of advice is to go slow and steady! It might be tempting to join 50 groups and start posting the same thing daily across all of them, however that’s a sure way to just annoy people and damage your “brand”. Instead we suggest that you join a couple of groups that you think might have potential customers to your services and post tailored messages and/or adverts for each group. After a few weeks start looking at more groups and more posts however don’t start spamming (IE: posting too much).
In terms of content, think about what’s in it for the person seeing your ad? Have you got an offer? Offering something for free (consultation, quote or even first visit) is a great way to get attention. Make sure you include clear graphics and tag your FB page in posts as customers may not be ready to buy yet, but when they “like” your Facebook page it is easier to re-target them later on.
If this is sounding like hard work, marketing your stuff does take time and effort, however the payoff is in getting more customers. Don’t forget that you can get Us For You to do all of this for you! It’s not expensive and you need to decide if your time is worth more than a little money.
In our first blog we spoke about joining local Facebook groups as a way of advertising your trade business and getting ahead of the rest of the pack, because let’s face it, there is a lot of alternatives to your services out there. The good news though, is that not many tradies are using social media and if they are they are not using it effectively. So, if you have gone ahead, researched and joined some groups, here is our second piece of advice:
Observe the rules and have a clear message.
Most People who run them, will tell you it takes a lot of time & energy to administrate Facebook groups. To keep things running smoothly they will often have guidelines. Guidelines like no post dumping, weekly promo only, and some local buy, swap & sell groups have a strict no advertising rules.
Some Facebook Group you need to be a paid member of a paid service that the person running it owns. Check out how many members they have and if they are a local group it may be worth the fee they are asking for.
Now make sure your message is clear. Don’t try to say too much with each post, just stick to the rule of “keep it short and simple”. Also, we strongly advise that you have someone check your posts before you send them, as we all can miss simple grammatical and spelling errors when we check our own writing. Even professional writers have “proof readers”, so get a friend or family member look over your posts before you post them.
Finally, as we mentioned in our last post, make sure that you personalise your posts for each group. The pitch and tone of your message will be different if it is a local mother’s groups as opposed to a buy, swap and sell group. Us For You can do this for you, or even write your content if you don’t fancy yourself as a writer.
Tradies are an essential part of our society. To some of us they are magicians that can turn up at our house and fix the stuff that we have no idea about, making our lives a little better. But with the onset of the internet, it has become really hard to find the right tradie to fit our needs because there are so damn many to choose between.
In these series of articles, Us For You is offering advice to help your service become more visible among the ever increasing pack.
Facebook Groups have been around for a while now and the power of local advertising in them branding benefits can’t be ignored. However, if done incorrectly you can risk damaging your business brand.
Remember, that joining Facebook groups is about becoming more visible to more people, not necessarily about actively marketing your services. In fact, most groups have rules about not marketing, so you’ll be doing more damage than good if you try. Make suer you read each groups guidelines before posting anything.
How to find groups to join: Simply type in “groups” to your Face Book search bar then hit “Discover Groups on Facebook”. This will bring up lists of recommended groups, local groups and groups that you have friends already in. Now go ahead and join any group you think might have people that might need your services in the future. Local buy, swap and sell groups are good for instance.
What to do once you have joined the groups: Now you need to make a bit of noise. Make sure that your company page is up to date and looking good and when you decide to post on any of the group pages, personalise your message to the group you are posting to. Us For You can help you with this and has expertise in pitching messages appropriate to different groups. It can also help you find the right groups to join, so if the above is looking a bit overwhelming, check out our website and call for a chat.
Inner West Mums interviewed me for their regular segment – “Getting to Know…” – the post is up on their blog now. Go take a look and learn a little more about me… 😉
The services of tradies – plumbers, electricians, carpenters, landscapers, etc – have always relied heavily on two primary marketing channels to drive customers (new and repeat) to their businesses:
Yellow Pages (or other popular, local, offline, directory advertising)
Word of mouth referrals, or social proof
In the absence of storefronts, tradies depend on these forms of marketing, as well as on-vehicle advertising and of course, their websites, but the chances of people encountering these other channels (when they are in need of your services) is slim.
The Yellow Pages (or other similar trade directories) is still heavily relied upon by the older, more traditional demographic that hasn’t yet fully transitioned to the digital world, but for most of us, we use the Yellow Pages as a way of reaching things in the top cupboard or for getting our computers monitors set to the correct height…
Word of mouth, (or social proof) will always be critical, and it is by far and away the most persuasive and powerful of all marketing channels. It’s also free, although it does require you to a do a good/remarkable job for it to work most effectively.
If a customer has been impressed by your service, professionalism and pricing, they WILL remember you for next time, AND tell their friends.
Good service can go viral.
This kind of activity happens offline every day. People meet, they exchange the news of the day over coffee or around water cooler in the office and problems and resolutions get discussed, and recommendations and referrals are made. It’s also happening every minute of every day online, across Facebook and other social media platforms, like Twitter and Instagram. It’s also where people go to post requests from friends SEEKING referrals and recommendations.
Services by tradies are sometimes NOT remarkable, or they ARE remarkable but for completely the wrongs reasons. Delays, poor service, quotes not accurately representing final job costs are all very common reasons for you to NOT get repeat business. You’re on your own with these…do the right thing.
Good news travels fast online, but bad news travels much faster still.
Maintain a professional, high quality service that you’re proud of and DELIGHT your customers in the value you provide. Fail to do this and your reputation online can be damaged in a flash.
It’s therefore time (if you’re not doing it already) to be on the social media platforms so you can benefit from this powerful social proof, monitor (and manage) your reputation online and as a way of delivering value to customers BEFORE they become customers, through sharing of interesting and relevant tips and by answering common questions. And if you ARE doing it already, maybe it’s time to take it to the next level by outsourcing the work to the experts.
This is a space you can’t afford NOT to be playing in. Often for a fraction of your Yellow Pages budget you can have your social media managed for you by US, and for YOU.
UsForYou specialises in social media setup and management for tradies. We can get you and your trade business in front of your customers, engage with them and promote you in the place that occupies most of our attention these days – Facebook. Social proof = social media.
Contact Michelle today to discuss your needs and to learn how she can help propel you and your business into the world of social media. Don’t get left behind!
In case you missed it, be sure to have a listen to the latest episode of BoomShare Radio’s podcast where yours truly (Me! Michelle!) makes an appearance. In this episode, I join Zdenka and Keith Keller as we talk about Twitter demographics, hashtags, Google, business story telling and much more. Pop it on in the background – it’s only 25 minutes, and if you like what you hear, be sure to give it a share.
We would like to congratulate 
WEB SECURITY IS NO LONGER OPTIONAL – IT’S A NECESSITY!
In case you missed it, be sure to have a listen to the latest episode of BoomShare Radio’s podcast where yours truly (Me! Michelle!) makes an appearance. In this episode, I join Zdenka and