The Top 7 Free Platforms Your Business Needs To Be On Now
Marketing Your Business 101
Using Free platforms
Having a strong online presence is critical for every home service company to get found, build credibility, and generate more leads.
With the dramatic rise in competition for all home service businesses over the past few years, and the impact of the most recent Google Core Update, we wanted to share the best ways you, as a business owner, can market your company and improve how you show up in searches WITHOUT having to pay for advertising.
Setting these platforms up properly is always the first tactic we suggest for our clients.
There is no silver bullet in marketing, but these platforms will ensure you have a solid foundation as you work to grow your business.
Setting these platforms up properly will have a dramatic effect on your business - from the number of jobs you do to your gross revenue and even your profitability.
The Top 7 List:
Google Business Profile
https://www.google.com/business/
This creates your business profile on Google and helps you rank higher in local search results. Optimizing your GBP listing with photos, services, and reviews is one of the most important things you can do for local SEO and discovery.
Bing Places for Business
https://www.bingplaces.com/
Bing is the second largest search engine, with over 1.2 billion users. A Bing Places listing offers a great opportunity for businesses in a hyper-competitive market.
LinkedIn Business Page
https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/linkedin-pages
Improve your credibility, share your expertise, and get in front of commercial decision-makers with a professional profile of your business on LinkedIn's network.
Facebook Business Page
https://www.facebook.com/business/tools/facebook-pages
Promote your services, share tips, and interact with customers all in one place on Facebook. Use it to build an audience, run ads, and manage reviews. Make sure your page looks professional, is properly set up, and that you are the primary owner.
Yelp Business Page
https://business.yelp.com/
Actively manage your free Yelp listing by adding photos, responding to reviews, and cultivating more customer feedback. Reviews and ratings on Yelp influence buying decisions.
YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/intl/en_us/ads/youtube-for-small-business/
Video content helps demonstrate your knowledge. Post walkthroughs of projects, tutorials for homeowners, safety tips, and more. YouTube also ranks highly in search results.
Instagram Business Profile
https://business.instagram.com/getting-started
Showcase your projects and team visually on Instagram. Use compelling images and captions to highlight your quality work and expertise. Instagram is perfect for driving brand awareness.
Your Website
This should go without saying, but just in case, in addition to the above-listed platforms, you should constantly update your website with new content, be sure it is properly optimized and that the platform is up to date.
The recent Google Core update has led to dramatic drops in business rankings across multiple industries - especially for those businesses that have not touched their website for extended periods of time.
Don’t let this happen to you.
Don't Neglect These Top 7 Free Digital Channels.
Focusing on these core platforms provides a multifaceted online presence that engages customers, drives brand visibility, and improves local SEO and awareness. These are vital assets for success for all of today's home service businesses (actually, for every business).
And be sure to take advantage of everything these free platforms offer - BEFORE you spend any money on PPC advertising.
Let us know if you have any questions or would like tips on getting these set up we’re happy to help in any way we can.
-The SparkVertical Team
Would you like help growing your business? We want to work with you!
