7 electrician advertising ideas to boost sales

Key takeaways

• An effective electrician advertising strategy starts with setting marketing goals, determining your budget, and identifying your target audience
• Your website is critically important since all marketing channels will direct customers to your site
• Segment your marketing efforts into different target audiences, like commercial and residential customers, to get the best results

Electrical companies prioritize being an expert in the field and aim to provide excellent service to their customers. But unlike many other service-oriented small businesses that rely on heavy advertising, electrician advertising is often left on the back burner.

However, you’ll need to turn some attention to your marketing efforts if you want to earn repeat business and win new customers from competitors.

This guide will show you exactly what to do to take your marketing game to the next level (hint: it’s all about improving your online presence) and grow your electrician business.

Planning an electrician advertising strategy

Before jumping into tactical advertising decisions, it’s critical to lay out an electrician marketing strategy. This includes determining your goals, setting a budget, specifying the electrical services you offer, and identifying your target audience.

Your electrician advertising strategy is based on what you want your marketing efforts to accomplish. Do you want to increase repeat business, find new customers, or both? Or do you simply want to spread awareness within your local service area? Once you’ve identified your goals, you can decide how much you want to spend. Your budget will dictate the marketing campaigns you’re comfortable pursuing.

You then need to decide what type of services you’ll be promoting and who your target audience is. Your marketing tactics will vary depending on whether you’re working in the commercial or residential space.

For example, your target audience for commercial work will be property managers, contractors, or commercial buildings. Your target audience for residential work will be homeowners and landlords.

Once you have these details ironed out, you can craft your messaging to connect with your target audience. Then you’ll move onto the more tactical aspects of advertising, which we’ll cover below.

7 effective electrician advertising tactics

Small business owners have many marketing strategies to choose from. As an electrician, you can grow your business using these seven core advertising tactics.

1. Create a professional website

A polished and professional-looking website design is the first step to proving you’re a trusted electrician. Most, if not all, of your digital marketing will bring users to your website so it has to contain all the information a potential customer needs to know.

You only have a few precious moments to capture the attention of visitors once they arrive on your site. Attention spans are brief with visitors—most leave a website after only 10 to 20 seconds.

Your site should have a great user experience, clean design, and the following sections: services you offer, your local service areas, an “about” page for your company, contact information, contact form, and blog.

A clear call to action should be front and center as soon as a visitor hits your home page (also known as the landing page). An example of an effective call to action could be, “Call now to receive your free estimate.”

It’s also crucial that your site is optimized for mobile devices—nearly 50% of U.S. web traffic comes from mobile devices. You will look more professional and keep people on your site longer with a clean mobile design.

2. Create content on your site

Blogging about relevant content on a consistent basis will bring more traffic to your website. The trick is to formulate a content marketing plan, set a publishing schedule, and promote your content to increase traffic to your site.

First, determine what type of content you think potential customers will be interested in. Use one of these free keyword research tools to hone in on the exact terms people are searching in your area.

Local B2B customers may be searching online for topics like “commercial electrician in Detroit” while residential customers may be inquiring about topics like “home rewiring in Austin.” Choose the search terms with the highest traffic, and use them to guide your blog writing.

Set a publishing schedule, and be disciplined about writing at least one article per week. After you’ve published the article on your site, you’ll need to promote your content for people to see. You can promote your electrician-focused content through your email marketing (emails you send to current and potential customers) and social media channels.

3. Improve your search engine optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization is the process of tweaking your website and content to improve your rankings on search engines. SEO is free, but some aspects can be too complex to handle on your own without an expert’s advice.

Still, there are still some actions you can take on your own to improve your search engine rankings.

Similar to your blog content, you should add relevant and high traffic keywords to your website pages. Include popular search terms within your headings and throughout the text on the page. For example, the headings on your service pages should be along the lines of “New Orleans circuit breaker repair” or “Los Angeles light installation.”

Having a mobile-friendly website will also boost your search engine results.

4. Post on social media for different audiences

Social media marketing can be a powerful tool for electricians. Each platform gives you a unique opportunity to maintain relationships with previous customers and generate leads for new customers. Your strategy will be slightly different depending on whether you’re a B2B electrician or a residential electrician.

Residential electricians will benefit more from using Facebook since clients are homeowners who are likely already active on the platform. Facebook is a useful outlet to post links to your blog content and drive traffic to your site. You can also use the chat feature on Facebook to communicate with potential clients who have inquiries.

Commercial electricians will benefit more from using LinkedIn as a type of lead generation tool since this platform is geared toward professionals. Property managers, local business owners, and contractors are all potential leads for more commercial business. You can post relevant content regarding your industry, engage in thoughtful discussions, and expand your professional network.

5. Create emails that convert readers into customers

Email marketing will help you stay in touch with previous customers, but also provide a way to nurture leads and convert them into customers.

Your website will have contact details like a phone number, email, and social media links, but it should also feature an email newsletter sign-up form for potential customers. In regards to current customers, you can collect their contact information and ask for their permission to send emails after you’ve completed their service.

Once you have a collection of emails, you can begin sending useful content to people on your email list. Make sure that you send a variety of emails (and don’t overdo it). For example, you can send links to your blog articles that offer helpful tips, discounts on services, or seasonal promotions like 10% off their next service.

Email marketing also gives you an opportunity to create a referral program with previous customers. This is another area where you can offer a discount on service for every new client they refer. It’s important to also provide the new customer with a discount to sweeten the deal. It’s a great way to spread word-of-mouth buzz around your electrical business.

6. Help clients through video marketing

Making videos to post on your YouTube channel, website, blog, or other social media accounts can be an effective way to earn electrician business online. It will show potential customers that you’re willing to help them for free and build your reputation as an expert in your craft.

Create videos that explain how people can fix basic electrical problems on their own. This can include things like basic electric outlet repair, repairing a circuit breaker, or installing a ceiling fan.

The goal of video marketing is to provide guidance for your audience so they can solve simple issues on their own. By building this initial relationship, you’ll be top of mind. Even if they don’t immediately need your assistance, they will turn to you when they have more complex issues that require an expert electrician.

7. Build your online reputation

Online review platforms are incredibly useful for consumers to research your electrician business before making a final decision. In fact, 91% of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase, and 84% of consumers trust online reviews and testimonials as much as a friend’s recommendation. A wealth of positive online reviews can set you apart from local competitors and help you win new business.

You can start collecting customer reviews by claiming your Yelp Business Page if you haven’t already. Easily add your contact details, photos, business description, and more. What’s more, you can respond to all customer reviews—positive or negative—which will show your willingness to provide excellent customer service.

Potential customers can then visit your Yelp listing, read through the reviews, and determine if you’re the right company for the job.

Set aside some time for growth

As an electrical contractor, set aside spare moments to focus on some of the ideas in this guide that will promote your business. Many of these marketing strategies are manageable and won’t take up too much of your time.

Start with the easy wins first—like polishing your website and claiming your Yelp Business Page—before moving onto more time-intensive endeavors. Implement some of these online marketing strategies, and you may soon start to see an uptick in new customer leads and new business.