Starting a handyman business requires more than the technical skills to fix common household issues. To attract customers and continue growing your handyman business, you also must be able to effectively market your services to find handyman jobs.
As the co-owner of a handyman business with my spouse, we’ve used various online and offline marketing strategies to promote our business and make our presence known. In this article, I’ll share some tactics that worked for us and didn’t break the bank.
Related: Guide to starting a handyman business
Establishing Your Presence
The first step to getting handyman jobs is to let people know you’re available by establishing your presence in the market. Start by selecting a memorable business name to create a professional brand identity. We chose Peace of Mind Janitorial and Maintenance because it clearly indicated the services we provided.
Next, customers want to see what you’re capable of doing. A compelling portfolio of your past work is a must. I was lucky because my spouse loved taking before and after photos to show off even before he started his business. I saved these photos, so I had plenty to start with for a portfolio.
However, if you don’t have any photos of your work yet, start with detailed descriptions of your services. You’ll need these anyway. Add corresponding images as soon as you have some. Take lots of photos of every job you do to provide plenty of options.
Using your detailed descriptions and before-and-after photos, build a user-friendly website to begin establishing your online presence. I included a contact form on our website to make it easy for prospective customers to reach out and our phone number for those wanting to speak with us directly. Your website is also great for publishing customer testimonials to establish trust with your brand.
I used WordPress for our initial website because it’s comprehensive yet relatively easy to use. If you’ve never built a website before, many people overlook the importance of optimizing it for mobile devices. In the United States, 63% of Google searches occur on mobile devices. When you view a web page you’ve built, right-click on it and scroll down to “Inspect” to see the page’s mobile view and ensure it looks okay on a mobile device.
Related: How to start a handyman business while working full time
Leveraging Online Platforms
Besides a website, you should leverage local business directories, listing services, and other online platforms to find handyman jobs. Start with a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business). This directory is free and the easiest, most effective way to get new customers for your handyman business. Your Google Business Profile reaches customers via Google Search, and 66% of online referrals come from Google.
You should also utilize free listings on Yelp, Yahoo Local, and Bing Places for Business because these listings won’t increase your marketing spend but get more eyes on your business. Additionally, consider web services like Angi (formerly Angie’s List) and Houzz – free to list your business but charge for leads.
Warning! Any site you place a free listing on will result in you receiving phone calls and emails from sales representatives trying to sell advertising to you. Multiple phone calls and emails! It’s frustrating, but unfortunately, it’s part of the process. To keep marketing cost-effective, carefully consider the return on your investment before spending money on any advertising effort.
Don’t overlook the power of social media marketing to find handyman jobs. Younger generations especially tend to look for services on social media before using a Google search. When you first speak to a prospective client, odds are they’ve already researched your handyman business online. But a busy handyman doesn’t have time to keep up with several social media accounts, so we primarily used Facebook because we were already familiar with it.
Freelance marketplaces like TaskRabbit and Thumbtack allow you to post your services and find posts from customers looking for a handyman. However, these sites often lead to low-paying jobs. You can also use job boards like Craigslist and Indeed to find handyman jobs. We found some work through Craigslist but received a lot of spam and scam mail using this site.
Related: How to set prices for a handyman service
Tapping Into Word-of-Mouth Marketing
When we first started, we stayed pretty busy with word-of-mouth alone because my spouse had worked in the maintenance field before starting his handyman business. It continues to be one of our best marketing tools and doesn’t cost us anything.
If you’re new to the field, these referrals take time. Encourage satisfied clients to leave reviews on your website, Google, Yelp, or any other online platform they prefer. Most sites let you embed the reviews left there on your website so you can gather them together.
We’ve also found lots of handyman work by partnering with real estate agents and building relationships with local property managers or management companies. We’ve also bid on make-readies for apartment complexes, which led to one complex recommending us to several others.
However, one of our most lucrative recurring jobs came from being recommended to a local college for make-readies at the end of each semester. Getting dorm rooms ready for the next resident basically involved removing nails and tacks, filling holes, and repainting the room. Some rooms required minor repairs, but it was pretty quick and easy money overall.
Going hand-in-hand with partnering with local businesses is networking within your community. Join the local Chamber of Commerce and attend the meetings, mixers, and other gatherings to get to know other business professionals who could become valuable partners.
Implementing Offline Marketing Strategies
While online advertising gets you in front of a lot of potential clients, offline marketing strategies can also be valuable. For example, business cards are a must for a professional appearance and provide an easy way to give your contact information to potential customers.
I created our business cards, flyers, and magnetic signs for our work vehicles on Vista Print. I chose this company because I used them before and liked the finished products. It also has easy-to-use design tools and lower costs than other options.
Advertising in your local newspaper or community magazine can also be a good marketing outlet. On the downside, buying advertising in print publications can be quite expensive. But there are other ways to get in these publications.
The first option is to write an article. My previous marketing experience benefited our business because I could write something the local paper was willing to publish in its business section. I also submitted press releases when we had news to share.
Most newspapers have an online link where you can submit press releases, but that doesn’t mean they’ll print them. Both options are free, so if you can get something published, it’s free advertising for your handyman business.
Attending local home and garden shows or trade fairs is an ideal place to meet prospective clients face-to-face. Our city holds home and garden shows every spring and fall. We use them to network with other professionals, build new partnerships, and talk with consumers attending the event. We usually hold some type of drawing to collect contact information for future marketing endeavors.
Maximizing Customer Engagement and Retention
Providing exceptional customer service and communication was fundamental to the ongoing success of our business. We prioritized providing prompt responses and transparent communication throughout each customer’s project to ensure we always exceeded expectations. This practice frequently led to repeat business.
Another way to increase your repeat clientele is to offer special promotions or discounts for returning customers. We even implemented a loyalty program to encourage return clients and tied it to a referral program that encouraged existing clients to refer new customers to our business. Our most popular program was a double-sided incentive that gave the existing customer cashback on their recent work and a discount to the referred customer.
Tracking and Analyzing Marketing Efforts
Advertising costs money, so you need to know you’re getting your money’s worth by tracking and analyzing your marketing efforts. Unless you’ve had some experience in marketing, this part will likely be confusing. KPIs, ROIs, SEO, and a bunch of other acronyms may not mean much to you right now, but believe me, they’re super important.
For example, key performance indicators (KPIs) help you track the progress of your marketing efforts. You must set clear goals to know which KPIs to track. I suggest tracking website traffic, leads generated, and conversation rates to let you know whether your website is getting the traffic you need to increase business, whether that traffic is providing new leads, and whether you’ve successfully converted those leads to new customers.
I use Google Analytics and Ahrefs for web traffic analysis and conversion tracking. While Ahrefs primarily provides insights into organic search traffic, search engine optimization (SEO), and competitor analysis, Google Analytics offers a comprehensive overview of site visitors and traffic sources to help me understand how our site makes conversations.
Our social media platforms also provide valuable engagement metrics. I use all this data to determine if we’re allocating our time and resources accordingly and adjust our marketing strategies based on these insights.
Persistence and Adaptability Are Key
Finding handyman jobs relies on persistence and adaptability in your marketing strategy. Your success requires ongoing effort and the flexibility to refine strategies based on relevant data. If you’re not already familiar with the various avenues for marketing your handyman business and tracking the performance of your marketing efforts, pursue additional knowledge or outsource these tasks if your budget allows.
For long-term prosperity, always prioritize customer service and cultivate local relationships that help you find more handyman jobs and inspire repeat business.
