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Locksmith marketing is powerful, but most locksmiths ignore the marketing side of their business, causing them to lose potential clients. I thought it was time that locksmiths started to generate a return on their efforts and spent some time figuring out what works.
Everyone knows that you should be marketing your locksmith business, but how do you do it? Do you advertise online, or is that just a waste of money? What about traditional marketing? If you’re a locksmith in Des Moines, Iowa does print marketing even work anymore? In this article, I take a look at some popular marketing strategies and provide my thoughts on them.
Why Locksmith is a Unique Business
It’s a 24/7 business
This is one of the most important factors that distinguish locksmiths from other industries. No matter what time you call, someone should answer your call. When your car keys are locked inside your car or when you lose your phone in an unknown place, it’s a big problem, and you can’t wait until tomorrow to solve it. You need immediate help!
You don’t need employees
What other business can you start where you don’t need to hire anyone? Sure, some growth may require adding staff but most small businesses require hiring help from the beginning or growth period. You don’t have to worry about employee benefits or payroll taxes which can eat away at profits quickly. You also won’t have to worry about finding qualified candidates for your staff because this profession requires nothing but training that you supply yourself!
It’s a diverse business
If you’re looking for something that will allow you to constantly learn new things and solve different problems, then being a locksmith is ideal for you. The world of locks is so vast that there are still many things that have not been invented yet or have been discovered. This means that if you’re planning on starting your own locksmith business, your work will never be dull. This will surely keep things interesting for you!
You can enjoy some freedom
If you’re tired of working in an office where every single day is the same, then opening up your own locksmith company will certainly be appealing to you as well. But just remember that this freedom also comes with some responsibilities and duties. You’ll have to do everything by yourself when it comes to running the business so make sure that you don’t bite off more than what you can chew.
You are not limited by territory
Locksmith is not limited by territory. There are no borders. You can become a locksmith anywhere in the world and make money. If you are looking for more freedom, then this is one of the best options for you because you will be able to work from home or anywhere you like.
If you are a locksmith, you don’t need to worry about your location. You can work anywhere at any time. If a customer needs you in the middle of the night, it’s not a problem at all. You have your van or truck with all the tools and equipment needed. You can travel anywhere and do your job without having to worry about anything.
There’s no overhead cost
The biggest benefit of being a locksmith is that you don’t have the overhead costs of a storefront. You don’t need to pay for rent or electricity, and you don’t need employees to answer the phones or greet customers.
All you need is your car, tools, and work area. For this reason, many people like to start as a locksmith before they open their own locksmith business. It gives them a chance to get used to working on their own, plus it lets them decide if it’s something they want to do for a living.
Main Locksmith Business Challenges
Getting new customers is hard
You will notice that your clients tend to stay with you for a very long time, but getting new ones is still a big challenge when it comes to running a locksmith business. You will want to make sure that even if you do not get many new clients every month, you can still keep your existing ones happy and satisfied. There will be times when they call around looking for lower prices, but if they get good service from your team, they will stay with you.
The competition is stiff
When it comes to running a locksmith business, the competition can be stiff especially because there are so many companies out there that offer great services. To stand out from the crowd, you need to make sure that your company has a good reputation and offers quality services.
Lack of knowledge
The first challenge that you may have as a locksmith is that you lack the proper knowledge of the job. This problem can be easily fixed by getting proper training or education on the subject. You need to know your tools and products inside out. You need to understand everything about the security system so that you know how to properly fix it if something goes wrong. You should also know about the latest trends in security so that you know what products to offer your clients.
No invoicing system
Another challenge that many locksmiths face is not having an invoicing system. Having an invoicing system helps you keep track of how much money you make each month, how much money each client owes you and how much money you spend on specific repairs or services. This helps you plan your future actions and take the necessary steps to improve your business.
Trouble with advertising
Your business depends on customers. No customers mean no business. If a locksmith is not good at advertising, he will have very few clients and that means making less money to support his family, which will eventually force him to close his business.
A lot of inventory
This can make your vehicle heavy, which makes it hard to get around town. It can also make it hard for you to be able to move your inventory around as needed, especially if you are moving it in an area with large amounts of traffic and many one-way streets. If you have customers in a rural area, you may be more limited by what you can sell due to the lack of infrastructure. In areas where there are mostly smaller towns, having a mobile inventory can be quite useful because this gives you more access to customers and allows you to move quickly from place to place.
Pros and Cons of Locksmith Business
Pros
- Working fewer hours than almost any other business.
- Having a portable business that can travel with you or be run from a home office.
- You can sell yourself and attract new customers with your passion, enthusiasm, and knowledge of the industry.
- You are your boss.
- There is always work.
Cons
- You need professional-looking signage and uniforms.
- Need to deal with people, who can be moody at times.
- It takes longer to start generating money.
- Not a lot of cash flow.
- Locksmiths need personal marketing skills.
- You must purchase certain specialized equipment.
- Insurance nightmares.
- Must use your vehicle, this can get expensive.
- Business can be risky as you work on other people’s property and security systems.
Best Locksmith Marketing Strategies
Consider a promotional package or service
Locksmiths often offer promotions, such as a free lock replacement with the installation of a new deadbolt. This is a good way to get new customers in your shop and boost your business.
A promotional package is the best way for small businesses to get started with broad marketing campaigns. This approach allows you to start small and add services later if needed. This can be particularly useful if you aren’t sure how many services you need or want to offer yet. It’s a good strategy that allows you to make decisions as they come up and scale as needed.
Indeed, locksmiths can’t afford to let a single lead go cold, and one of the best ways to keep the leads flowing is by offering a promotional package or service. Whether it’s an offer for a free security consultation or a free emergency lock change, there’s always something that can be done to sweeten the deal. It should not be something that will cost you much or anything at all, just a little something extra to make your customer feel special and appreciated.
Advertise with Google AdWords, Bing Ads
The best locksmith marketing strategies focus on getting new customers through online advertising. Working with Google and Bing, you can create effective PPC campaigns to get more customers in your door.
Tried and true locksmith marketing strategies don’t always work in the 21st century. The old trick of putting stickers on cars no longer has the same effect since most cars are parked safely inside garages.
You need a more modern approach to marketing your services. The good news is that you have options when it comes to where you advertise, and how much you spend.
Get started by creating a Google AdWords account (it’s free). This makes it easy to set up an ad that appears whenever someone searches for “Locksmiths near me.” It’s also important to focus your ad on what people want, which is usually fast emergency service at a low price.
As such, your ads should include:
Phone number: Since most people will be searching for a locksmith, you have to make it easy for them to contact you. They’ll need your phone number so they can call or text and get help from the locksmith who shows up first.
Prompt service: You want to show up as quickly as possible, especially if someone is locked out of their premises.
Rent out your services on Fivver
Fiverr is one of the most popular sites for freelancers. It’s a community of people who offer services in exchange for a small fee.
As a locksmith, you can use this site to your advantage. Set up an account and then create a listing that advertises your services. Once you get some positive reviews, other users will start coming to you.
But what’s the best way to do that?
- Describe your locksmith service offerings and pricing clearly, and make sure you have a solid website. Describe your locksmith services clearly on your website so people can understand when they’re in trouble and need help.
- Make sure you have a clear pricing structure that’s easy to find. You may even want to test putting it in different places on the page to see where it gets the most attention.
Advertise on local radio stations
Before we get started, we have to ask: are you ready to spend some money? A lot of money? We’re not talking about a few grand here or there. You’re going to need to buy a lot of ads if you want to see any results. And you will see results.
The question is how long you’re willing to stick it out and how much you’re willing to spend. Treat this as a long-term investment with a huge payoff, because that’s exactly what it is.
You’ll be spending in the thousands for months on end to recoup your costs and turn a profit down the line.
Since advertising is such a big part of the equation, it helps to think of your locksmith marketing strategy as an investment plan.
Here’s how it works:
- Investment period: This is the period when you’re investing your money into radio advertising. At this time, you aren’t seeing much return on your advertising dollars, but you have to persevere to reach the payout period. Stick with it!
- Payout period: This is when your investment starts paying off. It usually takes around three months of consistent radio advertising before you start seeing more jobs come in than ever before. That’s when your marketing
Post your service on Craigslist
Locksmiths are not the most tech-savvy people. They usually come across as a bit old school in their marketing techniques. So how do you compete with them? The answer is to be smart and innovative with your marketing strategy.
To start, you don’t want to just rely on your website and business cards. You need to take advantage of the online world and make sure you are visible online through the use of social media and Craigslist ads.
You should use Craigslist because it’s a free way to market yourself. It can draw in a lot of potential customers if you are smart about it. But if you’ve never posted an ad on Craigslist before, there are a few things you should know first.
First, always include your phone number when posting an ad on Craigslist. This is crucial for two reasons:
1) You will get more responses from potential customers and
2) Those potential customers will be able to contact you directly without having to call a number where they will have to leave a message that someone else has to deal with later on.
Second, when posting an ad on Craigslist, try to make it interesting and descriptive enough so that someone unfamiliar with locksmiths or locksmith services understands what they are getting into when they call you.
Reach out to local bloggers
As a locksmith, you are well aware of the importance of marketing. You don’t go out and tell everyone in town that you are the best locksmith ever. This is because your customers will come to you.
If you aren’t getting any business, then you need to analyze your marketing efforts and figure out what can be done better. Trying to get more business through local advertising is not always easy because the competition is fierce.
Where do you even start? Well, one great place to start is through local blogs. Bloggers love to hear from professionals in their area, especially if they are offering an informative post that helps people with their problems or concerns.
They also want to hear about new products or services that are coming up in their area. One of the easiest ways for a locksmith to get started with blogging is through guest posting on another blog.
There are many places online that allow guests posts from different bloggers, and you can usually find them by searching for something like “guest post.”
Once you find a blog that allows this type of advertising, contact them and tell them about your business and how it could help others in their area. Letting others know about your business through blogging is a great way for locksmiths to get noticed
Offer free quotes and consultation
Locksmithing is a growing industry, one that needs both service providers and general contractors to thrive. Marketing yourself as an expert in this field can be tricky because there are many other companies out there competing for the same business. However, offering free quotes and consultation as a locksmith marketing strategy can put you ahead of the competition.
Pro tip: Start by creating a new email account that is specific to your locksmith business. Keep it professional and do not use a lot of personal information like nicknames or pictures of your pets.
Create a simple logo for your logo, but keep it very simple so that it will show up well on print materials.
Be sure to have multiple sources of income from your locksmith business. Do not just rely on one source to make money; always have several that you can use to make money from your company if one source becomes depleted. For example, you might offer locksmith services and sell custom-made security devices such as safes or other equipment for the home or office.
If you hold any type of event for your customers, provide them with a discount on their next visit if they bring along someone else who needs service done.
Partnering with a locksmith supply store
One way to get clients is to find locksmith marketing partners.
Customer referrals are the best way to grow your locksmith business. Word of mouth from a customer you’ve helped is by far the most effective way to bring in new business. This is also the best way to keep your customers happy.
Partner with a locksmith supply store and you’ll be able to promote yourself at no cost.
When people need help because they locked themselves out of their house or car, they’re not thinking about how much it will cost them. They’re thinking about how they can get back inside and get on with their life as fast as possible, and they want someone that they can trust.
When you partner with a locksmith marketing partner, as a locksmith supply store, you can offer this service without even being there, simply by telling people about them as you help them in their time of need.
By partnering with a locksmith marketing partner like this you don’t have to worry about having cash on hand for marketing because you won’t be spending any money! You just have to tell people what options are available, then let them decide how they want to proceed.
Hire a public relations manager
You’ve probably heard of public relations (PR) being used as a marketing strategy for big companies such as Coca-Cola, Nike, and Samsung. But how about a small business? Can a locksmithing company use PR to market its products and services? The short answer is yes.
Trying to get more customers for your locksmith business? If so, using a PR company is an excellent way to do it. However, you may be wondering if this strategy is right for your business.
Here are some of the benefits that come with using a public relations (PR) firm to market your locksmith services:
• Immediate reach – With the right public relations company, you’ll have access to a variety of media outlets that will give you immediate exposure in your service area. This includes newspapers, magazines, television or radio stations, and websites.
• Increased name recognition – One of the biggest benefits of using PR to expand your customer base is that it increases your name recognition in your community. Customers will know who you are, even if they’ve never used your services before. Having this name recognition will make it easier for potential customers to find you when they need locksmith services.
• Improves search engine rankings – PR results aren’t just limited to print but also SEO tactics.
Conversion-focused copywriting
The copywriting that you use in your advertising is the first thing to communicate to potential customers. You want them to have a positive impression of your business, whether it’s a painting company or locksmith. When you take time to write great copy, it will be easier for clients to find your business when they need something done.
Tone and word choice can mean the difference between winning and losing a client. If you are too pushy, no one will want to come back for business. If you are too nice, you might not stand out from the other companies that people do business with all the time.
The trick is to be confident and friendly at the same time. It is possible, but it does take some practice. Use phrases like “you deserve” and “won’t cost much,” instead of “have to” and “expensive.” This helps people feel more positive about their choices as they read through your text.
If you’re writing ads for your locksmith marketing strategy, think of what you would like to see if you were reading through ads like yours. You might even try looking at some ads that are similar to yours right now. What do they say? Can you change anything about them? How can you make yours stand out?
Final Thoughts
For locksmith entrepreneurs who are still hesitating about whether or not to use marketing strategies, the case studies and strategies mentioned in this article that successfully help locksmith business owners and provide all the answers and related data needed to justify their decision.
