Email Marketing for Small Businesses & Tradespeople

In this digital age, your average Joe is attached to a phone almost 24/7. We almost never switch off, which is probably why 64% of small businesses use email marketing to reach customers. As a tradesperson, you’re rubbing shoulders with some tough competition. If you’re not using email marketing and your competitors are, they might have a better chance of winnings jobs. 

The good news is that email marketing is easy, affordable, and effective. We’ve got some ideas on how you can use it to win jobs – and grow your business. 

Need more help with marketing? Download our free Marketing Toolkit for Tradespeople!

Pushed for time? Jump ahead:

1. Benefits of email marketing
2. Where to start
3. Content to cover – how to use email marketing
4. Top tips for success – polish up your email marketing

1. Benefits of email marketing 

Email marketing does more than just give your customers another reason to be glued to a screen. Here’s how it can help grow your trade business:

• Drive sales through customer loyalty or exclusive deals.
• Promote new products & services.
• Increase your return on investment.
• Retain customers through regular contact.
• Learn about your customer needs.
• Engage with a new market.

2. Where to start 

The digital world can be overwhelming at first. Here’s what you need to do to get started — and keep your email marketing game strong.

Read up on the rules

Nobody likes getting spam emails. Make sure you check the laws in your country around what you can and can’t send. Generally speaking, people need to opt-in for you to be able to send them emails.

• Email marketing laws in the UK
• Email marketing laws in the US
• Email marketing laws in Australia
• Email marketing laws in NZ

Gather your contacts 

Before you can start sending marketing emails, you need to first collect contact details. If you use Tradify, your customer database will already be on file. Otherwise, retrieve customer info from your past jobs and collate it, so it’s on hand when you need it.

Set your purpose 

You need to keep your email marketing consistent. Before you bombard your customers with info overload, sit down and get clear on what it is you’re trying to achieve and what approach you’re going to take.

Get customers to act 

The most important thing with email marketing is to get your message across quickly – and get your customers to act on it. Include a clear call-to-action (CTA) in email that guides customers on what you want them to do next – that might be to read your blog, book in a service, or submit feedback. 

3. Content to cover – how to use email marketing  

Now you need to decide what kind of content you put out there. There are endless ways – but here are the basics.

Keep customers in the loop

On average, people check their email 15 times every day, so there’s no better way to keep in touch about jobs. If you’re working on somebody’s dream home, they’ll appreciate regular updates on how the build is going. 

Use Tradify’s editable templates to create and send: 

• Quotes
• Invoices
• Purchase orders
• Job service reports

Showcase new services 

There’s no better way to promote new services than with a quick email. If you’re an electrical business now trained in EV installations or you’ve added a new heating technology to your HVAC business belt, send an email to let your customers know. 

Celebrate a month’s work with a newsletter

Send a short business update that’s both entertaining and insightful. It’ll keep your customers in the loop, give you a chance to promote your expertise, and just might inspire them to book you in for another job. A monthly newsletter is also a perfect opportunity to showcase your latest work. 

Create hype with special offers 

Hand out a 10% discount code to your loyal customers to say thank you for their support, or make an introductory offer for new clients. In the commercial cleaning biz? Why not offer a combo deal for a house and gutter clean? 

Offer top tips and tricks 

Tradespeople are known for being handy, with a fair few tricks up their sleeves. Use that knowledge to promote your business through a weekly tips-and-tricks email, or update clients on recent news related to your industry. 

For example, if you’re an HVAC technician, think about firing off some tips for keeping a home warmer in the winter. It’s a simple gesture that could make all the difference for your clients – and they’re bound to remember you the next time they need their air conditioning fixed. 

4. Top tips for success – polish up your email marketing 

Use email marketing resources 

Online platforms like Mailchimp can be helpful tools for your email marketing. Mailchimp lets you generate your marketing content, then automates sending your emails when they’re most likely to get opened. Plus, you’ll have access to insights on what content your customers are engaging with the most. 

There are others out there – like drip, sendinblue or moosend. Jump on one of their free trials to find what best suits your business. 

Check your emails are sending 

Too often, businesses spend hours constructing emails and sending them out, only to receive nothing in return. Don’t let that be you! Run your eyes over our guide to make sure your clients are definitely receiving your emails from Tradify. You’re going to all the trouble to compile your marketing – so you want to make sure it’s worth your time. 

Follow up with a review request 

When you’ve finished a job, it’s always a good idea to follow up with an email to thank your customer – and request a review for a job well done. This will keep rapport strong and gives you an extra nudge towards professionalism. 

Here are some more tips on how to get 5-star reviews. 

Think about your audience 

We’ll give you some advice that every marketing guru knows – if you want to excel in your marketing, you need to put yourself in your customers’ shoes. You’ll have a much better shot at getting into their heads if you’re speaking to their pain points and needs. That might mean narrowing in on a particular audience with a unique marketing strategy. 

As a tradesperson, your audience might be far-reaching – the retirement home down the street, the city office, and the farmhouse up the valley. You might need to slightly shuffle your offers when targeting different people – for example: 

• Electricians - think about educating your clients on the importance of electrical safety. 
• Commercial cleaners - target retirement homes or places where people are less likely to carry out these jobs themselves. 
• Builders - offer a free quote to prospective clients at building shows or expos.

Remember quality over quantity 

This is true in two ways – quality over quantity of your clients and of your content. It’s more effective to have a handful of loyal subscribers than it is to have 100 who never open your emails. Similarly, it’s more important to provide quality content people will actually read once a month than to bombard them with ten pointless emails every week. 

Set up auto payment reminders 

Unfortunately, tradespeople can often be waiting a long time to be paid for their hard labour. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Make sure you set up an automatic payment reminder email to give your clients a gentle nudge about an upcoming payment. 

Time your emails 

There’s not much point in sending an email at midnight when your clients are asleep – they’ll probably dismiss it in a half-asleep state come morning. Think about that when you send your emails and try to fire them off when people are likely to be at their phone or computer – like on lunch breaks or after the kids have been put to bed. 

Nail your marketing, nail your business 

Whether you’re an electrician, builder, plumber or cleaner, email marketing is one of the sharpest tools in your marketing shed. Not only will it increase awareness of your business, but also help to retain existing customers, win some new ones and highlight your expertise – meaning there’ll only be one direction business can go – up!

Make your email marketing easier with Tradify by keeping all your customer info in one spot. Sign up for a free 14-day trial, or jump into one of our weekly live walkthroughs.