Essential first steps to establish an online presence in field services

When you’re past the start-up stage and scaling is your next vision, is it worth spending valuable time trying to build your presence online? It’s a question all SME business owners ask themselves, and it’s an equally important consideration for reputation and business growth in field services.

This blog outlines the essential first steps you need to establish your field service management business online. First, let’s address why it’s important that you do.

Why you need an online presence

Nowadays, people spend half their lives online, whether that be working, shopping, socialising, learning, and so much more. Establishing a presence online is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s essential. Importantly, it could make all the difference when it comes to clinching your next job. 

Even if you’re old-school and don’t conduct your business online, many of your potential customers will. They’ll use the internet to find out more about you. Let’s face it, virtually no one spends their money without checking out online reviews.

If you’re still not convinced, here are some important reasons why you need a presence online:

• 85% of people research products and services online before they make a purchase
• 70% of B2B buyers cite company reputation as the most influential factor when choosing which company to do business with
• 9 out of 10 B2B buyers say online content has a moderate to major effect on purchasing decisions
• 70% of small-to-mid-sized businesses (SMEs) are investing more into their digital presence
• 71% of UK businesses have a website

Why a website is a good idea

You can build an online presence without a website, so if you’ve come this far without a website you may be questioning whether it’s an investment worth making. But as your business grows, a website becomes even more important and is essential for the online marketing of your business. Here are five great reasons why:

1. A website makes you look more professional and indicates that you are a legitimate and credible business
2. Your website acts as an online window for your customers enabling you to showcase brilliantly what it is that you do
3. On your website you can show potential customers what it’s like to work with you by prominently displaying your best testimonials and reviews (this is a vital aspect of building a reputable brand)
4. Capture leads! You can use strong enticing calls to action (CTAs) to encourage potential customers to contact you
5. With an SEO-optimised* website, you’ll have more chance of being found by people searching online for field services

*SEO-optimised means making your website pages easily discoverable by those who are searching for key terms relevant to your business

5 essential steps to establish an online presence

Step 1. Buy a domain

Before you even think about a website, you’ll need to buy a domain name (make sure this is the same name as your business). 

This is a critical step, so you should spend some time researching to understand what a domain name does. The reason it’s so important is because to change it later could hurt your online rankings and your brand. Here are some tips on how to choose a domain and for complete beginners, here’s a useful guide.

Step 2. Build a website

Before you run for the hills, your website doesn’t have to be complicated. There are plenty of people out there who can help, especially if you class yourself as a bit of a Luddite. Though, with a bit of research, you might just surprise yourself and learn a new skill!

In the main, creating a website has never been so easy. There are lots of website builders with easy-to-use interfaces. This makes a website easy to construct without having to learn any complex programming or code.

You may want to invest in help from a web developer, but you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to get a simple website up and running using web-builder platforms like WordPress, Wix or Squarespace. In WordPress, for example, you can choose from hundreds of templates, some of which are free. 

See some tips on how to build a business website here.

Step 3. Think carefully about your content

The content on your website is CRITICAL! Consistent, valuable content is what will earn you credibility and reputation in your field. Most importantly online, your content should reflect the search intent of your potential customers. 

You may want to consider different pages on your website to cater for different customers. In field services, you may want to differentiate between emergency customers and bigger ongoing maintenance projects. 

What problems and challenges are your customers looking to solve? This should be central to your website content. Remember, your customers don’t want to know about personal stuff, like your hobbies or pets. They want to know how you can help them, that’s all! Don’t forget to display your trade accreditations and have your contact number in your header on every page.

Your words should also guide your visitors through the website in a logical format. The content should clearly explain your brand concept, tell people about your services, and convince them why they should choose you. This is all about marketing your field service company.

Your website should have the following pages:

• Homepage
• About Us Page
• Services Page
• FAQ page
• Contact Page

If content writing isn’t your thing, hire an SEO-savvy writer to help you. Fresh content can be added via a blog. Read more about why you should have a blog on your website here. And here are some tips for writing content.

Step 4. Get on listings and create a Google Business Profile

Since Google is the most popular search engine (it currently holds 92% of the market share) many potential customers will be using it to find the products and services they are looking for. 

So, how does a Google Business Profile help?

Your Business Profile on Google provides accurate information about your business online. This includes your hours, website, phone number and location. It’s a free listing which helps you maintain local results – these show up in several ways in Maps and Google Search. Your Google Business Profile also enables you to post photos of your business and collect reviews from existing customers. All of this helps when promoting your field service business online.

You’ll need to do a bit of work on your profile to make it work for you. Here’s a great Google My Business strategy. 

There are heaps of other listing sites and online directories to consider, many of which are free. Trustmark is an essential.

Step 5. Get active online and build relationships

It can take time to grow an online presence. One way to get people landing on your website is to share relevant content on social media. Blogging and sharing your articles can spark conversations and get your business more widely known, especially if your followers like what they read and share it.

As an expert in your field, it’s worth joining some relevant groups on social media and sharing feedback, answering questions, and joining in conversations. It’s a great way to make connections and you never know where they may lead.

There are heaps of strategies for improving your presence online. Competing with the big boys maybe be overly ambitious, so don’t think you’ve got to sign up to an expensive contract with a digital agency. Though, if you are dreaming big, that may be your next step once your business has grown.

Grow your business with Joblogic

Just as important as your digital presence is digitisation in your business. A wow-factor website and online presence needs a slick business behind it. That’s where we can help. Joblogic’s field service management software helps you to plan, manage and optimise operations in a single system. Boost productivity, save time and improve customer service to live up to the online reputation you are striving for.

Book a demo call and we’ll show you how.