Knowing where to invest your time and money on your marketing strategy, all while running an electrical contracting business, can be stressful and daunting.

Bek McNeil, Director of marketing agency Bek + Co, has helped numerous electrical contractors across Australia not only set up, but also level up their marketing. In a recent interview she shared some of her top tips for electrical contractors to successfully market their business.

Also, don’t forget to download our free website checklist to ensure your website has what it needs to succeed.

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branding1. First impressions count – Get your logo and branding right

When it comes to marketing your business, your company brand and how it looks, matters. Having a quality brand can immediately set your business apart from competitors.

Bek says your branding is the first thing potential customers see and can decide if they call you or a competitor.

“One of the important parts about branding is that a lot of people are very visual,” she said.

“So even though the quality of the logo sticker that you’ve got on your van has nothing to do with the quality of workmanship that you provide, it is the subconscious cue that it gives people.”

This means that if your logo is hard to read, or is poor quality, it will negatively impact your customers perceptions.

While it may not be at the top of your list when setting up a new electrical contracting business, Bek believes engaging a quality designer is one of the most important steps you need to take.

“Spending money on getting nice branding done by a graphic designer is worth the money. If you can afford it, start with a branding package that includes a new logo, business cards, a flyer and your vehicle signage. You’ll end up with a more consistent look and feel to your brand and it often works out cheaper when you get it done at the same time. ” she said.

Remember that first impressions count. Your logo and branding might seem less important than other expenses when establishing a new business, but they might be the difference between a customer calling you or someone else.


google my business2. Make sure you’re found – Register you Google My Business profile

In today’s digital age, customers turn to the internet first for information. With a few clicks of a button, they can search for a local electrician and pick multiple contractors to contact for a quote.

Having your business details listed on Google is free to do and simple to set up. According to Bek a Google My Business profile is an easy marketing win.

“They always come up on the first page of Google and they’re free to create, so it’s a no-brainer,” she said.

One of the most important parts of having your business listed, is that it gives social proof. Bek says “another way that people make decisions on whether they’re going to use you is through reviews on your Google My Business profile. By having a profile set up, not only have you got more of a chance to rank on Google, but people can actually click and see what other people are saying about you.”

“If I’m searching for an electrician near my house, I’m more likely to use someone who’s got fifty five-star reviews than somebody who has no reviews or doesn’t even have a profile.”

If you haven’t already registered your business on Google, it only takes a couple of minutes and you can do so here.


get to know your customer3. Get specific – Be clear on your offer and who your customer is

Clear messaging is an essential part of marketing your business.

“One of the risks when people are starting out, they have the idea that everyone is your potential customer. The reason that’s really risky is because if you try to be everything to everybody, you      end up meaning nothing to nobody,” she said.

When you’re establishing your business make sure you take the time to define what your Unique Selling Point (USP) is – what makes you unique to your competitors? Then clearly explain that to your customers in your marketing.

“If you are experienced in high voltage electrical in the mining industry – be specific that this is what you do on your website – therefore you’ll attract more of this work and the right customers. Rather than just saying we’re commercial electricians,” Bek says.

“If you’re not clear on that at the start, you can end up going down a path where you are taking odd-jobs here and there and it can be difficult to get out of that and get back to where you want to be.”

Once you’ve established what your USP is and who your ideal customers are, you can then develop targeted communication for your marketing.  By clearly communicating your offer, you’ll have far greater success in converting leads to customers.


website shop front4. Your Website – A 24/7 shopfront

According to Bek your website is “an opportunity to show people who you are, what you do and highlight your uniqueness” but most importantly to “validate that you are the right person for the job.”

Websites are now an expectation from customers, but they are also a chance to communicate with your clients. Your website gives you the ability to create a self-sustaining flow of quality leads and booked jobs that will boost your bottom line and confirm the credibility of your business.

website checklist Website Checklist

We’ve developed a handy checklist for your business to make sure you’re ticking all the boxes when it comes to setting up your website.

Download it here for free

Bek said it’s important to have a website with a strategy designed to target your target customer.

“For example, if you’re a residential contractor and targeting home owners, a website with a really strong Search Engine Optimization (SEO)strategy is going to be key. An SEO strategy on your website will mean that your website appears in Google Searches when your target is searching for businesses like yours. Without SEO you may not even appear in the search results and miss out on jobs,” she said.

In this competitive space though, where you’re competing against other residential electricians, a website is the starting foundation for which you build your marketing strategy on.

From here you can look at advertising campaigns to drive leads and awareness of your business, including Google Search ads, Display ads and Social Media. But we’ll cover that in our next article – Marketing to drive business growth.

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tracking5. Give it a go – but make sure you track it

If you’re inspired by this article and are eager to start spending money on advertising, but are not quite sure where to start, Bek says to “pick one thing, do it well, and make sure you measure it.”

The benefit of digital marketing channels is that you have fantastic visibility of what activity is performing well and what isn’t. This allows you to make sure you’re getting the best possible return on your investment.

By focusing on one thing initially, you can test and learn what works on that particular channel and then optimise your results.

If you’re eager to scale your marketing activity but are short on time want to leave it to the experts, all Master Electricians have access to exclusive packages from Bek + Co, and as part of the Master Program (link), participants receive a marketing audit of their business.

So whether you’re interested in help with logos, branding, your website, SEO , or if you’d simply like coaching on your current marketing practices, Bek + Co can provide you with custom marketing solutions based on what will have the biggest impact to your business.

Become a Master Electrician today for benefits like this, plus much more.

Become a Master Electrician

Whether you’re starting your business, planning to take it to the next level or growing your team, Master Electricians can help guide your business journey.