It may be hard to believe at first, but in the United Kingdom, 5.3 million people want to hire a Gas Safe registered engineer whether they realise it or not.
Did you know that 1 in 5 homes haven’t had a gas safety check this year? That means that a staggering 5,340,000 households have not had their appliances checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer. That’s 5.3Million potential customers for a gas safe registered engineer like you.
Unfortunately, not everyone is aware of the need to check their appliances. The Gas Safe charity is working hard to raise awareness among the public that they need to ensure their gas appliances are properly serviced by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Opportunities for More Customers
Of course, you couldn’t possibly reach every one of those households yourself, but if we break the numbers down, there are great opportunities for you to earn more business.
Let’s imagine your service area. Inside the area you work, there will probably be several electoral wards. Each electoral ward within England and Wales had an average of 3,245 households according to the 2011 census. This means that even if your service area covers only one electoral ward, you have a potential 649 customers that are looking for your services.
Inside the area you work, there will be at least 649 customers you do not know but that need your services
As a smaller engineer, think of the two or three wards closest to you which could mean between one and two thousand new customers without having to go too far from home. As a larger organisation, you may cover an area encompassing several cities or even an entire region; imagine how many potential customers you could find.
Can you afford to give up on this new business?
Can Your Customers Find You?
Do potential customers know that they need your services?
Your governing body, the Gas Safe Register, is doing its best to raise awareness throughout the UK population with initiatives such as the Gas Safe charity and its active presence on social media platforms Facebook and Twitter.
As more UK households start to realise that they need to get their appliances checked by a Gas Safe Registered engineer, more people will start looking online for more information.
Most people will jump onto Google, some will be on Twitter but just like word of mouth offline, a lot of people might see that their friends have just had a new boiler installed or an important safety check and that will kick-start them into action. In this case, you want your business to be the first one they see.
Make Sure You’re Found First
Let’s take a look at ways you can be seen first by people searching online.
Here is an example of a twitter interaction involving the Gas Safe Register and Brit Mum who have a large audience that will have witnessed the interaction:
Just because someone is #gassafe doesn't mean they can work on any gas appliance. Check the card or @GasSafeRegister website pic.twitter.com/uHDKooKOAq
— Gavin Stockwell (@GSpandh) December 1, 2016
Twitter is a great place to promote your business and tell the world your story; why they need your services and how they can find you.
Your customers are on Twitter and are happy to interact with you online. Even your own engineers might be happy to help. The Gas Safe Register are looking out for your interests and just like in the case of the above interaction, they may re-tweet your messages the world which includes your potential customers.
By being active on places like Twitter, you will be seen by people looking for your services. Use Twitter to have conversations with customers, or even show off your latest project.
For larger organisations, you could consider paying for advertising on Twitter, Facebook, or even Google. If you do chose to spend money, it is essential that you plan and execute the campaigns with the outcomes you want at the heart of your plan including KPIs.
There are currently other businesses having success by paying for adverts when consumers search for gas safety checks. Instead of paying, you could use your website and try to be the first on Google when people search for safety checks in the areas you operate.
Your Opportunity
Through efficient and targeted marketing, you can get your share of the 5.3 million households in need of your services.
We can help you to plan and execute marketing campaigns to help you reach your target audience.
Give us a call on 0121 517 0108 or complete the contact form below to see how we can help.
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