How can you improve handyperson lead generation?

Whether you’ve just starting a handyman business or you’ve been in business for years, getting new leads and opportunities is essential for growth. And that means getting to grips with handyman lead generation.

But if you’ve never encountered the term ‘lead generation’ before, you might not know where to start. We’ve put this handy guide together to help explain everything you need to know about handyman or handywoman lead generation, and how it can help your business.

What is handyperson lead generation?

In the highly competitive world of handyman services, securing a steady stream of leads is crucial for business success.

Lead generation is how you identify and attract potential customers who are in need of your handyman services.

A lead is, essentially, a potential customer who has shown interest in your services. They might have provided their contact information or expressed an interest in needing handyman services.

Generating leads is all about growing the awareness of your business to expand your potential customer base. It’s a form of marketing

Beyond the immediate financial benefits, active lead generation helps to build your business’s competitive edge.

Consistently engaging with potential customers positions your brand as a trustworthy and reliable choice for handyman services in your local area. It also helps you to find out what customers are looking for – and tailor your handyman services to suit.

How to generate handyman leads

For a handyman company, effective lead generation can involve reaching out to homeowners and businesses in need of various repairs, maintenance, or improvement services. The goal is to convert these leads into paying customers, ensuring a consistent flow of work for your business.

But you can’t reach out to every individual potential customer – so instead, here are the best ways to get new handyman leads.

1.    Improve your service offering

One of the best ways to get handyman leads is to improve your service offering. As a handyman you can offer all kinds of services, so casting your net wider will allow you to pick up more new business. If you’re not sure what additional services you could offer, take a look at our guide to handyman training for a list of ideas.

Just remember not to stretch yourself too thin. As a handyman company, repeat business is important. Being reliable and trustworthy will want customers to choose you whenever they need something doing around the house.

2.  Search engine optimisation

To generate more leads, having a strong digital marketing presence is essential. Whether you’re a one-man company or an established business, having a website will help you take things to the next level. Get started with our guide to building a small business website to learn more.

Your website is often the first interaction a potential customer has with your business. It’s important to make sure that your website is user-friendly, works on mobile, and contains all the information a customer might need.

But you’ll also want to optimise your website’s content to help you appear higher in searches on engines like Google and Bing. Using relevant keywords such as “handyman services” and including your location is a good place to start. But if in doubt, check out our support on SEO basics for more help.

3.  Local SEO and Google My Business

Local SEO can be one of the most powerful tools to build handyman leads for your business. As the name suggests, local SEO helps you to increase your visibility in local search results.

Google My Business is a vital tool in your local SEO arsenal. A GMB profile shows information about your business even if your website doesn’t appear in the search results.

Having a strong GMB profile will help your business to appear in Google Maps and in the ‘map pack’. The map pack is the map view that appears when someone searches for local handyman services.

Some tips for boosting your local SEO to drive new handyman leads are:

• Claim your Google My Business listing
• Make sure all of your information is up to date and correct
• Encourage customer reviews on Google
• Include location-based keywords in your website content like ‘handyman in [area]’

4. Get active on social media

Being active on social media is incredibly important for handyman lead generation. It helps you to build brand awareness, and find new customers.

Not sure where to start? Remember, being a handyman is a visual job. You’ll encounter a lot of jobs where you can show the difference you’ve made through photos and videos – so use that to your advantage with social media.

• Get into the habit of taking photos before and after you start a job to show the quality of your work
• Film time-lapse videos of you on the job to demonstrate your effectiveness
• Post helpful tips and DIY ideas
• Answer common questions about your services

Showcasing your completed projects helps to position your business as an authority in the area, and helps to generate free job leads for handymen.  

5.  Paid and PPC advertising

It might sound complicated, but paid advertising and PPC, or ‘pay per click’ advertising, can really help to bring in new handyman leads.

Essentially, PPC involves paying to display an ad for your business on relevant pages. This can be on Google search results when people are searching for handyman services. There’s also other kinds of targeted online advertising, such as Facebook Ads. Facebook Ads which can help you to reach potential customers on social media based on their location, demographic, and interests.

There are plenty of experts out there who can help you with paid advertising – check out our guide to PPC for small businesses for a good starting point.

6. Join an online directory

One of the best ways to get more leads for your handyman business is by joining an online directory like Checkatrade.

By joining, you’ll be visible to thousands of customers looking for reputable tradespeople. Checkatrade and other online directories generating new leads and opportunities for your business.

Should I pay for handyman leads?

Paying for handyman leads can be a risky business. While buying leads might seem like it will save you time, leads can be very expensive. And, of course, not all paid leads may convert, leading to a waste of resources. Spending money without any return on investment might not be worth the risk, especially as a small business or sole trader.

Paying for leads might seem like a fast solution. But relying solely on purchased leads could also limit your ability to diversify your customer base. Growing your business organically will boost your reputation by showing your quality, and help you focus on your strengths through natural business growth.

Get more leads with Checkatrade

Hopefully, you now have everything you need to start generating new handyman leads for your business. But if you want more help, support, and growth, then consider joining Checkatrade. We’ll help show your business to the millions of homeowners that trust our website and trade directories to help them find reputable handyman businesses.

Not to mention, there are more benefits to joining than just extra lead generation for handymen. Alongside your optimised profile, all Checkatrade members get access to business-building support like discounts and free marketing materials. You could save hundreds of pounds while driving new leads.

With all of our lead generation tips under your belt and a Checkatrade profile, you’ll be in prime position to take your handyman business to the next level.