Ways that Mobile Service Companies Can Increase Their Bookings

We asked the experts for tips on how mobile service companies can increase their bookings. What follows is a round-up of their advice.

1. Alex Membrillo, Digital Marketing CEO

service companies increasing bookings“In my experience working with nearly 100 service companies over the last decade at my marketing agency I have found that Google works best for driving new online bookings. Google Paid Search works in a big way. While it can be expensive for movers at nearly $30 per click, if you implement high converting landing pages along with call and email tracking the program can be very effective and yield leads at $60 per lead which I would expect would be converted at a rate of 30%. For movers, the average value of a customer is nearly $1,500.”

Alex Membrillo is the CEO of Cardinal, a digital marketing agency focused on growing multi-location companies. His work as CEO of Cardinal also recently earned him the honor of being selected as a member of the 2018 Top 40 Under 40 list by Georgia State University as well as 2015 and 2016 Top 20 Entrepreneur of metro Atlanta by TiE Atlanta, Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2016 Small Business Person of the Year and Digital Marketer of the Year by Technology Association of Georgia (TAG).

2. Jim Franco, Owner of Mighty Clean Home

“We find the best ways to get more bookings is through Google Adwords maps advertising and promoting our selves in local Facebook groups such as moms groups and yardsale groups.”

“With Google Adwords Map listing advertising, we find it extremely beneficial since it places your listing on top of the three pack of Google Maps. So, if you are not ranked for the three pack your listing will get to show up, also, if you are ranked in one town but want to expand your reach to another town it is a good way to appear on the top without having to open a new location.”

“With Google now heavily relying on proximity for local map listing results this is a good way to go around it. Another new tool that Google has out is Google Home Service Ads. They appear at the top of search results and give you a Google Guarantee badge. You will need to pass a business and employees background check for this form of advertising to qualify, it is more pricey and not available to all service industry or region yet though.”

“With Facebook, we have found the power of social media is great not just with advertising on the site itself but for marketing ourselves in local Moms and Yardsale Groups. We write a blurb about our company and a link back to our website. We usually get several leads each time we do this and after we give spectacular service, people comment on the post or recommend us to others in the groups. One small thing: make sure you ask the Admin of the group if it is ok to post your business before doing so.”

Jim Franco is the Owner of Mighty Clean Home, a cleaning company specializing in maid service in Atlanta. They have a perfect 5-star rating on Yelp.

3. Mandy Snell, Certified Business Coach

“Small, service-based businesses that rely on local customers can use Facebook groups to help refine social media advertising. For example, in addition to focusing on a geographic location, a moving company may want their ads shown to users who are in groups such as tenant groups, military spouse groups (if there’s a base nearby), or even local realtors. Similarly, a junk removal company may also benefit from targeting ads to users who are realtors, in landlord discussion groups, maid or janitorial services, or even a KonMari coach (or people who are fans of Kondo-ing).”

“Alternately, businesses could use sites such as Eventbrite or MeetUp to look for networking events, where there’s an opportunity to strike up a friendship with someone who may be in a position to refer more clients your way. (There are TONS of networking events for Real Estate professionals!) Just keep in mind that networking is a long-term strategy, and when networking, your focus should be on building relationships.”

Mandy Snell is a Certified Business Coach in Virginia. On a daily basis, she coaches and trains business owners, professionals, and teams in their professional and business lives.

4. Craig De Borba, Local Marketing Expert

“Create a hyper-targeted geographical campaign and use SMS for follow-up. Create a landing page that communicates to your customer base via correct images and copy. When the lead submits their contact information, follow up with them automatically via SMS text. Consumers searching for a mobile service are shopping price with several others. Impress them with your lightning fast response.”

Craig De Borba of On Point Internet Marketing is a digital marketing consultant to local businesses for 10 years with a specialty in SEO and lead generation.

5. Christine Kilbride, SEO Associate for Majux Marketing

“Local SEO is important for regional, service-based companies. Local businesses should create a Google Business listing that is verified and up-to-date. To increase bookings, include an appointment URL on your listing that leads to a mobile-friendly form.”

Christine Kilbride is an SEO Associate, performing on-site maintenance and managing outreach for Majux Marketing’s legal and e-commerce clientele.

6. Gabor Koncz, CEO of Automizy

“Mobile service companies can increase their online bookings by using the below 3 step process:

i. Create informational content which answers your target audience’s biggest questions.

ii. Promote that content via social media and via email outreach so as to build your email list. For email list building you can use an ebook or a cheat sheet as a lead magnet so as to get people to sign up for your newsletter if they want that lead magnet.

iii. Nurture relationships with your email subscribers by sharing more informational content, and every once in a while offer them a deal that they can’t refuse.”

Gabor Koncz runs an email automation startup called Automizy, and he has 20+ years of experience in business, marketing, and AI.

7. Gil Gildner, Co-Founder of Discosloth

“I would encourage a mobile service company to consider targeted search advertising on platforms like Google Ads and Bing Ads. This is the most efficient way to increase your bookings since you only appear for people who are needing your services at that moment!”

Gil Gildner is Co-Founder of Discosloth, a search marketing firm that helps small businesses see better ROI with their advertising.

8. Terence Channon, Principal, NewLead

“Many smaller mobile service providers rely on a ‘call us now’ or ‘complete the form and we will call you back’ approach to obtaining inquiries. Even if the provider is unable to offer a real-time scheduling, give the appearance of such. Have a ‘book us’ form and ask the user to specify dates/times (pro tip: make it possible for the user to specify more than 1 day/time). Accept credit cards for payment – even if just an authorization until the reservation request is confirmed. Users want end-to-end experience and even if not possible to completely automate the process, offering a user experience that showcases the provider’s desire to do so will increase online reservation requests rates and ultimately result in more bookings.”

Terence Channon is Principal of NewLead, a digital services firm. Terrence has over 20 years of digital marketing, website services, and online business consulting experience.

9. Jessyka Lee, Digital Marketing Manager for PayKings

“When it comes to mobile service companies, the primary focus is keeping a steady flow of customers. This can be accomplished by continuously increasing your bookings. You have an excellent business model that has proven to be successful, but at some point, you’ve hit a plateau. You’re not getting sufficient bookings. Sound familiar? Don’t worry, as you’re not alone, especially with so many mobile service companies shifting to the online space. For the longevity and long-term success of your business, it’s important to keep ahead of the curve and on top of your game, especially when you’re competitors are doing that very same thing. Here we’ve included 5 ways to keep your company flourishing by increasing your number of bookings.”

i. Localize your Site

“Your website should stick to all Google’s localization best practices. Additionally, maintain your organization listing on Google. Make sure all the information in your Google listing is accurate. Confirm that your company shows up correctly in the Google Maps listings. Just take some time to confirm your company information on different search engines like Yahoo, Bing, and other directories, too. This will help with your local presence to drive clients that way, as well as to establish you within your industry as a whole.”

ii. Be Active but Tactical on Social Media

“Social media marketing does not have to be costly, but it is time-consuming should you do it correctly. You can’t just share your own blog articles or intentionally post hyperlinks to other articles you stumble upon. You will need an aggressive follow-unfollow plan. Strategically search for and engage with the right connections, and you have to track your efforts very closely. It is not difficult, but it will take some time daily. That time adds up quickly. This explains why hiring a social media pro (not just someone who knows how to use Facebook and Instagram) is so important. Let us put it this way. If you have very few followers and nobody is liking or sharing your articles, you’re doing something wrong.”

iii. Have a High-Quality Site

“Your website is the centerpiece of your entire brand, so it ought to look amazing and operate flawlessly. This means you need to hire a professional copywriter and a web designer who will produce the brand image you wish to portray. Include videos, reviews, pictures, and virtual tours so that visitors can actually experience your service from their computers and mobile devices. Include all of your contact information on the site (address, contact number, email address, physical address, and social networking hyperlinks ). Ensure that your website is optimized for mobile devices because most traffic comes from tablets and smartphones now.”

iv. Leverage Email Marketing

“Email advertising is one of your best opportunities to boost venue bookings since you have and control your list. The first step is to build that list. Create a free ebook, checklist, or other valuable articles of content and offer it in exchange for people’s email addresses. Advertise the freebie to a targeted audience using LinkedIn advertisements and Facebook advertising. You can easily make an opt-in to capture email addresses using a tool such as OptinMonster or MailMunch. Then, send follow-up messages with an email marketing tool such as ActiveCampaign or MailChimp.”

v. Have Access to Online Payment Processing

“When it comes to payment processing, a new wave of technology is taking over the traditional ways of invoicing clients and waiting for your handwritten check. Merchants nowadays are shifting gears and moving forward into the digital world of online payment processing, also known as e-Commerce.”

“Business-to-business merchants are shifting gears and increasing their cash flow while saving money on credit card processing fees. They’re better servicing their vendors with options for accepting B2B payments. This includes taking debit and credit cards for products sold and services rendered, with highly reputable, experienced, and skilled merchant processors who are active in the B2B segment. This includes companies like PayKings. We are properly set up to streamline the ways you accept payments into an easy to add Level 2 and Level 3 data system. Saving in big ways on fees acquired from Visa and Mastercard is not only possible with this technology but can be accomplished with very little effort from the merchant.”

Jessyka Lee is the Digital Marketing Manager for PayKings in St. Petersburg, F. She is a master wordsmith, mother of 3, resident cake eater, and designated road trip playlist maker.

Service Companies that Add Online Booking Boost Their Revenues and Grow

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