7 Locksmith Marketing Ideas, Tips and Lead Generation Strategies
September 3, 2021
Does your locksmith business need to up its marketing game and generate more high-quality leads? Here are 7 digital marketing tips that will help the locked-out and unsecured find you when they’re ready to hire a locksmith.
#1: Develop a strong lead-generation website
A locksmith website is vital because it’s the first interaction most leads will have with your business. You not only need to make a trustworthy impression, but you also have to convince visitors to contact you at that moment.
In particular, leads who are locked out of their car or home are going to call a locksmith — it’s just a matter of whether they call you or the competition.
A strong conversion-based design is built to motivate immediate action.
It’s vital that a locksmith website be mobile responsive since many leads will look you up on their phone.
It’s also really important to have a strong call to action (which is you telling people to contact you) on the top section of the website. Better yet when you can make a strong offer, like this locksmith website does:
Your website is your first impression. Make sure it’s a good one.
#2: Master search marketing
To drive traffic to your website, you’ll want to show up for locksmith searches in your area. There are three ways to dominate the search results.
The first is pay-per-click advertising. These ads are run through auction-based systems, like Google Ads and Bing Ads. The main advantage here is that you show in the top positions (reserved for paid ads) and that you can control the ad copy and landing page. For example, you might want to run an advertisement for security systems you install. Your ad and the page it goes to on your website can match that offer.
Locksmiths in the US must submit an advanced verification check to Google that verifies the legitimacy of your business.
Next, you need to set up and rank for Google My Business. This is the maps listing and review platform Google uses for geo-targeted searches, and it’s used for Local Service Ads (discussed next). It’s a free listing you can optimize with your descriptions and by getting customer reviews.
Then you have the organic website listings. hese are also free clicks, with ranking gained by optimizing your website for keywords, gaining links, getting social media traffic and adding content to your blog.
If you do each of these tactics effectively, you can show up in three places on page one:
For your organic listings, you can even include a call to action and your phone number in the description, like this:
On mobile devices, you can run call only campaigns, where the call to action is a call right from the person’s phone.
This is particularly effective for emergency locksmith services, since a person locked out of their house or car isn’t going to take the time to check websites. Make sure your offer is clear in the advertising and listing text.
You’ll want to have campaigns set up with keyword targets for both emergency locksmith services and other services, like commercial work or home security systems.
Pro tip: Use retargeting
For non-emergency services, you can retarget leads after they’ve left your website with ads, like this:
#3: Use Google Local Service Ads
Locksmiths get a strong ROI out of paid search advertisements. The main platform for locksmiths is Google’s Local Service Ads.
LSA is a pay-per-lead platform run through Google My Business, which is where your Google Maps and reviews are as well.
Google started LSA because of fraud issues stemming from locksmith ads, and it’s now used for many types of home contractor services.
You have to pass a background check and meet other criteria to become a guaranteed business.
Reviews also play a big role, which we’ll discuss next.
#4: Manage your reviews and reputation
As you are already gathering from our discussion of Google My Business and LSA, reviews are an important piece of content for your locksmith marketing.
You’ll need a strategy to make sure you’re getting reviewed by clients, with as many high ratings and positive comments as possible.
Use email marketing to follow up with clients, which we’ve found to be most effective. Here is an example of the template we use:
If the customer clicks yes, it links to a review platform so they can leave a review. If no, then it opens a feedback form.
You can also ask for reviews after a job is finished. A great time to ask for a review is the joyous moment when that door unlocks!
Overall, being punctual, professional and fair will do the most to help you. A strong reputation is earned.
Just make sure to take steps so that the reputation you deserve is the one you see online.
#5: Create videos
Video is an effective way to get your message across fast. You can have a longer video that introduces your company, and a shorter one that just gives the basics and can be used as an ad.
Not many locksmiths create videos, so they can be a good way to gain a competitive advantage.
#6: Create a Facebook business page
A Facebook business page is like a micro-website you can use to attract leads on Facebook. It’s free and not difficult to set up, so it’s worth it to claim your presence.
It can also be a better lead-generation source than you might think. People ask for recommendations on Facebook and tag businesses they work with, and you can get the exposure that way.
You can also have a call to action and set up Facebook messenger so leads can contact you directly. You may even find that people in an emergency reach out to you through Facebook instead of your website.
You can add occasional updates about your business or share deals to keep your timeline fresh, but don’t expect a lot of reactions on your posts. Concentrate on using the business page itself to generate leads.
#7: Use guerrilla marketing
Marketing on search with your website is the focal point of your locksmith lead generation.
But there are many other things you can do locally to generate leads. Put these efforts together, and they can result in substantial lead generation.
The strategy of piecing together varied tactics to capture as many leads as possible is called guerrilla marketing. Tactics you can use include:
- Partnering with other contractors for referrals (plumbers, painters, carpet cleaners, janitorial services)
- Putting your phone and website URL on everything (trucks, clothes, cards, invoices, etc)
- Running ads on local media (radio spots, print newspaper, billboards)
- Doing presentations on business and home security (Chamber of Commerce, Meetup Groups, HSA meetings, business presentations)
- Sending newsletters and email marketing to existing clients
- Supporting a local charity or cause
- Supporting a local sports team
- Providing discounts for non-profits, churches, veterans, schools, students
- Making connections with local law enforcement
- Making connections with local car dealerships
Any one of these tactics by itself may not generate many leads. But add them up, and it can make a substantial difference for your business.
So get out and hustle. Meet some people so you’re the locksmith they refer. The most successful locksmiths we work with use Google effectively, but they don’t just sit around waiting for search results. There are few tactics out there that aren’t — at least — worth trying.
Over time, you’ll be able to focus on what works best for you to generate locksmith leads.
Manage and grow your locksmith business with Marketing 360®, the #1 Marketing Platform® for small businesses. See our plans and pricing.
Originally published on 5/25/18
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