How to Increase Sales When Business is Slow With a Field Service Branding Strategy
February 8, 2022 | Read: 10 minutes
Every field service business has its peaks and off seasons. It’s easy to enjoy the highs, but it can be far more difficult to know how to increase sales when business is slow.
Instead of dropping prices when revenue is already tight, or implementing aggressive sales tactics that could push customers away, a great alternative is to focus on building your field service branding strategy.
By developing a strong and recognizable brand, sales will not only be more frequent, but also easier for you and your team to close.
Of course, it’s not always easy to make your brand stand out.
That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help you get started!
How branding can increase sales when business is slow
Not totally sold on the power of field service branding?
We get it.
A logo doesn’t seem all that impactful in the grand scheme of things. But for many, it will serve as the first impression of your business.
And we all know how the saying goes–you only get one chance to make a good first impression. So associating your brand with random symbols, or a confusing slogan, may not bode well for business.
For example, if you’re a plumbing company, you probably shouldn’t be using a fire icon to represent your brand. It may throw customers off when they do a quick search for “plumbers near me,” and as a result, you could lose their business.
On the other hand, if you use effective images and wording to represent your brand, you’ll start to build recognition. For instance, if your plumbing company’s name is “Pipe Doctor,” it would be impactful to have a logo consisting of a pipe and stethoscope.
Sure, it might be corny and literal–but it puts an image to the name. When people see that symbol, they’ll remember your company. This is where the power of branding in the service sector comes into play.
If customers can easily recognize your logo, they’re more likely to choose your business to contact. Why? Because, simply put, we like what we’re familiar with. Maybe they’ve seen your vans with the Pipe Doctor logo around town, or passed by your office and seen your sign.
If they can recognize who you are as a brand, that will translate when they’re searching for “plumbers near me” and see your logo in the search results. Now, because they’re already familiar with your business, they’re far more likely to interact with it.
It’s this level of brand awareness that will help you to increase sales when business is slow (and even when it’s not!). If you can generate more leads through effective branding, that means more opportunities to convert them into customers.
Of course, that can be easier said than done. So let’s start with how you can effectively brand your field service business.
Establish a clear message when branding yourself in the service sector
A brand message is not just a description of what you do as a company. Your company name and symbol should convey that. Your messaging should be focused on what you do best, and therefore what separates you from the competition.
Maybe you excel at creating great customer experiences, or you’re known for your fast and efficient service, or even providing top-notch work at unbeatable prices. Whatever your niche is, it needs to convey how you–and only you–can solve a prospective customer’s problem.
Let’s take an example that’s near and dear to our hearts: Commusoft. Our brand message isn’t “awesome field service software”. While it is undeniably great, what we really excel at is helping field service businesses create world-class customer journeys. And that’s what sets us apart.
Once you’ve found your brand’s messaging, start using it to define why it separates you from the rest. Remember, if you want to increase sales when business is slow, you need to show prospects why they should go with your field service business and not the company three blocks down the street.
For example, Commusoft’s focus on empowering you to create world-class customer journeys ensures that your customers are always engaged and happy. And satisfied customers lead to more repeat business and referrals, which means a healthier, more profitable business for you.
Clearly branding yourself in the service sector is essential because the reality is, your services probably don’t differ much from the competition. And if everyone can do the job, what’s going to set you apart and win you the work?
That’s not a rhetorical question–the answer is your service branding!
But strong branding and messaging is only helpful when people know about it, which leads us to…
How to increase sales when business is slow using social media
Managing your social media accounts can feel intimidating and time-consuming. As a result, not many businesses take the time to engage on these platforms. And this can be a costly mistake.
Why? Because 72% of Americans are using social media regularly, and chances are plenty of your prospective customers are too. So while you can design flyers, send out mailers, and network in person, the reality is that leveraging social media will do all of that, while enabling you to reach more people even faster.
And we aren’t even talking about advertising on these platforms. You can grow your business exponentially just through organic efforts, and increase sales when business is slow while you’re at it.
When creating content, consider video. Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch vs. 10% when they read. The 6 tips above will help you get started!
Let’s take Facebook as an example. Maybe you post once a month for your business page, and get a few likes and comments here and there. That’s okay, but imagine what would happen if you started posting twice a week. Or even once a day.
The more frequently you post, the more opportunity you’re creating for people to see your content. Meaning you’ll get more likes and comments, which in turn will tell Facebook that people like this content, and they should show it to even more people.
As more people become familiar with your field service brand, you’ll gain more authority in turn. And this will undoubtedly help you to increase sales when business is slow.
Because remember, people like what they’re familiar with. And if they can recognize your business, they’re more likely to pick your services over a company they’ve never heard of before.
Similarly, many social platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn enable users to be a part of groups on specific topics. If you’re a plumbing business and you join your local town page, for example, you’re sure to see plenty of queries of neighbors asking for help and recommendations.
Imagine if you commented on one of those posts as your business offering help. Not only would the person asking the question see your response (and your service branding), but everyone else in that group would too!
By writing a ten-word message, you can advertise your business to hundreds of people and build brand recognition. If you’re interested in learning more about social media strategies, be sure to check out these five tips from a field service pro.
Leverage customer loyalty to increase sales during slow times
Figuring out how to increase sales when business is slow is difficult. But one of the best places to start is tapping into your loyal customer base. They’re already fans of your business, so why not turn them into advocates of it too?
Afterall, 81% of consumers say they need to be able to trust a brand in order to buy from it. Which is why so many buyers turn to friends and review sites for referrals.
But how does a field service branding strategy help with this? It starts with positioning yourself as a brand that’s trustworthy and shareable. To do this, focus not only on asking for referrals, but also on using your established customer base to spread an even greater awareness of your brand.
Consider taking a customer review and turning it into a social post, for example. Make sure to include your company name, logo, and colors in the post. Then, ask your loyal clients to share and like it. This enables you to control how your brand is being represented, while having your customers advocate your services to their network.
That content can now be seen by all of your followers. And if any of them like and comment on the post, it’ll be shared to hundreds of their connections too.
Think about the brand awareness you’re creating with that simple action. It may not result in an immediate sale, but you’re getting your name out there. And most importantly, people who never knew about you before are now seeing your brand–and they’re seeing it be promoted by people they trust within their own network.
That type of interaction is incredibly powerful. Of course, creating content like this and reaching out to customers asking them to share it will take time. That’s why it’s useful to focus on this during the slower months of the year, when you have more downtime.
Or, even better, if you want to utilize this method year round, consider using your customer database software to automate these messages.
Leveraging your database in this way will familiarize more people with your brand while also creating a greater awareness of it. As a result, it will help you to increase sales during slow times.
Increase sales with stand-out branding
Branding yourself in the service sector is a great way to not only stand out from the crowd, but to also generate more sales. If you can make people remember you, you’re one step closer to winning their business.
When creating your field service branding, make sure your images and messaging are clear. Choose symbols that are relevant to your industry, and create a logo that demonstrates not only what you do, but why you do it better than everyone else.
While it can be tempting to go with a run-of-the-mill design and slogan, it’s worth really taking the time to put together something that will help separate yourself from the pack. It will have a larger impact, especially when you take to social media to promote your business.
Studies have found that consumers expect the same qualities from brands as they expect from their friends, so be human in your interactions on social platforms.
Leverage your loyal customers to expand your reach, but be sure to create content that will genuinely appeal to your audience as well.
And don’t be hesitant to engage in real sales conversations that offer real advice, either!
Develop a Sales Strategy to Cope when Business is Slow
If you want to increase sales when business is slow, focus on building and expanding on your field service branding strategy.
Doing so will increase your brand’s recognition, and result in a lot more business for your company.
