It was for my uncle, Dave.
Everyone has an Uncle Dave.
And this is mine.
Dave spent 24 years in the army.
And served in Bosnia and Iraq.
After leaving the army he worked in logistics.
Then he set up on his own as a handyman.
He’s hard-working and a perfectionist.
So I knew he’d do really well as a handyman.
He’s not a technophobe.
But he has no digital marketing skills.
So, here’s what I did:
1. Designed him a logo
I pulled in a friend to help.
We designed a logo.
With some icons and letters.
We also established a colour theme.
2. Built him a website
I purchased:
A) A Wix account and picked a smart theme.
B) A domain name of his business name.
I edited the theme in line with his new colours.
I replaced the example content with his logo and info.
3. Optimised the pages
I’m no SEO expert, but I know what I’d Google.
The main keywords: Handyman in Northampton
What he does, where he’s based.
I included these in the title and description.
4. Set up his social media channels
I set up a Facebook page.
And an Instagram page.
I added his logo, info and contact details.
I joined some local Facebook groups.
5. Set up Google My Business
I registered him for a GMB profile.
And filled it out with all the key info.
Logo, services and contact details.
Then I made sure it was verified.
6. I handed it over to him
I gave Dave the log-in details, and said:
A) Take before and after photos and post to socials.
B) Request Google and Facebook reviews from customers.
C) Keep an eye on the inbox and respond to all enquiries.
He’s now five years into business…
He’s Northampton’s best rated handyman with Three Best Rated.
His GMB profile ranks number one for the local Google search.
His website ranks on page one for ‘Northampton Handyman’.
His socials have a few hundred followers.
He gets up to 20 enquiries a week.
He’s fully booked six weeks in advance.
He expanded last year and hired an assistant.
And he’s not spent another penny on any form of marketing.
It’s a simple but strong online presence: Being discoverable to your searching audience and showing them how you solve their problems.
And a great service: Being responsive and doing exactly what you say you’ll do, to the standard you agree to.
The takeaway: Don’t overcomplicate it.
And that’s the approach I take into my social media management.
"I started my business in 2018 and the only marketing I've ever spent money on is with Ryan. In those years we've built a loyal customer base which means I've always had a full diary of work, and we're continuing to grow. We have social media channels to be proud of, that tell our story, how we can help our customers and why people should choose us, and much of our continued success is thanks to our presence online. Ryan is a big part of my business and I'd highly recommend making him a part of yours, too."
David Percival
Owner
DJP Handyman Services
