Being self-employed in the trades world is a great career path. Not only are you in charge of your time and how you use it, but you get to build the technical skills you enjoy and only take on the clients you’d really like to work for.
It can be a slow start, of course, but a trades business is the kind that always stays afloat; there aren’t many people out there who can do their own wiring or plumbing!
But when it comes to running your business both offline and on, is there a chance you’re at a disadvantage when it comes to the internet? Tradespeople can often struggle to manage the digital side, but is this always guaranteed to be a disaster? Let’s examine the idea below.
It Can Be Expensive to Advertise
When you’re self-employed, your income can be all over the place. You’re likely to have an absolute minimum on what you can make in a month, as well as an average for what you bring in per year.
When you’re a self-employed tradesperson, however, the work you bring in can be even more volatile. Domestic work of this variety doesn’t tend to have the same kind of ‘slow’ periods as other industries. It doesn’t matter about the time of year when you’re dealing with burst pipes!
This can make it harder to predict when you’ll bring in a healthy profit, and when you’re going to be raking in much lower than usual.
That will make advertising to find new customers expensive from the get go. You can’t risk putting money into an ad account for social media or a search engine when you can’t be sure you’ll always be able to afford the cost.
Even if you’re only paying per click, there’s no guarantee your usual advertising limit will still be cost effective over the course of the next 28 days.
Tradework is Already Time Consuming
This can leave little time for managing your online business needs, such as responding to customer queries, keeping your website updated, and posting on social media.
Of course, you can use tech to simplify your workload and ensure you’re never missing a piece. No matter the kind of tradesperson you are, there’s specialised software you can download to help you manage your time and attention.
Electricians can easily access software for electrical contractors, but finding one you’re happy to work with can take a bit of trial and error. Don’t give up on this and head back to pen and pad though; if an app can run your timetable for you, you’ll be kept in the loop without any extra effort.
But with this kind of hands-on work, you can never be sure how long the workday will really be. You may only have two clients to see on the Monday, which leaves plenty of time to put a new blog post or social media advert together. The day after, however, could have three to four emergency calls, on top of anyone pre-booked. That can stop a content calendar in its tracks!
Your Expertise is Perfect for Creating Content
Now that we’ve investigated the cons above, let’s go through a couple of the pros of being self-employed and running your business through the online world.
Firstly, your expertise as a tradesperson, whether you’re an electrician, plumber, or general contractor, is perfect for creating content. You can bring authority to whatever you create, and that’s the kind of thing both search engines and customers alike respect.
Let your voice be known as often as possible and that’ll resonate with both elements of the digital interface.
You Can Keep Other Overheads Low
When you’re self-employed, your home is your base. That means you only have to pay the usual bills to keep the lights and heating on. You don’t have to fork out for official premises, and most self-employed tradespeople tend to be their only employee too. That means you’re not payrolling anyone other than yourself, which is another saving you can make in the long run.
Slashing out overheads can make the cost of online advertising more approachable; your capital isn’t already tied up. You’ll have the finances to place your links where they’re needed, ensuring you can showcase your skills to customers likely to give you a call.
Being a self-employed tradesperson is tricky, especially online. But it is something you can learn to navigate; the online world can always be used to your advantage!
