January is one of my favorite times of the year as I enjoy planning for my business and setting goals. While there are many jokes about New Year’s resolutions and the fact that many fall by the wayside once February rolls around, resolving to make a public relations plan to expand your home services business is one I hope you will keep.

Many HVAC, plumbing, piping and other home services businesses start out well yet find they are able to grow only to a certain point. But as the years go by, you may not be able to get to that next big goal as you had hoped.

But that’s the thing — hope is an emotion, not an action. While having hope is great, it doesn’t get you anywhere. It’s the action of developing a workable plan and sticking to it that makes all the difference.

Why does my business need a PR plan?

Making more money and increasing your credibility in the community are good reasons to develop a public relations plan. There are myriad reasons why having a public relations plan of action for your home services business is a good idea, but here are just a few:

• Your business is not growing as fast as you like.
• Your customer base has stagnated.
• You have difficulty obtaining new customers.
• Your website isn’t getting the traffic it used to.
• You have noticed many new competitors recently.
• Your social media accounts aren’t getting new followers.
• You have trouble attracting new techs.
• You are not making as much money as you think you should.

A good PR plan isn’t going to magically turn a failing business around. But for home service business owners who are willing to hunker down and dedicate their efforts to making PR work for them, it can make a real difference.

What Does PR Do for My Business?

Public relations will help create and promote your brand image so residents of the community or your service area recognize your company. If no one knows you are there, how will you attract customers? 

A PR strategy presents your business to the world and lets consumers know why they should choose your business over your competitors. It involves writing topical press releases and pitching relevant story ideas to the media. And a knowledgeable PR professional will have the expertise to obtain print or digital coverage of your company’s news or human interest story.

A home service business that is visible and in the public’s gaze is more likely to attract new customers while maintaining its existing customers. Public relations doesn’t just happen, though. Partnering with a PR agency specializing in home service businesses can help your business create a plan and then execute it for you.

Trying it on your own takes a lot of time and technical expertise that most business owners or their staff do not possess, but without PR, not much will change.

How Does PR Attract Customers to My Business?

An overarching PR plan covers many bases for your business, but it can be tailored to your needs, depending upon what is most important to you. 

Obtaining positive attention and news coverage of your home services business is a crucial aspect of a comprehensive PR plan, and it offers the most bang for the buck. Once your business is getting attention and coverage, effective PR techniques can leverage that attention into more customers by creating calls-to-action (CTA) pieces and sales funnels for customers to follow.

Whether trying to do it yourself or by engaging the help of a PR agency specializing in home services businesses, a well-executed public relations plan can increase your digital footprint by creating social media channels and posts that integrate with media or trade industry coverage along with CTAs. 

Public relations tactics also include creating content that helps your website rank higher on search engines. This is accomplished by deep knowledge of the technical aspects of generating interest and action by potential customers.

By using PR to attain better visibility and a greater digital presence, your home services business can attract new customers, become a known and recognized name in your community, generate more social media followers, gain more website traffic and attract skilled employees. More importantly, it will give you more economic freedom to enjoy your success. PR done right can make a difference.