The world of contracting is one that is comprised of many hard-working and highly skilled men and women. And getting started in your own contracting business, despite the quality of skills that you have, can be difficult at the outset.

As a contractor, you’re a busy person. As such, it’s not always easy to handle your workload while engaging in marketing efforts as well.

Fortunately, there are quite a few tools at your disposal that you can leverage in order to help gain exposure (and clients) for your business. And many of these tools are free, while some are fairly inexpensive.

Depending on your overall business goal, you’ll have specific options for making your contracting business known to your local community, and to neighboring communities as well. And in this post, we’ll explore a few options that you may want to consider to help bring more attention to your contracting business.

Vehicles

Most people don’t realize it, but the vehicles that you and your workers drive to and from the job site are also tools for marketing. And the state and condition of your vehicle is also a telltale sign of how professional you may be.

If you think about it, your first impression weighs heavily on your decision-making process when it comes to choosing services, and this includes contracting. So if you’re still driving your old rusty work truck up to the job site, it’s time to upgrade.

The good news is that you can rent a work truck for this purpose until you have the capital to purchase a new vehicle. And you can even rent a work truck with a towing package for those big jobs where you’ll want to look like the professional that you are.

Additionally, you can also place a magnetic sign on the sides of your truck to advertise!

Advertise on Social Media

Chances are you have a social media profile. And even if you don’t, many of your potential customers probably do. So it’s a good idea to set up a business account on one or more of your social profiles.

Anyone can advertise on social media. And this goes for contractors as well because you’ll want to share your portfolio (or images of your best work) with the people you live around.

Social media marketing doesn’t require much other than consistently posting relevant information about your business and your industry in general. And you can tailor your posts to target your local community, or to reach a broader audience.

The key with social media is to engage often and offer something of value to your followers, and whether these are sales pitches or just casually informing your audience about your current jobs, that is entirely up to your discretion.

Network Locally

As a contractor, you probably know a few other professionals in your field, or those working in fields comparable to your own.

For example, if you frame houses, you probably know a plumber or two, or a few electricians, or even others who perform complex carpentry work. Networking with your colleagues is a great way to share contacts and gain more clientele. And so is networking with your competitors.

Believe it or not, some contractors might be more than willing to work with you if you reach out and ask about referrals and the like. Some contractors might not be keen on this idea, but you never know until you reach out and ask.

Your local community is your bread and butter as a contractor, and making your presence known as often as you can is what will allow you to generate more exposure and more business.

Building a business is hard work, much like the work you already do as a contractor. But with a little determination and the right tools, you’ll be well on your way to establishing your reputation and landing those big-paying jobs.