Yes, You SHOULD Share Secrets of the Trade
You might be surprised to hear us say you should be sharing the secrets of your trade with your potential customers. That seems like bad business, right? Why would they hire you if they know how to do it themselves? Common sense would tell you that you should be protecting the secrets of your trade.
But the reality is that sharing your knowledge will help you establish the right kind of relationship with your customers. It will show that you care. Most importantly, it will make you more human. People want to buy from people, not businesses. They want to feel like they know the people who are coming into their homes.
You are an expert at what you do. Whether you’re an electrician, an HVAC specialist, a painter, a flooring installer, or any other home service professional, you know exactly how the job needs to be done well. You know how to do it in a way that’s cost-effective and a way that will stand the test of time.
By sharing that insight with your customer base, you gain several advantages. Let’s take a look at some of them here.
Establishing Authority and Expertise
When we talk about “sharing secrets of the trade,” we mean creating easily consumable content with valuable information for your potential customers. Let’s say you’re in the business of replacing drywall, and you want to connect with the right people online. The people looking up online information about how to know when it’s time to replace drywall are people who potentially need to have their drywall replaced. They’re your customers!
When you create blog posts, short-form videos, how-to guides, and similar content, you educate people about your home service industry and demonstrate that you’re an authority in the field. You know what you’re talking about. They can trust you.
“Wait, wait, wait,” you might be thinking. “If I’m showing my potential customers how to do the job themselves, then why would they hire me.”
Good question. The truth is that even if you give potential customers the steps, most people don’t have the skills (or the time or the confidence) to do the job themselves. They would rather hire someone else to do it, and now they know you have the proper skill set.
Plus, you can help them determine what they can and can’t do themselves. You would probably encourage them to do some small tasks to save you from having to do a job that’s not worth the time and hassle. Some of this content could just be a matter of answering common questions people have. When you explain how to do tasks or answer their questions, they will learn to trust you when you say that doing some tasks should be left to the professional.
Most of us can agree that there are some jobs you go to and leave thinking, “This was a waste of my time. They really didn’t need to hire me.” Educational content helps separate these waste-of-time jobs from the more profitable jobs.
Improved Online Visibility and SEO
Another reason for sharing trade secrets online is that it’s good for your company’s visibility. Regularly publishing high-quality content—particularly content with keywords your customers are searching online—boosts your ranking with search engines like Google. This makes it easier for customers to find you! This is especially true for local searches, where people close to your business address will be doing searches to find information on home services close to them.
It's also worthwhile for you to remember the long-term benefits of creating this kind of content for your website and social platforms. It might not seem effective at first. In fact, you might think it’s a waste of time with everything else you have to worry about, but you’ll build a steady, loyal following over time by getting more traffic. This audience is your organic traffic, so it’s more likely to be people who are paying attention because they’re actually interested in what you do, as compared to traffic from paid advertising. In time, you may be able to cut back on paid advertising altogether.
Building Trust and Nurturing Leads
This one is probably the most important of all. By sharing your secrets, you’re establishing and building a relationship with people. Before they even contact you to find out your rates or availability, they feel you’re somebody they would trust with their home. That’s so important!
Plus, it helps you develop leads even if that customer doesn’t need you right now. If your content is educational, engaging, and entertaining, people will remember you later when they need your services. All of a sudden, you’ve got a whole lot of leads on future business prospects.
Should You Share Your Trade Secrets?
Yes. Absolutely. Of course. We admit that “sharing secrets of the trade” can sound like a bad business practice, but it’s actually one of the smartest business practices you can adopt. It gives you opportunities for content marketing, which will build trust and improve your online visibility.
That said, creating educational content can be time-consuming. And sometimes, it’s hard to come up with good ideas. That’s where a good marketing agency can be helpful.