How to Grow a Carpentry Business? [10 Proven Strategies]

Carpentry can be a financially rewarding trade; however, there’s a significant amount of competition out there.

If you want to achieve success in business, whether you’re just starting out with your carpentry business or working on expanding your current client base, you must plan carefully.

Though you may have plenty of work opportunities right now, what about six months or a year from now?

In the long run, you’ll need a steady flow of work from both new and existing clients to keep your carpentry business ahead of the competition.

And to ensure that it happens, you must learn how to grow a carpentry business. 

Read ahead to learn how to grow your new carpentry business in 10 proven ways!

1. Build a solid social media presence

Social media marketing

Growing an online presence on social media is one of the best carpentry marketing ideas for small carpentry business owners. 

Creating business accounts on major social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn can work as a de facto website for carpentry businesses.

Because life is becoming more visual these days, it is a great way to display images of your carpentry jobs and invite potential customers to engage on your social media posts. 

You can either do this for free with consistent posting or pay for advertising for better and faster reach and target new customers in your area.

Instagram and Facebook, for instance, are more popular than ever and great places to showcase your carpentry work. 

So, create your social media accounts there and post pictures and videos of carpentry jobs. Show potential clients how you get the job done, your work efficiency, and your detail-oriented approach towards work as well.

Aside from showcasing your work, you can also use your accounts to help potential customers get to know your carpentry business.

Perhaps you would like to provide useful tips and tricks in the form of photos and videos or by making carousel posts. You could also post original memes and trend reels to display your more creative side.

It is entirely up to you how you want to brand yourself and spread the word about your carpentry business services. Note that consistency is the key to social media success. If you create an account, make sure to keep it up to date with fresh content.

2. Create business listings on popular business directories

Did you know that almost 97% of people look up the internet to learn more about local businesses?  

That implies that even if you decide not to pay too much attention to your social media profile, you must set up business listings on popular business directories for searchability and online visibility.

You can start by listing your carpentry business on Angie’s List, Google My Business, Yelp, and other business directories. However, ensure to add all necessary details relevant to your carpentry business, such as your business name, contact details, and the services you provide. 

The more places you list your carpentry business, the more chances you’ll have of attracting new commercial clients and setting your company apart from other carpenters in your region.

3. Build your own website

Creating a website can certainly help you grow your carpentry business. However, you don’t need to invest a lot to build one. 

Nowadays, there are several DIY website builders like GoDaddy, Squarespace, Weebly, or Wix that make it easy to create a website without the assistance of a professional web designer.

Here are the following variables you need to include in your carpentry business website:

3.1. Services you offer

Include visually appealing photos of your previous work (with approval from past clients) that display the services you offer. Write all important details describing the services and your work approach.

3.2. Information about you

Allow your potential clients to get to know you by describing details of your line of work, your carpentry skills, qualifications and expertise, and any huge projects you’ve done recently in brief. Make sure to include pictures of you working wherever you can.

3.3. Client testimonials

Ask satisfied customers to post brief testimonials describing their experiences on your website after the job is done. This will build trust and reliability with new customers who would land on your website looking for carpentry services.

3.4. Contact information

Include your business cell number, email address, and office address where clients can visit. You should include your social media page links and a contact form with a CTA. 

If you want to grow your carpentry business and want prospects to find you through Google searches, you should consult with a search engine optimization (SEO) professional. They can assist you in developing your webpage with keywords in a Google-friendly manner.

4. Get professional business cards 

Even in the digital age where customers can discover your contact details online, business cards are still absolutely essential. You never know when a prospective business opportunity will present itself, so having business cards on hand for your carpentry business is advantageous.

You can print them on magnets and have clients stick them to their refrigerators. Always leave a few after finishing work so that clients can stick them up on their fridge in plain sight.

5. Improve company branding

Your brand image represents everything that sets you apart from the competitors in the market. This includes your company logo, the colors on your business website, and even how you communicate with your customers. 

Good company branding can help to make your company memorable so that when customers think of carpentry, they will also think of you.

As a result, using company branding on your work uniform and company vehicles is a popular way to remind others of your carpentry business and what services you provide. 

They also improve your professional image by transforming you, your employees, and your vehicles into moving billboards.

6. Hire employees to ease the workload

Are you overburdened with paperwork or squandering too much time taking phone calls from potential customers? If so, perhaps it’s time to recruit an assistant or office manager. 

Having a professional handle such chores allows you to save time and focus on core business goals. 

If you want to expand your new carpenter business, it is best that you hire another pair of hands so that when the work comes in, you can manage it. 

Depending on your industry, you should collaborate with someone who has complementary business skills or another successful carpenter to take on larger or more diverse jobs.

7. Reach out to previous clients

Customer acquisition is considerably more challenging and expensive than customer retention. If a client is happy with your services, they will most likely call you again when they need it.

Of course, most people don’t renovate their residences every year. However, they may require repair work on their fence once a year, stairs the following year, and new door frames the following year.

Understanding this, you can contact customers on a regular basis to remind them of the types of services you offer. 

For instance, fences, rooftops, and rafters are all excellent business opportunities during the spring season. You could also offer to repair siding in the autumn to prepare homes for impending storms.

8. Ask for referrals and positive reviews

Ask for referral and reviews

90% of the time, people are likely to trust and purchase a product or service when recommended by a friend. And this is why word of mouth is one of the most effective marketing strategies on this list. 

However, several small business owners hesitate to ask for referrals and reviews only because they don’t realize their importance. 

To increase the effectiveness of word of mouth, offer incentives to your existing clients. You could provide an incentive for word-of-mouth referrals. For instance, if someone sends a customer towards your business for a full house renovation, you can offer them free servicing.

You could also offer a discount on future services in exchange for a referral. Even sending a sincere thank you note is a nice method to show appreciation for someone sending you business.

Also, ask satisfied clients to leave positive reviews about your new business online on review sites such as Houzz or Yelp. These sites can help potential customers find you with work opportunities and leave you with stellar reviews for your work.

9. Improve necessary carpentry skills

You are undoubtedly an expert carpenter if you operate your own carpentry business; however, there is always scope for improvement. 

There are numerous professional carpenter courses and training programs available, both online and offline, where you can learn specific new skills that you may have overlooked during your initial training.

Learning new skills is not only interesting and rewarding for small business owners but will also help them to broaden the services they can provide to clients. It could also save them money because they would no longer need to hire specialized subcontractors for jobs they lack expertise in.

Additional training does not have to be related to carpentry. For instance, a computer design course could be beneficial. 

You might have better chances of winning the contract if you can provide customers with 3D designs of the kind of work they are requesting, demonstrating exactly how the design would fit into their property.

10. Define your carpentry services

You can offer a variety of services as a carpenter and are most likely currently operating in a niche market that you have created for yourself. For instance, you may primarily work on kitchens, bathrooms, cabinets, small jobs, or major renovations.

When it comes to expanding your new business, there are two approaches you can take. You can distinguish yourself as a specialist in your field by better defining your niche. 

Alternatively, you can broaden your offerings. You can highlight that you are a “jack of all trades” and can complete various types of carpentry work. However, clearly define the service you offer on your website, social media pages, and business directories.

Watch this:

Grow Your Carpentry Business with FieldCamp

Schedule and dispatch jobs, Create invoices, Get paid, Generate service reports with our All-in-one Service Management Software.

FAQs

Overhead expenses for local businesses of carpentry include the following:

  • Business license
  • Business insurance policy fees
  • Vehicle maintenance costs
  • Tools and equipment maintenance costs
  • Insurance for transporting supplies
  • Office rent
  • Employee salaries

Based on the type of work and the current salaries in the city where they are located, a carpenter may charge anywhere from $13 to $31 per hour.

Those with specialized skills, on the other hand, could charge even more. 

The amount that carpenters charge clients for flat rates can vary greatly depending on how simple or complex a project is.

Clients who have the financial means to construct or rebuild a residential or commercial property are preferred target groups for carpenters. Professional real estate investors and builders who have a steady stream of clients are commonly preferred for business too.

Grow Your Business with FieldCamp!

Apart from the above-mentioned marketing strategies, there is one other but most important that you must consider: Investing in a carpenter business software.

FieldCamp is one such software that can help you grow your business, and you can place your bets on it. It is one of the best online field service scheduling software that can:

  • Schedule jobs and track their status
  • Dispatch employees to job sites according to their availability
  • Store job details, client details, and location descriptions
  • Create and send invoices to clients hassle-free
  • Track invoice status and send reminders
  • Collect and track payments
  • Generate analytical business reports

FieldCamp is also cost-effective, reliable, easy to set up, and compatible with both iOS and Android devices.

So what are you waiting for?

Sign up for our 7-day FREE trial period and experience the range of amazing benefits we offer to our clients!

Author Bio
author

Gaurang Bhatt

Gaurang Bhatt is a techie in himself with an ability to solve problems technically and present solutions in the form of a product. He is one of the pioneers to curate FieldCamp with his 15+ years of knowledge and expertise in providing solutions to home service industries. Gaurang aims to overcome challenges faced by service business owners through software solutions and blogs.

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