Manufacturer of Hydraulic Presses
Getting customers for your small machine shop can feel like a full-time job. And that’s on top of the hours and hours devoted to getting jobs through the shop and out the door on time.
Successful machine shop owners say good marketing covers 3 basic areas: your current customers, local business networks and trade shows, and your online presence. Here’s a look at how you can market your machine shop effectively in a few hours a week.
Keep Your Current Customers Happy
The first step is to keep your current customers satisfied. The official term is relationship building, but what it comes down to is old-fashioned communication. It’s always easier to get more work from an old client than it is to find new ones. And happy customers refer their friends to you.
Keep in touch with your customers. Think about mailing a monthly printed newsletter. Even simpler, send an email with a link to an online newsletter.
Send holiday greetings and thank you notes. Periodically survey clients, asking them how well they are satisfied with your work, meeting deadlines and the types of services you offer.
Network locally
Find new customers business groups in your area. In the digital age, a business breakfast group sounds dated. But it still work. Join the Chamber of Commerce, and a local trade group.
Don’t be shy about asking current customers for the names of potential new work, and an introduction. Spread the word among friends and acquaintances that you’re looking for new business.
Go to Trade Shows
Find a regional trade conference to attend. You can find out what is working for other shops and make connections. Go to the workshops and participate in information meetings.
Don’t worry that you don’t have an exhibit. All you need are business cards, curiosity and friendliness. You can make valuable connections at trade shows that will help you spread the word about your business.
Network Online
Start a Facebook account, and post about machinery, new hires and helpful information for your customers. Keep your LinkedIn profile up-to-date. Consider posting photos of a new hydraulic press or completed job on Instagram. Start a Google+ page and update it when you blog.
Blog Regularly about your Machine Shop
Do you have a blog? If not, it’s time to start one, and plan to post once a week.
Not sure what to write? Consider these for starters:
Update Your Website
Your website is your online shop. Make it interesting, clean and easy to navigate. You need to make a good impression on prospective clients, just like your brick and mortar shop needs to make a positive impression.
Make sure your contact information is easy to find, including your email, phone and physical address. Add a contact form so a potential customer can ask for more information.
Press Master Is on Your Side
You need to market to get customers. Once you get them, you must deliver quality work. That’s where Press Master saves the day.
For over 40 years, Press Master has been helping machine shops successfully produce high quality work. Our hydraulic presses help you make a positive impression, making it easy for your to deliver even the most exacting jobs.
Using state-of-the-art design and technology, our presses can handle a wide variety of machine shop work quickly and effectively. And safety is designed into each machine.
We make it easy to find parts, so downtime is at a minimum. You can buy parts for our equipment throughout North America. There is no need to wait for a specific piece that needs to be shipped from overseas.
At Press Master we are known for the way we can customize a hydraulic press to meet your specific needs and job requirements. That means you can take on precision work and meet the deadlines and specifications of even the most demanding customers.
In the market for a hydraulic press? Call us here at Press Master today. We’re happy to answer your questions about our wide range of hydraulic presses, and we can provide you with a free, no-obligation quote.
