Make an Appointment with Yourself to Spend Time on Marketing

Most small business owners are so busy running their business that it’s easy for marketing to fall by the wayside. Of course, it’s essential to treat your existing customers well. But if you don’t also spend time marketing to new customers, your business won’t likely grow.

MadicoU is a 24/7 online campus where window film business owners can explore Madico products and learn how small business marketing can improve their business. There are so many good reasons to market your business, and Madico is here to share them with you.

Is your marketing budget non-existent? Don’t worry – not all marketing has to be expensive. Many free and low-cost tools are available to help you create and execute marketing strategies and build customer awareness.

First, Let’s Assess Where You Stand Today

We all know that businesses thrive on a steady stream of new customers. But is small business marketing an afterthought or a priority for you? Do you assume that because you have a solid base of customers now, you always will? When you spend time marketing, do you see it as taking away from your bottom line? Or as an investment to help your business grow?

Your answers to these questions can say a lot about how you view small business marketing. Hopefully, by the time you finish this article, you’ll agree that marketing is well worth the effort. And if you already believe in the value of marketing, the resources provided by MadicoU can help you reach even greater success.

Why Is It Important to Market Your Business?

Many businesses are seasonal, but window film businesses face unique challenges. During the warm spring and summer months, you may have more customers than you can handle. When temperatures rise, people want their windows tinted quickly to fight heat, glare, and UV damage. But then winter comes, and most window film businesses see a major drop in customers.

You’ve likely heard this phrase, “Out of sight, out of mind.” One of the best reasons to market your business is to stay “in sight,” even during the cooler months when there is less demand. With a well-executed marketing plan, you can drum up new leads and build customer awareness any time of year.

Your business may have the best window film, the best employees, and the best finished product. But without marketing, how will your potential customers know?

Ways to Market Your Business on a Tiny Budget

Small businesses often have tight marketing budgets to work with, if they have one at all. Thankfully, there are many ways to effectively market your business without breaking the bank.

• Set up your Google Business Profile listing – Google is where most customers go to find window tint. All you need for your Google Business listing is your company name, address, and contact information. Be sure to keep everything up to date, especially your business hours.
• Engage with customers on social media – Create a business account on all the major social media sites (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.). Social media posts and videos allow you to connect directly with customers and promote your business. Tagging brands like Madico can also help broaden your reach.
• Optimize your website – Local search engine optimization (or SEO) on Google is free. Add location-based keywords (think: “[your city name] window tint”) to the titles, headings, and body content of your main website pages. You can also include pages that are specific to the local markets you serve.
• Look for free ad credits – Google Ads, Facebook, and others often post discount codes for online ads. Some website hosting services also offer advertising discount codes as part of their membership offerings.
• Start a blog – The right content can drive traffic to your website. Speak to your customers in simple terms, highlighting a different topic with each blog post. Be sure to include your preferred keywords as well for SEO purposes.
• Email your base – Make it a habit to collect your customer’s email address. You can do this after they book appointments to provide confirmation or follow up with a receipt or survey after the job. But during the off-season you use email to keep in touch with your customers, so they remember the great job you did for them. You can use this time to offer discounts or promotions, provide helpful hits and advice, and to showcase your work. This is especially useful if your shop works across film lines. Examples of this include a tint shop also offering ClearPlex or Protekt PPF in addition to tint, or a flat glass dealer offering film as well as safety & security or decorative installations for home or business owners.

The Best Strategies for Window Tint Marketing

In addition to the suggestions above, there are some small business marketing strategies that work particularly well for the window film industry.

• Position yourself as a window tint expert – Window tint is a specialized industry, and many customers don’t know anything about it. Create short videos that show off your completed window tint installations or walk them through the process from start to finish.
• Be proactive about reviews – Positive reviews are an excellent way to promote your business. They can also help your Google Business page appear higher when someone searches for window film in your area. Send every customer a follow-up email after the job is complete and ask for their feedback. If it’s positive, send them a link to leave a review on your Google Business page. It’s that easy!

How Much Time Should You Spend on Marketing?

Perhaps you haven’t found time to even think about marketing, much less do anything about it. Consider putting a recurring appointment on your calendar for 30 minutes once a week to focus on marketing. Do research on MadicoU, brainstorm, and jot down ideas. After one month of appointments (just two hours of your time), you will hopefully have the beginning of a marketing plan – or at least some goals to start with.

If you get in the habit of carving out a small amount of time for marketing each week, the results should speak for themselves.

Make Madico Your Marketing Partner

With so many reasons to market your business, now is the time to partner with the right window film company. Madico is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of window film, providing specialty solutions for the automotive, architectural, healthcare, aerospace, and transportation industries. We currently partner with thousands of small business owners just like you.

For product information and marketing resources, visit MadicoU. To learn more about becoming a Madico dealer, visit www.madico.com.