1. Use Google My Business and Google Maps
Take advantage of all the free tools that Google offers, like Google My Business. This is an important tool that businesses often forget and do not take full advantage of to its full potential.
When you google your business name you will find a description of your business on the right site. In Google My Business you can edit this content by adding useful information about your location, opening hours, phone numbers, etc. Google also allows you to add information about your services, and post photos and information about the various services or products you offer. This allows you to attract new potential customers, and in addition, it will get you listed on Google Maps.
With the help of Google algorithms, not only will you be able to find what’s relevant to your search, but also discover things that are close by. Therefore, it is important to add your location to Google My Business and connect your website. We highly recommend implementing this because it will improve your ranking on popular keywords.
2. Be easy to find on Google
Google is perhaps one of the most important marketing channels today, for both the B2C and B2B markets because the buying process often starts with a google search. Making your business visible on Google is therefore crucial for success, and there are a few different things you can do to make sure people can find you.
First, you should start by finding out which keywords your audience uses when they are researching which services exist through Google. This can be done by entering related keywords into the google search bar or by using Google’s own free keyword planner in Google Ads. We also recommend you check out what keywords your competitors are using, this will give you a lot of free tips and minimize your time doing the research yourself. Search Engine Land is updated daily with the latest changes in SEO, and they have a newsletter that we strongly recommend you to follow.
If you want your website to be ranked number one for the keywords of your choice, then you need to optimize the pages on your site. One key optimization task is incorporating targeted keywords into headlines and page text. You should also use those keywords in meta titles, descriptions, and alt texts.
Free tools, such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console, can help measure the progress you have made in optimizing your pages for specific keywords and improving your ranking on those keywords. These tools let you see the progress of impressions on Google, page views, and your overall ranking on Google. You can also see which pages are most popular and which keywords have gotten the most clicks. This way, you can work strategically to achieve a greater effect on your marketing and increase revenue.
3. Start writing good content
Content marketing is a process that can help you create and distribute valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and engage your target audience. By writing blog posts, you can produce content that has value to your customers, such as tips and advice on how to use your products. You can also use the blog posts on your social media channels and use them to attract your audience.
Blog posts and other content marketing will show your customers that you are an expert in the field, it will strengthen your credibility, and give a positive impression of your business. When you have already established contact with a potential customer and they have formed an impression of your business, they are more likely to buy from you. Warmed-up leads result in easier sales because customers feel like they know what to expect.
Read more about content marketing for rental business
4. Ask your customers for reviews and create customer cases
Customer references help strengthen the credibility of your business. When we as consumers buy something new, we seek social confirmation that we are making a good choice. This also applies when renting products. By writing great customer reviews and cases, you will show future customers that renting from your business is a wise decision. In turn, this will give you more customers as people feel confident in their choice to rent from you. Therefore, it’s worth your business’s effort and time investment to get those reviews and customer cases.
On platforms like Facebook, Google, or Tripadvisor, customers can leave a rating of your rental business. After a customer finishes their renting period with your business, you can contact them and ask if they want to leave a review of their experience. You can simplify this process by just sharing the direct link to the page where they can leave a review.
A customer case can be built up very easily and needs to be based on the benefits the customer has received from using your service. If you have the opportunity to invest more time and resources in the customer case, it can be even better to create a video in which the customer tells about their experience of the service in person.
5. Start using email marketing and newsletter
There is a lot of value in producing good content, but it is also important to get new visitors to sign up for your newsletter. This allows you to collect email addresses for potential customers and trigger their desire to buy from you. Sending out newsletters is of course a great way to keep customers and potential customers up to date on the latest in your business, but it’s also a valuable sales channel. Newsletters serve as a reminder that your service exists, so that the next time they rent something, they’ll remember your rental business.
Which social media channels you should use in the marketing of your rental business depends on which channels your customers are using. Be present where your customers are. The biggest social media are Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and LinkedIn. However, that doesn’t mean that you need to spend your resources on all of the platforms. Before you decide which channels to use, it’s a good idea to research what your audience is using. Ask your customers or check local statics.
Another tip is to research which platforms your competitors are using to market their self. This often indicates whether this is a platform you need to be present on. Here you can also get lots of tips for what content your audience likes and what engages them. Being present on various social media sites allows you to build relationships with potential customers and increase their knowledge of your business, and this again can lead to increased turnover.
To gain visibility in social media, you can either count on the organic reach of your posts or choose to use paid ads to boost your reach. Social media algorithms are constantly changing, and it’s therefore important to stay up to date on the latest changes. Your posts on social media don’t always reach all of your followers, so you may want to take advantage of paid advertising to boost your reach. It doesn’t cost that much to advertise on social media, and you can start with a low budget like £10 a day.
When it comes to advertising on Meta (Facebook), it’s not a good idea to use the boost button on your post. The boost button will not give the same opportunities to customize and control who your ad will be shown to, and we don’t recommend using this opportunity. Instead, you can use Meta Business Manager, which allows your ads to appear on Facebook and Instagram. Google also has some powerful marketing tools that can help you reach your target audience and boost your conversions. With Google Ads, you can choose between different types of ads depending on where you want to target your audience. You could choose to use Google Search Ads, Google Display Ads, or Google Shopping Ads.
8. Test influencer marketing
Influencer marketing works by partnering with well-known individuals who have a large number of followers. Because influencers have such a high level of trust with their audience and are more selective about the brands they represent, this can be a highly effective marketing strategy. Both influencers and brands are always testing new ways of working together, but currently, most agreements consist of a one-time payment for “sponsored posts” for the influencer to post advertisements.
9. Create a good customer experience
We’ve gathered some tips in this article about marketing for rental businesses, but one of the most important things you do is to create a great customer experience. As customers, we have predefined notions of how a service should be and how its customers should be treated. If you want to keep your customers happy, give them what they need and exceed their expectations. Satisfied customers will come back the next time they need your service, and they will also talk about your business to others and even recommend them to use you.
It’s important to map and streamline your customer touchpoints to create a positive customer experience. Consequently, it’s crucial to attend to the customer journey from beginning to end: from the initial point of contact on Google or social media through renting the product on the website, interacting with customer service, and getting the product delivered.
If you want to achieve success in a timely manner, good rental booking software is an important element. This includes an online rental store and good inventory management.