Part 1: Building Your Website - How to Market Your Cell Phone Repair Business

What’s harder than running your phone repair business?
Answer:
Running and growing your phone repair business.

You’ve invested the big three: time, effort and money. You’ve ventured out on your own to become the artisan of your own fortune. But with that freedom comes all the risk.
The risk that you may not be able to pay your employees. That you won’t have the income for your own livelihood. The risk that your business may dwindle into obscurity and ultimately — fail.
The struggle is real and the competition is fierce.
So how do you set yourself apart, appeal to your target market and grow? How do you leverage the connectedness of technology rather than fail because of it?
The answer? Through effective, relevant and targeted marketing.
Technology has evolved, changing how customers interact with the marketplace.
This presents you with new avenues to garner more business and build your customer base. And it all starts with your website.
So, here’s part one of our marketing series. We will teach you the strategies and digital tactics you need to know to help grow your cell phone repair business.

Your Virtual Storefront

Let’s start at the beginning. Your website. An online presence is no longer optional when it comes to your business. Think of your website as your virtual storefront. If it’s unappealing or lacks the necessary information — no one is going to venture beyond the front door. But, if it provides the right kind of value, you’ll see virtual visitors turn into real customers.
Sound good?
Good.
So what is the right kind of value for your visitors and what does it mean for you?

The Benefits of Having Your Business Online

If you’ve been successfully running your business up until now without a website — my hats off to you. You have defied the odds and flourished.
But think about this:
If you’ve been doing this well without an online presence, imagine how far you could go with one. Here are some of the main benefits to consider:

More Customers

Think about the last time you needed to buy something, or hire someone, or do anything. You probably used a device with a screen and did a search for what you needed.
Why would people in need of phone repairs, your customers, be any different?
They wouldn’t be.
Having an online site opens up your business to new potential customers. It removes the limitations of a single physical location. What’s more, it provides a foundation to put in place other digital marketing tactics. And if done right, will grow your business.

Customer Service 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week

Your website is always online. So populate it with the information your typical customer needs. They can make their decision to buy before even stepping into your store.
Your website enables your services to sell themselves. It can also provide a means of communication outside of business hours. Imagine waking up to an inbox filled with potential new service requests. It ensures you aren’t missing out on new business while you sleep.
An online presence can also improve the customer experience. Providing the ability to schedule drop-offs, receive quotes and track repairs, all online? Amazing. A website can help you with customer and time management. It will provide your customers with a seamless path to purchase.

Increased Credibility and Brand Awareness

A well-designed and optimized website will give your business credibility. To illustrate this point:
You walk into a repair shop to fix your phone, confident in their ability to get the job done. Why so confident?
Because you saw that it actually was a phone repair shop. It came equipped with all the knick-knacks and doodads that you would expect. But what about those who aren’t walk-ins? What about those searching on their (cracked-screen) phones for a reputable store? Without a website, you're not even on their radar unless they happen to walk by your shop or service vehicle.
But, if you have a website that looks professional and filled with customer reviews — you’re golden. It’s about building trust with customers before they give you a call or enter your store. And if you can build that trust, you will build your customer base.
So now you know why you should have a website. Let’s talk about how to build one.

How to Build a Virtual Storefront

Now, let me preface this by saying that building a professional website is not difficult. But, if you want to enlist the help of a professional — there are website designers out there for hire. They will ask you all the questions they need to design the site, you pay them and voila!
This can be much more expensive than a DIY job, but if you have the funds and lack the time, it is a viable option.
Now, for those of you who want to build a website for your business on your own, here’s how to do it in five easy steps:

Step 1: Pick a Website Host Provider and Get Yourself a Domain Name

Your domain name is the web address your customers will search, click or tap on to reach your website. A host provider is who you buy that name from and provides the infrastructure.
There are many host providers to choose from. Providers such as Bluehost and Siteground are known for their user-friendliness. They give you all the tools and support you need to get up and running.
When it comes to your domain name you want it to be:

• Short and simple
• Relevant to your business
• Easy to type and remember

There will also be many options for domain extensions. Unless you have reason to pick otherwise, “.com” is always a safe bet.

Step 2: Get a Professional Email Address

You’ve booked in a time to drop off your broken phone at the shop. Which of these two emails would you rather receive a confirmation from?
info@maxphonerepairs.com or bobbyb1973@hotmail.com?
A professional address adds credibility and builds furthers trust with your customers. Depending on your host provider, a domain email address may come as part of their service. The caveat is that if you don’t like their webmail platform you’ll have to configure it to one of your choosing i.e. Gmail.
A better option is to go straight to the source and sign up for something like G Suite. It’s a host of tools powered by Google that gives you a customized business email address.
This will save you the hassle of having to forward your emails from one client to another. As a bonus, it also comes with included cloud storage for all your files.

Step 3: Pick a Website Builder

A website builder is a tool you use to design your site. Like host providers, there are many options. The features you’ll need will depend on the business goals for your site. For example, if you only advertise your services you won’t need eCommerce functionality.
When picking your builder look for one that:

• Is quick and easy to use (drag and drop builders are a good option)
• Is customizable
• Can add functionality in the form of widgets, extensions or as a feature of the builder itself

Most website builders will get your phone repair site off the ground. But, if your business’ software has a built-in website builder it may be more efficient to use that instead.
Why?
Because an industry-specific website builder will provide the functionality your particular business needs.

Step 4: Pick a Website Theme

Your website’s theme will provide the look and feel of your site. It is a pre-made design template that allows you to customize and replace each element on the page.
A website theme removes the need to hire an expensive website designer. You only need to pick a theme of your liking that will resonate with your target audience. If you aren’t stylistically-inclined, no need to worry. A website is not a static entity. It can change and evolve however and whenever you see fit.

Step 5: Fill Your Site With The Right Content

You run a phone repair service. To decide what to actually put on your site, you must put yourself in the mind of your customer. Ask yourself:

• What kind of information am I looking for?
• What information am I expecting to see?
• Once I find that information, what do I do next?

The right answers will bring customers from their screens into your store. Here are some of the basics:

• Business operating hours
• Business address
• Services
• Products for sale
• Contact forms

You can then add further content and functionality. For example, quote requests, appointment schedulers, online payments and repair tracking. And the list goes on. Once you’ve filled your site with everything your customers need — Your website is now ready to go live.

Opening Your Virtual Doors

The internet is now an integral part of all business. Your phone repair shop is no exception. If you are among those yet to jump on the bandwagon — the time is now.
Anyone can create a website over the span of an afternoon. And the benefits for your phone repair business are plentiful. It will enable you to put in place other effective marketing tactics. SEO for higher search rankings, PPC for more traffic. Email marketing for customer engagement — to name a few. And remember: You have competition already using these strategies and reaping the rewards.
It can be daunting to invest time and resources into a new marketing strategy. The way to mitigate this is to know how to implement them and how to use them together to truly grow your business.