Fatrank Podcast

James Dooley:
So if I am looking to grow a fencing business, what do you recommend from a marketing point of view? Where should I be spending my money and what should I not be spending my money on.

Kasra Dash:
If you're a fencing business and looking to grow, I would first and foremost start with SEO. The reason I start with SEO is to make certain that you have good branding online. I would want an attractive looking site, so if anyone finds out who you are and what you do they can click through, check your accreditations and see everything optimised for the keywords you want to rank for in your local area. That helps you generate leads through search engine optimisation.

James Dooley:
What would you recommend for a fencing company starting out, let's say they've got the website built, with regards to SEO.

Kasra Dash:
I would target different services that you provide. There are different types of fencing. Some people do residential fencing, others might provide farm fencing. You want an SEO-optimised page for every single thing you offer.

James Dooley:
So on that, if you've got palisade fencing, bow top fencing, playground fencing, sports fencing, rebound fencing, would you do a different page for every single one.

Kasra Dash:
Definitely. One thing business owners get wrong is thinking that just because they provide a service, they don’t need to list it as an SEO-optimised article on their website. Google can’t read your brain. Dedicated pages for each one, making certain they actually get searches, is the way to go.

James Dooley:
So on the next part, Facebook ads.

Kasra Dash:
I’d definitely do Facebook ads. But Facebook ads would be a little touch and go in that industry. Actually, I’ll rephrase that. I would definitely put a retargeting pixel on the website. Anyone who’s been on the website, you track them on Instagram and Facebook. If they’ve not enquired, you can try to get them back. On the retargeting pixel, you can show case studies and testimonials. They might think they’re not sure if the fencing company is right, so you want to instil trust. But you’re right, a cold Facebook ad might not work.

James Dooley:
Where I think a cold Facebook ad would work is when we get bad windy seasons and neighbours’ fences get knocked over. As soon as that happens, if you’re doing residential fencing, it's prime opportunity to load up Facebook ads and spend two to four hundred pounds that week on fencing repair ads. Then there’s other marketing strategies. If anyone hired a fractional CMO, they might talk about traditional advertising like magazines, TV ads, radio ads, billboards. I personally don’t think you get much bang for your buck. What’s your thoughts.

Kasra Dash:
I think it works for certain industries. I just don’t think it works for fencing. People would rather search for a fencing company. If you have a good digital presence with before and after photos, reviews and testimonials, that will win over the client. I’ve never listened to a radio ad or seen a billboard and thought I need my fencing done.

James Dooley:
I think one that could work is PPC, but it’s expensive if you don’t know what you’re doing. You need a PPC specialist running the account, making certain you're looking for long-tail keywords. If you did palisade fencing repair, that’s a long-tail modifier. If you converted those well, I would run PPC on those long-tail terms. What’s your thoughts.

Kasra Dash:
My issue with PPC is if you’re a fencing company, you might be on the road. You’re not looking at the PPC account. You’ve not got time. First, I would outsource it so someone is in the ad account like a hawk. Second, you’ve still got click fraud. You need your page designed for CRO so when someone clicks through, they fill out the contact form. A lot of people look at traffic, but you want to turn that traffic into business. I’m not a fan of PPC. It’s too risky. There are safer options. Lead generation companies are safer.

James Dooley:
Over at fatrank.com, we’ve got a lead generation service for fencing companies where we guarantee them a return on investment. Kasra said PPC is risky, so we try to derisk it. We generate the leads and you only pay on a converted job you’ve won. But other lead gen companies can also be risky. They might sell the same enquiry to five or six fencing companies, meaning it becomes a race to the bottom on price. At FatRank you get exclusivity on the leads. We are selective with who we work with though. If someone just came saying they want fencing leads, I’d look deeper. What type of fencing? Timber? Palisade? Playground? Security? Have you got the right accreditations? We need to know they convert fencing leads into profit.

Kasra Dash:
Exactly. Anyone can sign up to Yellow Pages premium, Checkatrade, Builder profiles. There’s no filtering process. A lead in Manchester or London can go to anyone. You go against four or five competitors. That’s the issue with many lead generation companies. I’d be looking for a bespoke service where the company is picky about who they work with.

James Dooley:
One other thing that’s good for fencing companies is understanding who your target audience is. If you’re a manufacturer or supplier of fence panels looking to get specified, get on LinkedIn and target architects. If you’re a playground company doing work for councils, connect with park managers. If you mainly do work for landscaping companies, connect with them. LinkedIn could work very well if you want to grow your fencing company.