How to Get Locksmith Leads: 11 Tested Ways [2024]

Why Is Lead Generation Important for Locksmith Businesses?

Like any other business, one factor that’s key to the success of locksmith companies is the number of leads they generate. Those leads convert into customers who bring in revenue whenever they pay for locksmith services.

Apart from revenue generation, locksmith companies must employ lead generation strategies for the following reasons:

• Competitive edge: Customers always look for locksmiths to handle security issues and resolve lockouts. Lead generation strategies help build brand awareness so potential customers know you exist and pick you over competitors.

• Customer retention: Well-executed lead generation campaigns go beyond generating leads. They also help you build long-term customer relationships, generating referrals and repeat business. 

• Business growth: Lead generation builds your customer base, delivering revenue to invest in growth plans such as marketing, mergers, and acquisitions.

• Targeted messaging: Unlike general marketing strategies, lead generation platforms have target audience filters like age, location, and income level. This ensures your promotional messages reach people who match your ideal customer profile and will likely need locksmith services immediately or in the future.

Now that the importance of lead generation is clear, let's move on to the different strategies.

11 Proven Ways to Generate Leads for Locksmith Companies

Here’s a breakdown of the 11 lead generation strategies we’ll cover.

Let’s go deeper into each of them.

1. Local SEO

Local SEO optimizes your website for local-intent keywords, such as “locksmith companies Alaska,” so it appears on local search result pages.

Local SEO generates high-quality leads because people searching with local-intent queries are usually ready or almost ready to hire a locksmith. Even better, statistics show that 77 percent of customers in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States use Google to find businesses.

Local search results (search engine results dedicated to local-intent queries) have two sections: traditional organic blue links and the local map pack.

The local map pack is the more valuable of the two sections since it’s prominent and accounts for 40 percent of clicks—10 percent more than the organic section and 30 percent more than the second page.

However, only three locksmith companies feature in the local map pack. How do you ensure you’re one of them?

• Optimize and complete your Google Business Profile (GBP): Create your GBP and complete it with accurate information—business name, address, phone number, service description, etc.

• Fill up your GBP with positive reviews: Solicit online reviews from satisfied customers. You can use ServiceTitan’s Reputation Management platform to automatically send customers review requests immediately after completing a locksmith job.

• Create service pages: If you have more than one service area, create separate pages for each one.

• Register in service directories: Claim your listings in service directories such as Yelp, HomeAdvisor, and Nextdoor.

2. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising

This is a marketing strategy where companies pay to promote their services on search engines, social media networks, websites, and other digital platforms.

Google Ads is the most popular PPC platform because it accounts for most online searches, some from customers looking for locksmith companies.

However, due to its popularity, multiple companies are constantly bidding at any given moment for the three sponsored ad spots available at the top of search engine result pages (SERPs). Google Ads' algorithm only features ads that excel in specific criteria.

Yours can be one of those ads by implementing the following tips:

• Optimize ads with the keywords people are using to search for locksmith companies. Check Google’s autocomplete and ‘people also ask’ sections or use specialized SEO tools.

• Use your ad copy to reveal what customers will gain by clicking on the ad. Exclusive discounts? Limited offers? Make it clear.

• Align the ad’s messaging with your landing page to meet the expectations of people coming from the ad.

• Always test, measure, and improve.

Tools like Google Analytics and Google Ads Manager help track PPC ad performance. However, they fail to deliver ROI insights as they count calls as revenue, which is rarely the case.

After talking to multiple service providers, ServiceTitan’s product manager, Dylan Kessler, discovered they rarely knew how their campaigns performed.

"...we found that oftentimes [the] contractors we spoke to didn't know the ROI of their campaigns. They knew things at an aggregate level [and] channel level."

To address this challenge, we created the Home Services Marketing platform to help companies track their marketing efforts.

To do that, we built a feature that lets you assign toll-free numbers to each campaign. ServiceTitan then uses these numbers to measure each campaign's revenue and deliver accurate performance insights.

This helps you to optimize campaigns for revenue and identify wasted ad spend early.

3. Facebook lead ads

This unique Facebook ad offering allows prospects to submit their contact details in ads without ever leaving the platform. The advertiser collects these details using CRMs integrated into the backend of the ad and uses them to nurture the lead into a customer.

Facebook lead ads outperform conventional Facebook ads because they are seamless. Prospects can pre-populate their Facebook information into the form without waiting for a landing page to load.

Employ the following tactics to boost your Facebook lead ad’s performance:

• Integrate your CRM with your Facebook Ad Manager to collect prospects’ contact information.

• Add a click-to-call button and a link to a Google calendar so prospects can contact you directly or book appointments independently. This can boost conversion rates.

• Limit the number of form fields so prospects don’t abandon it halfway. Only provide fields for their full name, email address, phone number, zip code (for location targeting), and a brief description of their problem.

4. Local Services Ads

Local Services Ads is a special Google paid ad offering that empowers prospective customers to contact businesses directly from local search results.

Local Services Ads are also a type of PPC advertising but with some subtle differences. First, advertisers only pay per lead (a call or message). Second, rather than using keyword bids, Google considers factors such as review response rate, ratings, and the number of positive reviews when deciding which company to feature in the three Local Services Ads spots.

With that in mind, one way to improve your odds of being one of the companies featured in the reserved ad spots is to implement all the GBP optimization tips we shared earlier. You should also respond quickly to negative and positive reviews, add high-quality visuals, and frequently update GBP details.

Home services companies running Local Services Ads have one major challenge: managing the generated leads. Someone must be on duty day and night to pick up calls, manually collect details, and add new clients to available appointment slots.

ServiceTitan’s Local Services Ads integration resolves all that by allowing companies to add appointment booking buttons to their ads.

Prospects who click on the button are automatically redirected to a smart form where they can submit their contact details and a description of their problem. Once that’s done, they are directed to a Google calendar to book an appointment in any available time slot.

Immediately after booking an appointment, the customer receives an automated email from Google to confirm the details they submitted. Meanwhile, the CSR receives a prompt to call the customer to confirm the job booking.

This seamless booking process saves time, limits human errors, and eliminates follow-up failure. 

5. Email marketing campaigns

Email marketing campaigns are such a valuable channel for generating leads and nurturing them into new customers. They allow prospects and customers to interact directly with each other, building trust and loyalty.

Unlike digital marketing channels like SEO, email marketing grants you direct access to customers who have actively shown interest in receiving promotional messages. This is better than mass marketing strategies like television advertising, which people may deem intrusive.

Despite email marketing’s many benefits, some companies’ campaigns fail to succeed. Recipients delete or ignore them, or their email service providers (ESPs) tag them as spam.

You can join those who excel at the email route by following these tips.

• Structure your subject line to appeal to people’s self-interest (e.g., “A discount just for you!”) desire to feel special (e.g., “Exclusive discounts for loyal customers”) or fear of missing out (e.g., “Offer available for 24 hours!”)

• Deliver value in the email and on the other side of the CTA to build trust with customers and keep them subscribed.

• Design the email for easy consumption. Use legible fonts, optimize design for mobile, and break up long paragraphs with bullet points.

• Prompt action with action-focused CTAs.

• Measure and iterate. Track key metrics such as click-through, conversion, bounce, share, and list growth rates. Also, pay attention to the revenue each email and subscriber generates.

• Personalize email content to the recipient’s current context.

Traditional email marketing software like Mailchimp and ConvertKit can be used to personalize emails. However, their segmentation functionality leaves a lot to be desired, as they are not tailored to the needs of a locksmith company.

ServiceTitan’s Marketing Pro – Email excels in this regard because it directly integrates with your CRM. This allows you to deliver content that is hyper-relevant to people’s needs.

How does it work?

• Select filters and criteria and wait for ServiceTitan’s system to automatically create an audience of customers who match your criteria. 

• To further improve your targeting, use the platform’s audience segmentation scores (strong, moderate, or broad).

• Next, pick any of the platform’s professionally designed templates and customize them with your logo and email copy.

• Finally, launch the campaign.

It doesn’t stop there. ServiceTitan also has advanced attribution functionality for identifying the exact revenue and job each email has generated.

ServiceTitan’s Marketing Pro – Email helps you build targeted email campaigns in minutes and measure their revenue performance. This allows you to follow up on leads and optimize campaigns for conversions and revenue.

6. Referral marketing

Incentivizing customers to refer your company to others is an excellent way to generate exclusive locksmith leads who will likely book an appointment. Word-of-mouth has the highest research-to-purchase ratio (40%), and most customers prefer to hear about a brand from others.

Building a successful referral marketing program starts with picking the right incentives to convince customers to enroll. You can do this by surveying existing customers and examining established companies' referral programs.

After launching a referral program, promote it and encourage customers to sign up. Here are some ways to do so:

• Mention it at the bottom of invoices.

• Mention it on your homepage’s menu and at the bottom of service pages.

• Frequently send reminder emails to those who enrolled in the program but are yet to refer anyone.

• Create a referral message template customers can use.

• Direct technicians to encourage customers to enroll in the program.

Only satisfied customers are generous with referrals. Plus, referred customers won’t remain customers unless you deliver a quality service.

ServiceTitan’s Customer Experience software empowers locksmith companies to manage customer interactions efficiently.

The platform allows you to text job-cycle updates, a brief technician description, appointment confirmations, and a live tracking link. This assures customers you care for them and are committed to resolving their issues.

7. Online reviews

According to data from Brightlocal, 91 percent of customers say reviews influence their decision to pick a local business. Therefore, it’s fair to say that any business that does not gather online reviews is potentially losing leads.

Customers’ reliance on online reviews is understandable for two reasons. 

First, positive reviews reassure them that the company has sufficient expertise to do a great job. Second, it’s easier to trust and believe the words of someone like themselves than whatever the company says.

Here are strategies for generating online reviews.

• Deliver a great customer experience from the first interaction. CSRs should pick up calls early, listen attentively to the customer, and display empathy.

• Run a review request challenge, where the technician with the most positive reviews gets a prize.

• Update customers throughout the job cycle.

• Respond to negative and positive reviews to show you care about customer feedback and encourage others to leave theirs.

• Automate the customer request process to get many reviews quickly, with the least effort.

To implement the last point, consider investing in the Marketing Pro – Reputation platform, which allows users to set up automated review request workflows.

Once a technician clicks “complete” on the Mobile App, the workflow is triggered, and a review request message is automatically delivered to the customer. The message contains a link to your business listing that customers can use to leave a review.

Aside from automating the review request process, ServiceTitan’s Marketing Pro – Reputation platform notifies users (business owners or CSRs) whenever someone leaves a review.

Users can respond from a centralized dashboard that consolidates reviews from multiple listings and social media platforms into one hub.

This makes it easy to collect multiple online reviews and respond quickly to negative ones to protect your reputation.

8. Print advertising

This offline advertising strategy involves distributing promotional content using print mediums such as flyers, newspapers, brochures, banners, and direct mail. It allows business owners to reach customers without dealing with the fierce competition on digital ad platforms.

Furthermore, the tangible nature of print advertising materials boosts memorability. This causes customers to recall your brand and call you first whenever they encounter a locksmith-related issue.

Before picking from the multiple print mediums available, identify your goals and choose one that fits them. For example, while fliers are great for brand awareness, direct mail can generate immediate conversions.

9. Emergency services

Helping customers resolve lockouts and other emergencies outside working hours builds trust and loyalty. This differentiates you from other companies that operate within regular business hours and earns you referrals from loyal customers.

Create a separate service page for emergency services and include its URL in Google paid ads optimized for purchase-intent keywords. This will attract customers who search online to find someone to resolve their problems quickly.

Finally, add the keyword “emergency services” to the website copy, social media handles, and the service description section of business directories.

10. Involvement in the local community

Customers naturally prefer doing business with brands they know, like, and trust. Community involvement is one way to use this aspect of buyer psychology to your advantage.

Doing something for the good of the local community builds trust with customers and prospects and encourages brand recognition. This causes them to use your services whenever they need a locksmith.

There are multiple ways to connect with community members. Some examples include sponsoring local events, supporting local businesses, hosting free seminars, and funding local charities.

Before picking a method to connect with the community, define how much you want to spend and the activity’s goal. Then, pick a community initiative that is within the budget and aligns with your objectives.

11. Teaming up with other local businesses

Partnerships let you leverage the audience coverage of a complementary business. You can collaborate on co-branded campaigns, bundled packages, and referral programs.

Any local business you partner with should be complementary, that is, have a customer base like yours. This ensures the partnership remains beneficial to both parties.

Here are some examples of complementary local businesses with which to partner:

• Local hardware stores

• Home security companies

• Real estate agents

• Garage door repair companies

• Cleaning agencies

The Bottom Line

Picking the right lead generation strategy is key. Before you select any from the list, define the target audience to pick the right strategy and use compelling messaging. Remember also to always track performance metrics and pivot strategy as appropriate.

ServiceTitan can help you manage and track your campaigns and streamline key business processes. This allows you to focus more on delivering quality services while we handle the backend.

ServiceTitan is cloud-based software created to help home service companies handle key business processes such as dispatching, scheduling, and marketing. The software helps businesses increase their revenue by 25 percent in just one year of using it.