If you're a home service contractor, then you know that marketing is key to your success.
Marketing your business is essential to growing your client base and establishing yourself as an authority in your field.
However, many contractors find marketing to be confusing and difficult.
What are the best ways to market your business?
In this ultimate guide, we'll walk you through the different contractor marketing methods and help you decide which ones are best for you.
We'll provide you with all the information you need to create an effective marketing strategy for your business.
We'll cover everything from defining your target audience to creating a powerful branding strategy.
So whether you're just getting started or you're looking to revamp your existing strategy, read on for some tips that will help you reach success.
There are many ways to grow a contractor business.
Some of the most effective methods include marketing to a defined target audience, creating a strong brand identity, and utilizing various marketing channels to reach potential customers.
By following these tips, you can develop a successful marketing strategy that will help you attract new business and grow your company.
The best way to market your contractor business will depend on a number of factors.
Your target audience, your budget, and your marketing goals all play a role.
Some of the most effective marketing strategies for contractors include:
We'll touch on all of these and more.
"Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue."
-Andrew Davis
akadrewdavis.com
The leads are reaching out to you directly for service.
You're not sharing the leads with your competition.
The leads find you naturally, not by way of any ads.
The leads already want your service when reaching out.
Marketing yourself as a contractor can be a daunting task, but by following some simple steps, you can make it easier.
First, you need to define your target audience and create a strategy to reach them.
Additionally, you should build a strong brand identity to help you stand out from the competition.
Third, you must closely track your different contractor marketing efforts to see which bring the best results, and how much each conversion costs you.
Lastly, you have to be open to growth, change, adjusting your efforts and learning new things.
These steps will keep you well ahead of the pack with your contractor marketing strategy.
The first step to marketing your business is to identify your target audience.
This can be done by asking yourself who your ideal customer is.
Consider factors such as their age, location, gender, interests, and income level.
Once you have a good understanding of who your target customer is, you can then begin to develop marketing strategies that will appeal to them.
One way to determine who your target audience is, is by looking at ideal clients you have had in the past.
Consider what made them ideal and try to find more clients who fit that description.
Another way to determine your target audience is by looking at your competition.
See who they are targeting and try to fill any gaps that you see.
Once you have a good understanding of your target audience, you can then begin to develop marketing strategies that will appeal to them.
This might include creating targeted ad campaigns, developing custom content, or hosting events that are relevant to their interests.
By taking the time to identify your target audience, you can make sure that your marketing efforts are more effective and efficient.
This will help you attract the right customers and grow your business.
After you have identified your target audience, you need to do some research to find the right keywords that they are searching for.
This can be done by using a keyword research tool like Google AdWords Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest.
By doing this research, you can find the terms and phrases that potential customers are using to find businesses like yours.
Once you know what keywords to target, you can then create content, ads, and other marketing materials that feature these keywords.
This will help you attract more visitors to your website and increase your chances of conversion.
A strong contractor branding strategy is essential for success.
A good branding strategy will help you stand out from the competition, and it can also help you attract new business.
However, many contractors find branding to be confusing and difficult.
One important part of a successful branding strategy is having a powerful logo and tagline.
Your logo is a large part of your company's visual identity, and it should be instantly recognizable to potential customers.
Your tagline should encapsulate the essence of your business in just a few words.
Don't forget that your brand goes well beyond the colors and logo you use, though.
Your brand is everything your company and its representatives say and do.
Make sure your team is on the same page when it comes to representing your brand, and that you're delivering on the promises your brand makes.
Developing a strong contractor brand takes time and effort, but it's worth it.
A well-crafted branding strategy will help you attract new business, establish yourself as an authority in your field, and grow your company.
Truly, your contractor website design will play a massive role in the quality of customers you attract.
Prospects see your website as a representation of your business.
If your website appears dated or unprofessional, they may move on to a competitor's site.
Your website should be designed with your target audience in mind.
It should be easy to navigate and provide the information potential customers are looking for.
Additionally, your site should be mobile-friendly, as more and more people are using their phones and tablets to search for contractors online.
If you're not sure where to start with your website design, there are plenty of resources available to help you create a professional, user-friendly site.
Once you have a great website, make sure to promote it through your other marketing channels to drive traffic and generate leads.
Having a Google Maps listing that ranks on the top of google for your most valuable keywords can literally make or break your business.
As part of your contractor marketing efforts, this should be among the very top of the list.
This great for organic traffic, as it's a powerful way to get your brand in front of potential customers looking for the services you're offering.
When people searching for contractors in your area see your listing at the top of the results, they'll be more likely to click through to your website or give you a call.
If that listing has an abundance of 5 star reviews, that's a great indicator to show that your business is trustworthy and sought after.
To get started, create a free Google Business Pages account and claim your business listing.
Then, fill out your profile completely, add photos, and encourage customers to leave reviews.
If you want to take things a step further, you can also run Google Ads to promote your listing and ensure that it appears at the top of the search results.
This is a great way to support and enhance your contractor marketing efforts while you wait for your map listing to climb the rankings organically.
It's not enough to just have a website these days.
If you want to attract visitors, you need to make sure it's ranking high in the search results.
Achieving a high ranking can be a challenge, but there are many Contractor SEO tactics you can use to improve your chances.
First, make sure your site is optimized for search engines by using the right keywords and phrases in your content.
You should also ensure that your site is well-designed and easy to navigate.
These factors will help search engines index and rank your site more effectively.
In addition to on-site optimization, you can also use off-site tactics like link building and social media promotion to help improve your site's ranking.
By promoting your site through these channels, you can earn higher quality links and drive more traffic to your site.
Google Ads are a great way to get your contractor business in front of potential customers who are actively searching for the services you offer.
When you run a Google Ads campaign, you pay to have your ad appear at the top of the search results for certain keywords.
If someone clicks on your ad, they'll be taken to your website or landing page, where you can then convert them into a lead.
Google Ads can be a great way to jumpstart your contractor marketing efforts and generate leads quickly.
To get started, create a free Google Ads account and set up your first campaign.
You'll need to choose the right keywords to target and write effective ad copy that compels people to click through to your site.
You'll also need to set a budget for your campaign and determine how much you're willing to pay per click.
Once your campaign is up and running, you can monitor your results and make changes as needed to improve your performance.
Something to keep in mind when buying PPC ads, though, is that they are quite costly.
It's not uncommon to see a niche within the contractor industry with costs of around $50 per click.
This means that if you're not converting a high percentage of your visitors into leads, you could be quickly racking up a big bill with little to show for it.
As such, PPC should be just one part of your broader contractor marketing strategy.
Facebook Ads are another great way to reach potential customers and generate leads for your contractor business.
Facebook allows you to target your ads to a specific audience, so you can make sure they're seeing your ad in their newsfeed.
Facebook ads offer a number of different options with their ads, including leading people who click on it to message your page directly, or to fill out a contact form from within facebook.
This means that you don't even necessarily need a website in order to start getting leads through facebook ads.
To get started, create a free Facebook Ads account and set up your first campaign.
You'll need to choose the right keywords to target and write effective ad copy that compels people to connect with your service business.
You'll also need to set a budget for your campaign and determine how much you're willing to spend per day.
Once your campaign is up and running, you can monitor your results and make changes as needed to improve your performance.
Since Facebook Ads are less expensive than Google Ads, they can be a great way to reach more people without breaking the bank.
However, it's important to keep in mind that Facebook Ads generally have a lower conversion rate than Google Ads.
This means that you'll need to generate a higher volume of leads in order to see the same results.
As such, Facebook Ads should be just one part of your broader contractor marketing strategy.
Referrals are one of the most effective ways to generate leads for your contractor business.
A referral is when someone recommends your business to a friend or family member.
Referrals tend to convert into leads at a much higher rate than other marketing channels because the person receiving the referral has already been pre-qualified by someone they trust.
There are a few different ways you can generate referrals for your business.
The one you have the most impact upon is by simply asking your customers for them.
After you've completed a job, reach out to the customer and ask them if they know anyone else who might be in need of your services.
You can also offer a discount or incentive for customers who refer someone to your business.
Automate this process by setting up a referral program.
Another way to generate referrals is by providing an exceptional customer experience.
If you exceed your customers' expectations, they'll be much more likely to refer you to their friends and family.
You can also reach out to other businesses in your area and ask them to refer you to their customers.
For example, by creating a strategic partnership with a service or business that complements yours.
Social media is a powerful marketing tool that can help you connect with potential customers and build relationships with them.
When used correctly, social media can be a great way to generate leads and grow your business.
Start by creating profiles on the social networking sites that are most popular with your target audience.
Then, post engaging content that will encourage people to follow you.
Make sure to share your website and blog content on your social media profiles, and use call-to-actions to encourage people to visit your site.
You should also interact with other users regularly to build relationships and expand your reach.
Your business' reputation is one of the most important factors in determining whether or not people will do business with you.
That's why it's so important to make sure that your online reputation is as positive as possible.
The first step is to claim all of your online listings.
This includes directories like Google Business Pages, Yelp and Houzz.
Always make sure that your business information is accurate and up-to-date.
Finally, encourage your customers to leave reviews on your listings.
Respond to both positive and negative reviews in a professional and courteous manner.
We use advanced tactics to guide customers in the review process, mostly by automating outreach after jobs are completing.
The other secret to our tactics is filtering out any negative experiences.
We do this by querying the customer as to whether they had a positive or negative experience with us before asking for their review.
If they had a negative experience, we instead send them to customer service.
It's a chance for us to salvage our relationship with the client and solve any problems they may have had.
Another great way to market your contractor business is by getting involved in your local community.
There are a number of ways you can do this.
One way is by sponsoring a local event or charity.
This is a great way to get your name out there and show that you're committed to giving back to the community.
You can also volunteer your time and services to local organizations.
Another way to get involved in your community is by joining a local business association.
This is a great way to network with other businesses and expand your reach.
Finally, you can host events or workshops at your office.
This is a great way to attract potential customers and show them what you're all about.
In addition to online marketing, you can also use traditional marketing techniques to reach potential customers.
Although these techniques are older than digital marketing, they are tried and true.
One way to do this is by placing ads in local newspapers and magazines.
You can also use billboards or other forms of outdoor advertising.
You can also use direct mail to market your business.
This involves sending postcards, flyers or other promotional materials to people in your target market.
Although this technique takes more time and effort, it can be very effective if done correctly.
A benefit is that you can target your advertising to a specific geographic area.
Another way to market your business is by getting featured in the media.
This can be done by securing press coverage in local publications or by being interviewed on local radio or TV.
You can also submit articles to local newspapers and magazines.
This is a great way to get your name and business in front of potential customers.
One way to stand out from the competition is by focusing on a niche market.
This involves targeting a specific type of customer or project.
For example, you could focus on being the go-to contractor for kitchen remodels or historical restoration projects.
You could niche down even further and choose something more obscure like green construction or sustainable building practices.
The key is to find an under-served market and fill it.
This will help you attract customers who are looking for a specific type of contractor.
It will also make it easier to market your business as you'll be able to target your advertising and marketing within a more narrow category.
This is a powerful strategy when the competition in your main category is very well established.
By focusing on a niche, you can become an expert in that area.
This will make you more attractive to potential customers and give you a competitive advantage.
In order to be successful with this strategy, you need to make sure that your website and marketing materials reflect your niche focus.
You should also join relevant online communities and participate in forums related to your niche.
The goals you have for your sales and marketing will largely affect which of these strategies you should implement for your business.
For example, if your goal is to generate more leads, then you'll want to focus on strategies that will help you increase traffic to your website.
If your goal is to close more sales, then you might want to focus on creating more targeted marketing materials.
No matter what your goals are, it's important that you establish them early on.
This will help you determine which marketing activities are most likely to help you achieve your desired results.
When setting goals for your marketing, it's important to make sure they are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound (SMART).
This will help you create goals that are realistic and achievable.
Some examples of SMART marketing goals include:
By setting SMART goals, you can more effectively measure and track your progress.
This will help you determine what's working and what isn't so that you can make necessary adjustments along the way.
It's important to track all your marketing efforts so that you can see what's working and what isn't.
This will help you determine where to allocate your resources for the best results.
There are a number of ways to track your marketing campaigns.
One way is to use unique phone numbers or coupon codes for each campaign.
This will allow you to track how many calls or sales you receive as a result of each campaign.
Another way to track your campaigns is by using Google Analytics.
This free tool can be used to track website traffic and conversions.
You can also use it to set up goals and measure your progress over time.
No matter how you choose to track your marketing efforts, it's important that you do it consistently.
This will help you make more informed decisions about your marketing strategy.
You've got your plan, now put it to work with consistent action
The most pivotal step in any contractor marketing strategy is to take massive action.
This means putting your plan into action and executing on it consistently.
The only way to achieve success with your marketing efforts is to take massive action and never give up.
Remember that Rome wasn't built in a day.
It takes time, effort and consistency to see results.
So don't get discouraged if you don't see results immediately.
Just keep taking massive action and eventually, you will reach your goals.
Once you've been tracking your marketing efforts for a while, it's time to start evaluating your results.
This will help you determine what's working and what isn't so that you can make necessary adjustments to your strategy.
One way to evaluate your results is to look at your conversion rate.
This is the percentage of people who take the desired action (e.g., make a purchase, sign up for a newsletter, etc.) after being exposed to your marketing campaign.
If your conversion rate is low, it could be an indication that something is wrong with your campaign.
Maybe your target audience isn't clear or your call to action is ineffective.
Whatever the case may be, it's important to identify the problem and make necessary changes.
Another way to evaluate your results is to look at your return on investment (ROI).
This is a measure of how much profit you're making as a result of your marketing efforts.
Even if you have the best product or service in the world, you're not going to make any sales if you don't follow up with your leads.
In order for a lead to turn into a customer, you need to nurture them through the sales process.
This involves staying in touch with them and providing them with valuable information that will help them make a buying decision.
One of the best ways to stay in touch with your leads is through email marketing.
This allows you to send automated emails that keep your leads engaged.
You can also use email marketing to send manual emails when necessary.
Another way to nurture your leads is through phone calls.
This allows you to build relationships with your leads and provide them with information about your product or service.
No matter how you choose to follow up with your leads, it's important that you do it consistently.
The fortune is in the follow up, so make sure you don't drop the ball.
"Content marketing is like a first date. If you only talk about yourself, there won't be a second one."
-David Beebe
Founder & CEO, STORIFIED
"Doing well with blogging is not about writing one key post, it is about performing day-after-day and helping a few people at a time."
-Aaron Wall
Author, Search Engine Land
"It's a great time to be a content creator. There are so many highways and not enough cars."
-Scooter Braun
Record Exec & Entrepreneur
"The only way to win at content marketing is for the reader to say 'This was written specifically for me'."
-Jamie Turner
Author & Professor
"Think bigger, braver, and bolder. The biggest missed opportunity in content marketing is playing it too safe."
-Ann Handley
Chief of Content, Marketing Profs
"Your top of the funnel content must be intellectually divorced from your product, but emotionally wed to it."
-Joe Chernov
Chief of Marketing, Pendo.io
"Focus on the core problem your business solves and put out lots of content and enthusiasm and ideas about how to solve that problem."
-Laura Fitton
HubSpot Marketing
"The attention economy is not growing, which means that we have to grab the attention that someone else has today."
-Brent Leary
Owner, CRM Essentials
"Behind every tweet, share and purchase, there is a person. Care more about the person and less about the share."
-Shafqat Islam
General Manager, Optimizely
"Good marketers see consumers as complete human beings with all the dimensions real people have."
-Jonah Sachs
Co-Founder, Free Range Studios
"Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people."
-William Butler Yeats
20th Century Irish Poet & Writer
"You can never go wrong by investing in communities and the human beings within them."
-Pam Moore
CEO, Marketing Nutz
Facebook leads typically require lots of follow up.
Ask other contractors and previous customers for referrals.
Great for home services, but costly and highly competitive.
Calls instead of clicks equate
to strong buyer intent.
You ask 'em, we answer 'em!
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.
The best marketing strategy for your business will depend on a number of factors, such as your budget, target audience, and goals.
That said, there are a few marketing strategies that tend to work well for contractors.
These include search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and social media marketing.
Off-line options that work well for contractor marketing include print advertising, direct mail, and public relations.
As we covered in detail above:
These are the basic components to using digital contractor marketing to grow your business.
To add power to these tactics, be sure to track, test, and continue to adjust and improve your efforts in the digital marketing space.
Start with goals, have a plan, consider working within a well defined niche, and take massive action!
All of these together will be sure to bring you great success.
There are a number of creative marketing ideas that contractors can use to market their businesses.
One idea is to create a video tour of your work.
This is a great way to show off your work and give potential customers an idea of what you're capable of.
Another idea is to create a blog or podcast about your business.
This is a great way to provide valuable information to your target audience and build relationships with potential customers.
Another idea is to hold a contest or giveaway.
This is a great way to generate interest in your business and attract new leads.
Consider implementing tactics that your competitors aren't using, like 360° photos and videos, or drone footage, etc.
Finally, consider partnering with another business in your area.
This is a great way to reach a new audience and get your name out there.
No matter what creative marketing ideas you choose to use, make sure that they align with your overall marketing strategy.
Many contractors forego a marketing strategy, and they suffer for it
The most common mistake that contractors make with their marketing is not having a clear strategy.
Without a clear strategy, it's difficult to set realistic goals and measure your success.
Another common mistake is not investing enough in marketing.
Many contractors believe that they can't afford to invest in marketing, but the reality is that marketing is an investment that will pay off in the long run.
Another common mistake is not staying up to date with the latest marketing trends.
Marketing is constantly evolving, and if you're not keeping up with the latest trends, you'll be left behind.
Finally, another common mistake is not tracking your results.
It's important to track your marketing efforts so that you can see what's working and what's not.
Without tracking your results, you won't be able to improve your marketing strategy.
Some of the top trends in contractor marketing include content marketing, inbound marketing, and account-based marketing.
Content marketing is all about creating valuable, relevant, and engaging content that will attract your target audience.
Inbound marketing is a holistic approach to marketing that focuses on attracting customers through relevant and helpful content.
Account-based marketing is a targeted approach to marketing that focuses on key accounts that are most likely to convert.
As you can see, there are a number of different trends in contractor marketing.
The best way to stay up-to-date with the latest trends is to keep an eye on industry news sources and thought leaders.
"People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it."
-Simon Sinek
Author, Start With Why
"When people feel insecure about something, they look around for validation. Show them that other people trust you."
-Francisco Rosales
Co-Founder, WPcafeina
"Every trackable interaction creates a data-point, and every data-point tells a piece of the customer's story."
-Paul Roetzer
Creator, Marketing AI Conference
This can be a massive source of inbound organic leads.
Website rankings are very powerful for inbound leads.
Convert more leads to customers with great reviews.
Strong branding will bring more reviews online and offline.
There are many ways to market your contractor business.
The most important thing is to find the right mix of marketing channels for your business.
Remember to always focus on your niche, establish SMART goals, track your progress and take massive action.
These are the essential steps for any contractor marketing strategy.
If you do these things, you'll be sure to see results.
By using a combination of the above-mentioned marketing strategies, you'll be well on your way to success.
At curated leads contractor marketing agency, we specialize in helping contractors grow their businesses.
We offer a wide range of services, including lead generation, SEO, PPC, social media marketing, and much more.
If you're looking for help with your contractor marketing, we'd love to chat with you.
Contact us today to get started!
Knowing who your ideal customers are is the best start.
Your brand is much more than just colors and a logo.
Your website should be at the center of your efforts.
Strive for local awareness through community efforts.