Is your business doing okay? When someone asks you about your services, do you tell them that you’re just okay? Just like AT&T’s recent series of ads touting their wireless network, doing okay is probably not your ultimate business goal. If your contractor business isn’t expanding year-over-year, then chances are you aren’t doing enough to promote it. With over 700,000 monthly searches for general contractors, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC services performed monthly, the good news is that your target audience is searching online. The bad news is that you probably aren’t reaching it if you don’t have a defined marketing strategy.
However, with a few of our proven marketing techniques, you can quickly develop an effective online strategy that is sure to increase leads and expand your business.
Concentrate on One Market
Attempting to market to everyone is rarely a good idea. You may generate some business, but it will probably won’t be a very good return on your investment. Nowadays, there are too many options to rely on people finding you just through a general search.
For this reason, it is better to focus on one segment of your market. In this way, you can separate yourself from the competition by highlighting a special service or type of repair work in which you excel. Moreover, you can use it as a pipeline to other kinds of work.
Share Your Personal Story
This is another great way to set your business apart. Very few construction companies reveal their personal side. By letting clients get a look behind the scenes at your business, however, people get to know not only your business story but the people behind it. At the end of the day, people prefer to interact with other people instead of a business. So, don’t be afraid to show those photos of the company picnic alongside recent company projects. Anything that makes your company more approachable will attract more people and, ultimately, more business.
Lead Conversion
Recently, I heard about a contractor complaining to his marketing agency that he wasn’t getting enough internet leads. After looking at his analytics and seeing all the extra traffic and the calls he was getting, the agency asked him about his conversion process. Turns out, he had his 83-year-old mother-in-law, who was hard of hearing, answering the office phone.
The best lead generation in the world won’t make much of a difference if your conversion process is flawed. In other words, make sure someone reliable and knowledgeable is answering the phone and responding to website contact forms. Although she was trying to help, his mother-in-law didn’t know nearly enough about the business to talk to potential customers. It’s not enough just to be good at the job on-site; it’s also crucial to follow through with leads effectively. If you are prompt and reliable in your initial contact with clients, then you will put yourself in a much better position to convert the leads you are generating.
Stay Connected
Since you don’t want to neglect your customer base while you are chasing down new leads, you need to have a strong customer retention strategy. A great way to stay in touch is through email marketing.
There are plenty of free, easy-to-use email marketing services like MailChimp that enable you to keep up with current clients while also reaching out to new ones. A monthly or quarterly newsletter with informative articles or seasonal offers is a good way to touch base with clients while offering something in return.
Typically, most people are not ready to make a decision during their initial contact. For this reason, it’s important to stay in front of them, so you are there when they are ready to decide.
Since it’s always cheaper to market to current customers than to develop new ones, nurturing your existing client base is a low-cost way to grow your business year-over-year.
Rank for Google’s Local Pack
When people do a local search e.g. construction companies in Houston, a map of the local area appears below the paid search ads along with three company listings. This listing is known as Google’s local pack and it occupies a very valuable piece of real estate on the search engine results page.
In order to rank for this pack (Google’s Local 3-Pack), there are a couple of things you should do to optimize your site.
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Update and Verify Your Google My Business listing
If you didn’t create your listing, that’s okay. But now is the time to claim and verify your ownership. Then you can check to make sure details such as your address, operating hours, and business category are correct. It also helps to flesh out your listing with a good description, nice photos, and any recent reviews.
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Optimize Content for Your Local Service Area
A good place to start is to include your town, county, and state throughout your content. It’s important to associate your site with a specific area in order to be relevant to a local search query.
Incorporating both of these elements will go a long way toward boosting your local ranking.
As the contracting business continues to evolve, your marketing strategy must continue to evolve as well. Using these time-tested construction marketing ideas, however, can grow your revenue, expand your customer base, and raise your brand awareness in 2019 and beyond.
