7 Marketing Strategies for Contractors That Actually Work
Crafting an effective marketing strategy takes a bit of work. And if you’re a contractor, the last thing you need is one more tedious task. You need leads, not busy work.
And yet, a basic website or a handful of business cards won’t cut it. That’s not a marketing strategy. That’s a Band-Aid—and an ineffective one, at that.
But don’t worry. You don’t have to spend hours figuring it out on your own. Instead, in this article, we’ll provide some quick-fire tips you can use right now to get marketing going.
If you’re looking for marketing strategies that actually generate contractor leads, keep reading.
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Marketing Tips for Contractors
We’ve done the legwork to focus on marketing tips that work best for contractors. Each of the tips below is …
- Easy to implement
- Cost-effective
- Beginner-friendly
- Proven to generate leads
We would like to point out one thing, though. Most of these are no- or low-cost. But a couple of them come with some kind of expense. Before you dive head-first into any of these strategies, make sure you understand the potential costs and the potential payoff.
Now let’s get to the tips.
1. Optimize Your Website
Your website is like a digital business card. Sure, it’s a marketing basic. But it can also be a powerful lead-generation tool—if people can find it.
That’s where website optimization comes in.
“Optimizing your website” just means making sure the site clearly explains …
- Who you are
- What services you provide
- What geographical areas you service
- How people can get in touch with you
A marketing pro could make more advanced changes to your site, but if you cover those four bases, you’re off to a good start.
2. Utilize Pay Per Click
This is a more advanced option. It’s also one you’ll need to budget for. But PPC (Pay Per Click) ads are a solid way to generate leads.
PPC ads appear beside other search results, right up top. You only pay for the ad if someone clicks on it. In exchange for the PPC fee, you get prime placement.
If you want to explore PPC ads, we strongly recommend working with a marketing consultant. The right strategy for PPC will almost certainly win new business. But the wrong approach will do little more than waste your marketing budget.
3. Google My Business
There’s a good chance your business already has a Google profile, even if you’ve never set one up. When you take the time to set up a free Google My Business account, you’ll get two things.
- Some control over the information listed for your business.
- Access to some of Google’s free business tools, like the ability to reply to positive and negative reviews.
It only takes a few minutes to set up a profile. This is a basic digital marketing option you don’t want to miss.
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4. Start a Blog
You don’t have to be a professional copywriter to start a business blog. Instead of getting too worried about advanced strategies, stick to a simple game plan.
Set Up a Basic Blog
Start by setting up a blog. If your website has an option to add a blog, use it. If not, consider using a free blogging service like WordPress.
Create a List of Customer Questions
What should you write about? That’s the easy part. Just make a list of questions your customers frequently ask.
Answer Those Questions
When you sit down to actually write, don’t worry about pitching your business. Just answer the questions your customers are asking.
5. Post to Social Media
Like a blog, social media is an easy way to increase your web presence. And, as a contractor, you have an easy source of social media material.
Pictures of completed jobs.
When you finish a remodel, a build, or any other home service, get the customer’s permission to take a quick picture with your smartphone. Make sure they understand you’ll be posting that picture to social media. If they’re okay with that, post the picture right away with 1-2 sentences about the job.
Few things are as powerful as proof of the kind of work you can do!
6. Don’t Forget About Video
While it might seem like a more advanced digital marketing option, it’s easy to use videos to promote your business. Just use the camera on your phone to record short videos—1-2 minutes at the longest.
What should you focus on? Completed jobs, DIY tips (potential customers love these), featured services, or even star team members from your work crew.
Don’t worry about editing. Just make sure the video is clear and the sound is good before posting to YouTube or social media.
RELATED: The Ultimate Guide to Video Marketing
7. Partner With Others
You may offer a wide variety of services, but there are likely specialty jobs you don’t do. Take the time to establish partnerships with local professionals who offer services you don’t.
As you set up these partnerships, be clear about your expectations. You’ll give them leads when someone asks for work you can’t do. But you also expect leads in return.
This is an easy and effective way to grow your contracting business.
Wrapping Up
These marketing tips will get you started with digital marketing, even if you’ve never attempted it before. In most cases, you should see some lead generation relatively quickly.
And if you’re ready to take your digital marketing to the next level, we encourage you to consider partnering with a marketing pro.
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