The Internet has become a very powerful as well as potent tool for businesses who want to spread the word about their services or products. With just a click at the search button, people are given access to thousands of resources and websites relevant to the search made. Because of the convenience that it poses, people of all ages and walks of life now use it to look for just everything under the sun. Together with the countless industries and markets, home improvement companies have also witnessed and embraced the importance of having a website.
Today, when home owners decide that they need to hire a professional contractor to do repairs, home additions, landscaping, renovation, or just about any maintenance and home beatification job; one of the most popular and among the first resource to cross their minds would be the Internet. Contractor websites helps these needy home owners in their hunt for the right home improvement professional or company by making the search process a lot easier and faster.
Visibility and accessibility are two important benefits of running a website for your home improvement company. Marketing-wise, having a contractor website helps you reach a wider variety of consumers as the details you advertise about your business will be available not just locally, but even world-wide. With this great exposure, you are also opening your doors to possible partnerships or other feasible opportunities as you are also letting your expertise be known to business-minded people as well. Even if you are asleep or busy attending to other things, your home improvement company website works for you 24/7. This increases your chances of growing your customer base and, of course, profits. With it, people can send you messages anytime and your company can respond to them in the soonest possible time.
No matter how small your home improvement company is, with a contractor website, you are given the chance to go head to head with medium and even the largest companies in the industry. An important note to remember though is that, you may be great at fixing or building things, but leave the construction and design of your website to the experts. Just think of the reasons why home owners choose to hire people like you instead of doing things themselves, and the same reasons should also work well with you on this position. Hiring the pros leaves you with enough time to do what you do best, minimizes the risks for additional maintenance and backjobs and saves you more money. What your contractor service website may cost you now would prove to be many times more valuable in both the short and long run.
With the technological advancements now, life is made more convenient, and that is how your many potential clients and existing customer base would prefer to have it. Building and running a website for your home improvement company would not only serve beneficial to your business but to those who patronize it as well. It is one of the most effective strategies that you could ever pursue for growth which would definitely put you in a win-win situation.
By: Eugene Makeev
For the roofer, plumber, repairman, or general contractor who relies on local patronage to keep business coming, nothing is more important than visibility. These days people will drive past home undergoing extensive makeovers and see the lawn signs planted by the curb informing everybody who is doing the work. While that’s a great method of exposing a first-hand look at your craftsmanship, you must also consider the limits of such advertising. If the home is not in a busy area, how many people will really see the sign? To broaden your reach, it’s necessary to set aside time for online marketing, and having a blog is key.
The home improvement owner who is skilled with his hands for building and repairs might not think he is apt to write about his work, but in truth blogging doesn’t necessarily have to be regular theses on construction. Blogs are flexible yet powerful marketing tools – you don’t need a marketing or writing degree to operate a successful webblog that attracts readers. All you need is the time to invest in building an audience and showcasing what your company does best. Here are just a few things you can do with a blog to help bring homeowners to your site, and to contact you for work.
Post before and after photos. If you have an especially daunting renovation project, nothing is more encouraging to a homeowner than to see the progress of the job. Posting before, mid and after pictures of a kitchen or bathroom remodel, a new roof installation, or a deck construction lets prospective clients see you in action, and the great results.
Post videos. You can embed videos in posts of certain blog content systems. Show locals how you operate, the quality materials you use, and the efficient labor that defines your brand.
Offer online specials. Gauge different promotions with your blog. Advertise “blog only” discounts and track how often they are redeemed.
Offer home improvement tips. Does a homeowner need a quick fix for the toilet or faucet? How can somebody keep their roof safe in winter? Provide helpful tips on your blog and build authority and trust.
With a blog attached to your main website, you provide regular fresh content, which in turn alerts search engines to give you better results in search. Start a blog today if you have not done so, and see the positive effects it can have on your online presence, and your business.
By: Kathryn Lively
Many contractors confuse a solid marketing plan with a random (and usually expensive) splurge of ad spending. But to get the best return you must create a long-term “strategic” marketing plan that plays to your company’s strengths. After all, marketing is the life-blood of any business: without marketing you have no customers, and without customers you go out of business.
And because marketing can be so expensive, many contractors are turning to the Internet to generate home improvement leads and contractor leads. Unfortunately most will fail miserably because online marketing (and contractor marketing in particular), involves so much more than just putting up a website.
The fact is that successful contractor online marketing takes work: In other words, you need a system. An Internet marketing system is not a “shotgun” approach – it’s a highly targeted approach that zeroes in on your target market with laser-like precision and coordinates with the rest of your company’s plans and activities.
If your website is not consistently delivering high quality leads to your inbox every single day, then you have a serious problem. The good news is that if you use the power of the Internet correctly, it’s possible to set up an automated online marketing system that will generate high quality contractor leads very inexpensively. Make sure that your online marketing system has the following qualities at a minimum:
It’s Targeted. One of the great benefits of online marketing is the fact that you can target your niche so precisely. Unlike direct mail that spews an ad to thousands of random consumers in a zip code, a good contractor online marketing system will target your exact prospects with laser precision. This ensures that only the people that are really interested in your service respond to your marketing.
It’s Automated. You’re busy and you simply can’t do it all, so and online marketing system for contractors needs to be automated to the maximum extent possible. It should happen 24/7/365 without direct input from you… it’s an employee that aggressively markets your service to prospects and never calls in sick and never takes a day off. If you have to constantly manage and tweak the system, then (be honest) it just won’t happen.
It Generates Referrals. The biggest return, by far, on your marketing dollars are your CURRENT Customers, but most contractors completely ignore this gold mine. Your profits will balloon when you turn you current customers into raving fans because they will be your sales force…and they’ll do it for FREE. Use a contractor email newsletter, for example, to keep in touch with your customers and to consistently and automatically ask for (and reward) referrals.
Here’s the bottom line: Let your online marketing system do the heavy lifting for you. A good online marketing system will even pre-qualify your leads so that by the time you pick up the phone, they are ready and excited to buy from you. The Internet is your 24-hour a day sales person… Make sure that you are harnessing that power to grow your business!
By: Steve Sellers
