How To Get Homeowners Raving About You
One of the best ways to homeowners understand what you do is to tell stories about the clients and the home improvement projects you’ve handled in the past. All of your marketing documents and messages should be peppered with client stories as well as photos of projects completed.
But if you want homeowners to talk about you and your company and remember you and send referrals to you, there’s one more story you need to tell: your story.
People Are Fascinated By Home Improvement Contractors
Yes, this is true. Why do you think there are entire networks on home improvement? You are actually living the life that many homeowners want, providing skills and expertise that they only dream of. You are capable of doing things that many, many people are unable to.
Contractor Blogging: Just Do It!
The most important quality in a successful home improvement blog is to write good quality content. And as an owner of a home improvement company, I am going to assume that you are the expert when it comes to the services and products you provide. So the best solution is to simply share some of the expertise with your audience. Yet due to time constraints or “fear of writing”, I see many contractors avoid writing blog posts.
This is where we say, “Just Do It!” You do not have to be a professional writer, or novelist looking to win a Pulitzer. Simply write what you know in your own voice. Be Yourself. You should always write to help your readers and potential customers.
Have You Implemented EDDM Cards Into Your Marketing?
If you are a canvassing expert and cover your entire town or send high school kids to blanket the neighborhood where you are working or even use those fancy radius marketing tools, the U.S. Postal Service may have a more affordable solution for you. EDDM or Every Door Direct Mail is a new promotion rolled out by the US Postal Service that enables home improvement contractors to mail at an astounding 14.2 cents per postcard without even needing to have a mailing address.
With Every Door Direct Mail, you can reach homeowners in the area you want to work that matters most to your business: nearby neighborhoods. You don’t even need to know names or street addresses. You simply identify the neighborhoods you want to target, and your printed piece is delivered with the day’s mail to every address.
12 Reasons You Should Be Involved in Social Media
I know the battle that as a home improvement contractor you may have with getting involved with social media, but regardless if you use our social media management program, or do it yourself, here are just a few reasons you should be doing social media on a daily basis. If you need assistance, simply go back to our 3-3 Plan series, which will help you as well. Listed below are the reasons your home improvement company, regardless if you are a plumber or a custom home builder, why you should be doing social media every day:
1) By communicating with your customers on a daily basis you are showing that you care about them
2) Awareness! Staying in touch with your clients is important
3) Your company can benefit from establishing an open forum for customer feedback
4) Communication! Tell your clients your message, your services, advice them about home improvements, announce changes and display latest projects
5) You know that your existing clients are more likely to use you again and refer other people
6) Feature one of your clients or a successful project or testimonial. This shows gratitude for having such wonderful customers and how well your services fulfill their needs
7) Distinguishing your business from your competitors is beneficial
8) It is beneficial to be seen as an expert in your industry
9) Educated and informed customers make better customers
10) Periodically advertise a promotion or special on your social media pages
11) Retention! Through social media, your clients are reminded to purchase your services again in the future
12) Promote and highlight your referral program
So make sure that throughout this year that your marketing plan consists of something that deals with social media and you will see the benefits for your company.
Social Media For The Anti-Social Contractor: Part IV – Who Is Managing This Ship?
When it comes to social media management, it is very important to have one person in the office manage the overall management of your social media. That is not to say to have everyone contribute, but one individual should manage the overall of your social media strategy. Find someone in your office that is:
- Already using social media on a daily basis. You know the person. That person that posts their kids photos, comments on every news article and TV show.
- They should have a positive and optimistic personality
- Have 30 minutes or more a day to dedicate to your social media program
- Have complete understanding of your company missions, services, products and customer service procedures
The person who manages your social media does not have to be the owner of the company, or head of marketing, but they should be someone you can trust. They should be able to engage with people who post on your social media sites, as well as contribute to local pages and provide responses on their pages in order to generate interaction.
Social Media For The Anti-Social Contractor (Part III) – Keep It Local
Well after laying out the morning and afternoon posts of our 3-3-3 plan in social media management for home improvement contractors, it is now time to discuss the last post of the day. Remember when it comes to social media posting, the most important aspect is to always ask a question about the post. The only way you will see success in your social media is to create activity and engage your clients and soon-to-be clients.
One major importance to social media, much like every other online marketing activity is to keep your marketing local. The first thing you do when you create your Facebook and Google+ pages is to simply begin following other local businesses. These can include other home improvement contractors, restaurants, accountants, realtors, theme parks, etc. This will help, not only with engagement but can increase the number of followers of your page. For your afternoon post try to post something local
