There are dozens of methods and marketing tools to develop a sound contractor marketing strategy. Unfortunately, not every strategy will get you the kind of results you want. There are some tried-and-true methods to improve your business, but many of the most effective marketing techniques have only come to light in the last few years. In any case, finding the best contractor marketing ideas will require an in-depth analysis of your business goals and budget.
20 Ways to Improve Your Contractor Marketing Strategy
Marketing is difficult enough without adding hours of research to your schedule. That’s why we’re here to provide 20 proven ways to improve marketing for contractors and acquire more customers for your business:
1. Utilize Advanced Business Solutions
Customers want to know that they’re dealing with a forward-thinking company. Consider implementing customer service chatbots, interactive web designs, and virtual receptionist services.
2. Invest in Online Contractor Advertising
The cost will vary based on the scope of your campaign, but investing in online advertisements focuses your efforts on people searching for contracting services.
3. Build a Portfolio on LinkedIn
If you already have a LinkedIn account for your business, great! You’re halfway there! Now work on connecting with others in your industry to build new leads and market your business online.
4. Maintain Social Media Presence
In addition to LinkedIn, you should actively engage in social media marketing. Promote your contracting services on a Facebook page, Twitter account, or any other social media platform that could expose your business to the right audience.
5. Consider the Help of Social Influencers
Depending on your target audience, you could benefit from the shoutout of a social influencer. These people have large audiences, giving your business a huge boost to your online visibility.
6. Wield the Power of Reviews
Many businesses try to ignore third-party review platforms like Google and Yelp, but these offer high visibility to consumers. This form of marketing requires you to build strong relationships with your customers so that they can reward you with positive feedback online.
7. Blog About Your Business
Using keyword research and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategies help drive more traffic to your website. The right keywords will make your business appear higher in search results, bringing new customers to your (virtual) door.
8. Build an Email List
Remember that one customer you had six years ago? Yeah, they probably don’t remember you either. But if they were subscribed to your email list, they’ll be much more likely to remember your business and hire you again.
9. Become an Information Resource
In addition to writing SEO blog posts, you should add useful landing pages to your business website that edify potential customers about your industry and services.
10. Tell Your Story
Customers want to feel like they can have a personal relationship with your business. Use your website, social media channels, and advertisements to tell your story.
11. Analyze the Data
Do most of your customers fall into a certain age demographic? Does website traffic usually come from one location? Use a data-driven strategy to customize your contractor marketing.
12. Create Video Content
Sometimes it’s better to show your customers what you can do, rather than just telling them about it. Instructional videos and videos demonstrating your services will help increase lead conversion.
13. Practice Conversational Marketing
Conversational marketing allows customers to ask your business questions and schedule appointments via channels that they already use. This can include messaging or project management applications like Slack or Zoom.
14. Respect Customer Privacy
Data is important for any digital marketing strategy, but consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about their virtual privacy. Implement strong cybersecurity measures to make sure your customers’ information doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.
15. Don’t Produce an Information Overload
While customers want to feel informed, they don’t want to feel overwhelmed. Whenever possible, keep your basic messages short and straight to the point. Providing your contact information is one of the simplest ways to quickly inform prospective customers.
16. Invest in Offline Advertising
Not all marketing needs to take place in the virtual sphere. In fact, many customers prefer more traditional methods like business cards and billboards.
17. Contribute to Your Community
Research shows that consumers respond positively to businesses that volunteer time or donate money to their local community. Think about any time or monetary donations as a way to do good and promote your business at the same time.
18. Engage With Your Existing Customers
Maintaining your customers’ expectations and engaging with them is a great way to keep customer loyalty high. This doesn’t just translate into long-term business relationships, either. Positive customer engagement promotes word-of-mouth marketing.
19. Return to the Basics
While marketing may seem complicated, it doesn’t have to be that way. Ultimately, you just need to reach potential clients and quickly explain how you can provide a solution to a problem. Don't overthink it: sometimes the simplest ideas are also the best ones!
20. Determine Your Marketing Budget
This may sound obvious, but many small businesses don’t allocate enough money to marketing, and others spend more than they can afford. Develop a realistic marketing budget so that you know exactly which ways to market your business you can (and should) afford.
