Nov 13, 2020

This Podcast Is Episode Number 0393, And It's About Overcoming Contractor Marketing Challenges

Now that the internet has become an integral part of our daily lives, modern consumers no longer depend on television, radio, and print advertisements. We look and go through a plethora of information first, accessed through popular search engines (Google, Bing, and others), before deciding to make a purchase or hire a local service.

Technology advancement allowed companies to promote and connect with a larger number of potential consumers than the traditional, physical presence of a brick-and-mortar store. As a contractor, you are no longer confined to your neighborhood and push services directly to them. Your online presence enables you to reach out and pull qualified leads towards your construction company. But what should you do when you don't have a marketing manager that handles this side of your business? I say work with what you already have and go from there.

Grow your business and have your target clients come to you by leveraging these challenges and turning them into opportunities:

Content Creation

These include photos, graphics, videos, marketing copy, and blog posts on your website.

I know how this could be overwhelming, especially when you're a one-person team. Start small by thinking that it only needs to equal the thoughts of your customers. Build a persona from your ideal client – list down his/her Demographics (age, gender, profession, income) and his/her Psychographics (wants, problems, desires, pain points, frustrations, and other emotional triggers). Now every time you create content for your website, the context is base on your client persona.

What to blog?

• • Tips
  • Tutorials
  • How-to videos
  • Answer the most common (or not so common) questions your clients ask you - their most prominent issues
  • Positive results of your project
  • All in a day's work
  • Your current project (the privacy and security of your client is still a top priority so always be cautious when doing this type of post)
  • Best tools and emerging technologies you utilize to produce quality work
  • Replacement options
  • Questions to ask before hiring a contractor (specific to your trade)
  • Inspiring spaces
  • Checklists
  • Contractor best practices

Pick a topic and compose an excellent title. Write your blog post conversationally with a casual tone, as if you're talking to your client, and increase readability by breaking it up into parts using paragraphs and bullet points.

Social Media

Your social media presence makes your company accessible to your prospective clients. It promotes awareness and increases web traffic.

Consider your persona and research what platform will serve you best.

LinkedIn – professionals, work connections, business owners

Facebook – middle-aged consumers

Instagram – younger audience, teens to young adults

Also, here are Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube statistics and fun facts for your reference.

If you're not confident and savvy, I suggest going through social media sites to check where your competitors are and how they interact with their patrons. Pick three platforms to start with and download their mobile apps. Share bite-size information and good, quality photos to attract potential clients.

What to post?

Since people retain more information when a post is paired with a relevant image, let's focus on photos:

• • Behind the scenes
  • Team/crew
  • Office events
  • Quotes
  • Industry insights
  • Local gatherings
  • Community events you're sponsoring/attending
  • Random tip
  • Latest industry news
  • Company sales and promotions (this could seem "salesy" but works great when done right and timed-appropriately)

Keep in mind that consistency is key. Interact with your audience and always be authentic. 

Reviews And Testimonials

Here comes the Word of Mouth in the online world. Reviews come from review sites beyond your control, and Testimonials come from past clients you've gathered directly.

Include a Testimonials page/section to your website and encourage previous customers to leave feedback by providing them a form they can fill out.

Final thoughts

These could be intimidating at first due to a lack of experience or being preoccupied with projects to finish. Don't feel defeated; understand that your strategies need to evolve and expand for your company to prosper as a construction business owner. Be an active listener to the online community you built, and chances are you'll get high-quality leads from them.

Always have a monitoring method if your marketing is working or not—otherwise, you can't refine and improve your marketing strategies and budget (for paid ones) unless you measure the results.

Need Help Now?

Call Sharie at 1-800-361-1770 or email her at sharie@fasteasyaccounting.com

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About The Author:

Norhalma Verzosa is a Certified Construction Marketing Professional and works as the Webmaster of Fast Easy Accounting located in Lynnwood, WA. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and a Certified Internet Web Professional with a Site Development Associate, Google AdWords Search Advertising, and HubSpot Academy certifications. She manages the entire web presence of Fast Easy Accounting using a variety of SaaS tools including Hubspot, InfusionSoft, Shopify, and WordPress.