Category "Digital Marketing for Contractors"

Digital marketing is essential for contractors and that’s no secret. With all of the documentation out there, many DIY marketers/business owners first try to do things themselves. We’re here to tell you, that’s the right move.

Browse the following resources and choose a few ideas that seem reasonable. Then come back, and let’s discuss the basics for any and all DIY marketers.

Here’s a list of online resources to help you get started:

1. Online Marketing for Contractors
2. 5 Hard Truths Contractors Don’t Want To Hear About Digital Marketing
3. 4 New Tools Improving Digital Marketing for HVAC Contractors
4. 50+ CONTRACTOR DIGITAL MARKETING STATISTICS
5. DIGITAL MARKETING GUIDE FOR CONTRACTORS
6. Digital Marketing Strategies Contractors Can Use to Generate New Business Efficiently
7. 5 Digital Marketing Ideas for Construction Companies
8. Top 10 Promotion & Marketing Ideas For A Construction Business
9. Top Social Media Marketing Strategies for Construction Brands
10. 101 SOCIAL MEDIA IDEAS FOR CONTRACTORS

The fact is, there’s lots of informative and helpful information out there on digital marketing for contractors that you can employ today. Before you start down the long rabbit hole of new marketing initiatives, use this guide to bring your website up to par and write a digital marketing strategy to compliment those efforts.

Prelude

Now, the following steps are very important to any digital strategy, but of course we cannot cover everything in a short blog post. Regardless, these three steps are sure to get any business a great head start in generating traffic, leads or brand awareness.

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Step 1: Refreshing Your Website

Think about it. You’re standing on the corner of Center and Main. On the left is one restaurant with beautiful, modern decor. On the right is another that screams ‘Health Code Violations Here!’

Which are you going to choose?

Like it or not, times have changed and your website is your new store front. In fact, we would argue that your website says more about your company then your logo does.

You may be thinking ‘Where do I start?!‘ Fear not. Many web development agencies offer ‘refresh’ solutions that are far more affordable than an entire website rebuild.

Don’t skim the infographic below. Take a look through this beautiful addition from HubSpot on the anatomy of great web design. This should give you a roadmap to spotting any issues with your current digital storefront.

Infographic courtesy of HubSpot:

#2: Outline a Digital Marketing Plan: Awareness

Too many DIY marketers read half a blog post then feel qualified to start throwing money at paid media and/or fraudulent digital marketing agencies. Digital marketing is very tactical and contractors should be strategic before jumping into new channels.

Before you waste budget on a Facebook boosted post, or that AdWords company that cold called you, outline your own plan. Start this outline by placing yourself in the shoes of your prospective client. If this client had no idea you existed, how would you make them aware of your brand? You have one shot. What value proposition do you put in front of them?

In other words, where do you want prospects to first discover your company? Social media? Digital display ads? Google search? All of the above? Where ever you’re looking to generate awareness, make sure you put an offer in front of these users that’s valuable to them, whether or not they make a purchase immediately.

Here’s a sample outline to give you an idea of where an agency might start.

1. Goals
   1. Sign three new kitchen remodeling prospects.
   2. Acquire leads at less than $100 per lead.
   3. Signed contracts at less than $1,000 per contract.
   4. Gross more than $30,000 per contract.
2. Prospects
   1. Annual income range $150,000 or above.
   2. 80/20 female to male impression volume.
   3. 30 to 55 years of age.
   4. Married with 0 to 3 children.
   5. Located within a 10 mile radius of Scottsdale, Arizona.
3. Strategy
   1. Develop a free kitchen catalog for every price point.
   2. Write and implement a new landing page.
   3. Optimize landing page for local SEO.
   4. Gate catalog so that download requires email address.
   5. Sync email form to email CRM.
   6. Commit $200 per day to GEO and interest focused Facebook Ads.
4. Measure
   1. Track impressions purchased and relative click through rate.
   2. Track landing page visits.
   3. Track average time on page.
   4. Track gated form conversion rate.

Step 3: Outline a Digital Marketing Plan: Measurement

While it’s not listed until step 3, measurement should be top of mind through the entire construction of this strategy. If your bottom line is the bottom line, then you must first establish the value of a lead to your brand. If you’re looking to increase the reach of your brand, then impression volume and CTR are most important to you. If you’re looking to increase lead volume at a reasonable cost per lead, then landing page conversion rates should track extensively. 

Again, all this information begs the question, “Where do you start?” Measurement is intimidating at first, but very doable for the average DIY marketer. A little elbow grease and learning power goes a long way in setting up the following recommended tools:

1. Google Search Console (Best for tracking organic sessions, keyword impressions and click through rates. Can also be used for technical SEO practices.).
2. Google Analytics (The mothership of measurement. Use for tracking all sources of traffic and user engagement on your website.).
3. Facebook Pixel (Like it or not, Facebook is here to stay. Installing their pixel unlocks additional analytics, as well as enhancements to their advertising algorithms for when you launch your first Facebook ads.).
4. Google Tag Manager: GTM is more of an honorable mention, as it doesn’t actually provide analytics, but instead enables multiple pixel installation that doesn’t bog down the load time of your website. 

In Conclusion

Now, we hope this blog overwhelmed you just a bit, as that would mean we’re getting somewhere. Digital marketing is a competitive space, especially for contractors. If you can take the time to learn a few tricks, then you’re already a step ahead. Start with an fresh website, outline of your digital marketing  plan, an awareness strategy and install the proper tools needed for measurement. With these steps, you’ll be ready to drive more leads in no time at all!