, /January 25, 2023

Marketing Strategies for Contractors

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How to market yourself as a contractor?

Marketing Strategies for Contractors

The wait is over if you want to approach new technology to attract and retain customers.

As a contractor, we understand that you have plenty of marketing challenges – from not having enough or too many projects to handle, not having an up-to-date online presence, unsure how to send the right message to your potential clients, etc. In addition, the construction industry faces aggressive competition and struggles to modernize its digital efforts.

So, what can you do?

We’ve crafted an easy guide to help lay down a marketing plan – like the importance of starting locally and spreading word of mouth, the need for a functional website, implementing social media efforts, investing in digital ads, and more.

Feel free to send us a message or comment at the end of this article if you have any questions – and don’t forget to follow us on our social media channels for quick updates.

Let’s get those marketing strategies for contractors going!

Marketing Strategies for Contractors

The importance of starting locally and spreading word-of-mouth

Let’s play it simple, let’s spread the word about your business!

Talking about your services is one of the easiest things you could do. However, if you feel too much competition, consider mentioning your benefits and what makes you different; it could be customer service, response time, quality, or anything that places you in the spotlight. Here are four additional actions to achieve word-of-mouth: 

  1. Choose a niche or a specific group of people in your community. Family and friends are the easiest way to get started.
  2. Is there a popular local newspaper that you use to promote your services? Ensure that people are interested in this material and that it fits properly.
  3. Is there a popular online directory used by people in your community to find contractor services like Yelp, MapQuest, or Bing? Online directories are an excellent way for people to see you on Google and for them to leave reviews.
  4. Open a social media profile. We recommend you choose one social media platform according to your niche interests. We’ll cover this topic later in this article.

Why do you need a website?

First, a website is a collection of pages related to an internet domain or subdomain in the world wide web. Here are six reasons why you need one as an essential to have an effective marketing strategy for contractors:

  1. It can attract new customers through Google
  2. Most people search online and compare services, namely through skimming through websites
  3. You can clearly state who you are, what you do, and how people can contact you
  4. You can display customer reviews and allow others to comment about their experience
  5. You can integrate Google Maps
  6. You’ll gain exposure and earn the trust of your visitors

A website must be the first digital tool to add to your marketing strategy for contractors.

Why?

Place yourself as a customer; you know you need a constructor but have many options. What do you do first? Do you Google online, ask a friend for a reference, or search in your local newspaper?

Most people take their phone and quickly search on Google to find services near them – if you find a contractor’s website listed on the search engine’s results page (SERP), you’ll probably click it and skim through the information.

Open a Google My Business Profile

Your Google My Business (GMB) account and website should go together. It’s a way to list your services for free in the most powerful search engine. In addition, you’ll allow clients to access your contact information, reviews, pictures, business hours, and more.

How can you open a GMB account?

  1. Make sure to have a business Google account
  2. Go to google.com/business
  3. Select “manage now.”
  4. Provide all the information that Google asks for: business name, address, website, phone number, delivery area, category, etc.
  5. Claim your business by searching your business online or on Google maps and clicking “own this business?”
  6. Verify ownership by entering a code that Google will ask you for through email or text.

Watch this video for a step-by-step setup.

So, do you still need a website after this?

The short answer is yes – because of one little word, “credibility.”

Most people will choose a service over another, depending on their transparency and accessibility.

The more difficult it is to understand a business, the less likely people are to commit.

Also, Google’s algorithm “loves” to see that a business has all those details well-polished. So, your website/ business will likely rank better if you have GMB and a website.


Use social media to connect with potential clients

Earlier, we stated that you should be on one social media platform at a time; here are three reasons why:

  1. You have to manage each account and create specific content for that platform.
  2. You might lose credibility if you don’t nurture them or if you abandon the channel.
  3. Your audience might face content fatigue if you post the same message across multiple platforms.

Pick a social media app you know that people in your community use. One of the most popular ones is Instagram. It allows you to use a variety of formats like video, pictures, stories, and highlights for your services.

Yes, but what can you post?

There are no limits to what you can post, but we’ve noticed that people like to interact with the following:

  • Video of current projects
  • Posts with written testimonials
  • Pictures of your team or yourself working
  • Educational content about your industry
  • Tips about construction
  • How to videos
  • Holiday posts
  • Success stories
  • Video testimonials
  • Finished projects
  • Live videos


social media for marketing contractors

Use email for an effective marketing strategy for contractors

Email marketing is one of the most straightforward methods to measure your online efforts; it’s sending emails with a commercial message. Every email sent to a potential customer or client can be considered email marketing.

Here are five benefits of adopting this strategy:

  • It converts three more times than social media
  • It allows direct communication with your audience
  • It allows you to promote cross and upselling
  • It’s accessible
  • It has a massive reach

There can be three kinds of email marketing tactics:

Promotional – they showcase special offers, new service launches, and downloadable content like eBooks and webinar invites.

Informative – like a newsletter, they tend to showcase news about your services, share educational content and reviews, and send traffic to your website.

For a specific purpose – they aim to nurture your contacts by crafting them to your buyer’s context. Always consider your ideal customer’s needs to determine what message to send.

Pay attention to reviews and use them to your advantage

Your customer reviews are a phenomenal tool to close deals. In addition, if your prospects find your services exciting but are still deciding whether they should hire you, your reviews will undoubtedly motivate them to move forward.

This is another reason you should open a Google My Business account or a space for your clients to leave a review. It will impact your marketing strategy for contractors positively.

The following are a few best practices to manage your reviews properly:

  • Do NOT leave out negative thoughts; answer them politely, and move on
  • Do express gratitude by answering all reviews
  • Look for specific details; if you find a pattern, you might be looking at an area of opportunity
  • Be personal yet professional; remember that most reviews and their answers will stay there indefinitely
  • Avoid being a robot; people identify when a Chabot is answering them; be human and friendly
  • Encourage reviews by sending an email campaign with the links to your GMB account or landing page

Final thoughts on a marketing strategy for contractors

Marketing is supposed to be simple. Every business should be able to implement a strategy that focuses on reaching and connecting with people. It’s all about opening the possibilities of integrating new technology to help you build genuine business relationships.

We’ve enclosed the digital marketing essentials that will help you get started and will help you reach your goals.

Remember that Let’s B Media is a committed group of professionals that aim to help you with your online marketing efforts.

Please let us know if you have questions or want a discovery call.

We’ll be writing to you soon.

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