Today’s technology allows us to access important information almost instantly. When your customers realize they have a problem, the first thing they do is conduct an online search to solve it (i.e. how to fix cracking drywall, repair a dripping faucet, choose interior flooring, etc.). The availability of quality information combined with its speed of access has evolved your buyers into a more knowledgeable audience.
Why not advertising?
Marketing to a self-educated homeowner requires a different kind of marketing strategy than most building and contracting companies are currently using. The average home builder spends the bulk of his marketing dollars on advertising. What he doesn’t know is that the self-educated homeowner responds to advertising much differently than an uninformed member. Check out these statistics:
- 84% of 25-34 year olds have left a favorite website because of intrusive advertising.
- 200 million Americans have registered their phone numbers on the FTC’s “Do Not Call” list.
- 86% of viewers skip television ads.
- 91% of email users have unsubscribed from a company email they previously opted into.
- 44% of direct mail is never opened.
(Source: Hubspot)
If you think advertising is the best way to market your building and contracting company, you could be right. Find out if advertising is right for you in our blog post, How to Choose Between Buying Ads and Creating Captivating Content.
While we wouldn’t go so far as to discount advertising entirely, we would go so far as to say that the results of traditional advertising are virtually untraceable. That is to say, a home builder could be paying the highest price for the best billboard in town, send professionally designed postcards to every home in the city, and still never know what worked and why, if it even worked at all. That’s a big problem.
Step 1: Create Valuable Content
The best way to make the most of your marketing budget is to invest in content that is valuable to your clients. When creating content, keep in mind that what you produce only has as much value as your readers give it. If you’re unsure about what topics would interest your potential buyers, start by thinking about the questions you are asked most frequently. For example, “What kind of material should I use to build my deck?” can turn into a blog post: The Pros and Cons of Composite Decking. If you’re not a fan of writing, check out this post for blogging tips and tricks. We’ve even written two months worth of free blog post titles that you can download.
Blogging is not the only way to promote your business! Here are a some other ideas:
- Videos and podcasts
- Infographics and slideshows
- Digital downloads (eBooks, checklists, calculators, apps, etc.)
- Real time special events (interview, Q&A, live streaming of a demolition, etc.)
Primary Content Offers (PCO’s) are an excellent way to convert an interested browsers into contracted homeowners. The content you create is valuable and people want to hear what you have to say. In exchange for a few pieces of contact information, they can. With their contact information (that was voluntarily given), you can stay connected with your prospects, understand their buying process better, and turn them into clients.
Step 2: Share Valuable Content
After you create valuable content, the next step is to share it! Promoting your content via popular social media networks is the most effective way to do this, because it is where your customers are. The average American spends 37 minutes per day on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other social media sites, making social networking the number one online activity in the United States. In fact, 46% of these web users are browsing with the intent to purchase.
While Facebook and Twitter are the most popular social networking sites, think outside of the box when connecting with your audience (because with an inbound marketing strategy, you already are!). Consider community forums, like Houzz [www.houzz.com]. Houzz is an important tool for home builders, renovators, and designers who are interested in enhancing their inbound marketing strategy, because Houzz helps professionals build better relationship with their customers. Check out our blog post, 3 Ways to Build Better Customer Relationships with Houzz, for more information.
At Baker Labs, we value your time and we value your money. Like you, we understand the importance of a good investment and we want you to be confident in your marketing efforts. Through inbound marketing, we can re-structure your marketing budget and transform your marketing strategy into a better one. (Note: You don’t have to spend more money to get good results! Contact us to find out why.) Your new inbound marketing strategy will produce trackable results; results you can use to make informed decisions and your impact more powerful. All of this starts with content.
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