Long were the days when someone would just have a problem with their home (such as plumbing), pull out the phonebook go into the yellow pages, and then find the first name or ad that caught attention. Marketing used to be so much simpler for contractors, maybe a phonebook ad here and there, sometimes an ad in the local newspaper, maybe even a little radio jingle if you had the funds.
While there are plenty of contractors that have been around long enough to where they immediately have a clientele that relies on them, if you’re new in the contracting world, it may not be so easy for you. But here are some handy marketing practices that any beginner can use so they can really get their name out there.
Create a Solid Company Identity
A company’s identity is one of the most important aspects of its branding. The logo, colors, and style are all key factors that make up a company’s identity. Companies (individuals too) should first think about what they want their brand to represent. They should then design a logo that will best represent the values they want to portray and give off the right message to customers. Your identity needs to reflect who you are, but this also needs to sell, and pop out to potential clients.
Choose the Right Marketing Channels
Marketing channels are the ways in which a company communicates with its customers and potential customers. The marketing channel that is chosen for a campaign is dependent on the type of product or service, the target audience, and the budget. A marketing channel can be anything from an email campaign to social media posts. The most important thing about choosing a marketing channel is identifying which channels will best suit your needs.
Some contractors opt for having a website, others use Google My Business and have helpful services like Sofiaseo.com to boost their SEO. If it’s something you’re completely new to, make sure you’re doing some thorough research, maybe even ask around about how people find contractors they need.
Develop an Affordable Marketing Strategy That Fits Your Budget
You’re going to need a marketing strategy that is tailored to fit your budget. This means that you will not have to spend a lot of money to get the marketing results you want. While there are plenty of best SEO practices for contractors, you’ll need to figure out what exactly can fit your budget.
Usually, websites can be fairly affordable, social media channels are free, and email marketing services from MailChimp are free for your first 2,000 subscribers. Also, YouTube is technically considered to be free too. There are many different ways for you to execute an affordable marketing strategy. Creativity never hurts.
Create Professional Social Media Accounts
You don’t need to hire some marketing agency to get your social media pages set up. Social media has become an integral part of our lives. It is the best way to stay connected with friends and family, keep up with the latest news, and find out what is happening in the world. It has also become a great marketing tool for businesses. You’re absolutely going to need to think about the content that you plan to put on the website.
You can just instantly expect likes, follows, and clientele just from simply having a page. Make sure it looks professional, have it look enticing, even go as far as checking out what some other contractors (local or not) and see how they’re making all of this work for them. Content is king, so be prepared to offer some sort of value. Value creates trust, and trust means that there will be enough comfort to hire you.
Create Your Own Website or Landing Page With Relevant Content
This has been recommended all throughout this article. You should absolutely put into consideration creating a website for yourself. But before you do, think of some of the potential considerations for building up a website.
- What type of website do you want?
- What is your budget?
- What is your industry?
- Is your website mobile friendly?
- Do you need a blog or email newsletter integration on the site?
- Will you be using social media on the site?
Having a website doesn’t necessarily need to be expensive. There are more than enough website builders on the market that are fairly inexpensive. WordPress is considered one of the classics, but others such as Weebly, Wix, and SquareSpace are also considered wonderful for contractors as well. But even if you’re on the cheaper side (as in free) then WordPress.com (it’s not self-hosted) and Blogger could be fairly decent options too.
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