Looking to step up your marketing game for your home service contractor business in 2023? Maybe you just want a new source of lead flow. Perhaps competing unecessarily with other contractors is getting tiring. There are better avenues to grow in your local market, and in this quick guide (updated for 2023*) we will thoroughly break down each one.
BONUS: Marketing for contractors is one of our specialities. Read on until the end of this page and we'll reveal a special offer we're running for qualified home service contractors looking to scale BIG in 2023... Let's jump in!
What's Wasting Your Time In 2023?
I'll be blunt - with the way the landscape is today (no pun intended), working in the same manner year over year, with no adapation, will see businesses decline quickly. Unless, of course, you're a 25+ year veteran in the contractor space, and people line up down the block to work with you. Odds are... you're not that type of business just yet. Before we break down what you DO need to be focusing on, first let's quickly review some areas you might can afford to gloss over this year.
Referrals, Sphere of Influence, and Word of Mouth
When a new home service business opens up down the street, what is the first thing they start doing to drum up new customers? Hand out business cards? Knock doors? Plant yard signs? Post 5x per day on social media? Call up their mom, dad, brothers, grandparents, and 2nd cousins to see if they'll buy from them? Personally, I respect the hustle. It gets good results... for a little while. But eventually that well dries up, and then you must look to other means for growth.
You'll never hear me say "Stop looking for referrals and never post on social media to your friends and family". What you WILL hear me preach, though, is to never RELY solely on these means to grow your company. It won't get you as far as you might think, unfortuantely.
Buying Online Leads & Renting Marketing Space
Most home service contractors, when they are ready to dip their toes into marketing for the first time, begin with lead websites. You know what I am talking about: good 'ole Angi, Thumbtack, Nextdoor, and Bark. They make it out to seem like they are your friends - they are not. They are a business, and a mighty large one at that.
Proper digital marketing strategies for contractors needs to have YOUR business at the forefront.
Lead sites like these can be a decent source of jobs in the beginning, and I have heard they use to be much better 5-10 years ago. Now the market has shifted. If you want to truly set your home service contractor business up for long-term success - break away from these places now. Instead, focus on building your own marketing properties, so you're not tied down to the whims and hefty fees of 3rd-party lead platforms.
"Hope" Marketing - The Literal Death Of Business
You would think, as business professionals, we'd know better than to rely on luck or goodwill to get us where we want to go. Unfortunately, our agency comes across individuals in those boat far too often. It's the notion of "I have a business. I know I do good work. People will just find me on their own. Business will pick up if I give it time, I'm sure of it". Yet, these are the same people who put nothing substantial INTO their business to see that happen. It's a poisonous mindset.
As a local business or contractor seeking new job opportunities, it's imperative you stay far away from this level of thinking. Titus Maccius Plautus was indeed correct when he said "You have to spend money to make money." Every successful business to this day has lived by those words. Investing wisely will lead to large returns and stabilization in your company.
What Should Home Contractors Be Doing Instead?
Let's go over the top 3, most-crucial, digital marketing strategies a home service contractor needs to be implementing in order to see massive growth in 2023 (and beyond). Each item on this list comes from what we've personally seen work while running marketing strategies for contractors. Not all of them may fit your needs, or even your current situation, but take note regardless. Each one could mean the difference between closing $100K this year... or $1MM+.
Invest More Into Your Own Company
If you've been marketing already, what was that money going towards? HomeAdvisor, a marketing agency, properties you don't get any permanent benefit from? When you buy leads, setup accounts on 3rd party sites, or hire agencies who control everything - you own nothing. If they walked away tomorrow, you'd be left high and dry. Don't continue down that road in 2023.
Instead, work on building out your website better - invest in SEO, content, social media traffic, and other online assets YOU control. This is how companies become self-reliant in 2-3 years. Make the decision now to invest in your home services business. Don't stick with a company who leaves you with nothing if you dropped them tomorrow.
Run Your Own PPC or Social Media Ads
Paid ads are akin to putting the pedal to the metal and generating business much faster. If you want to invest $1 into a system, and see $5+ come out the other side, you'll want to jump into Google, Facebook, Microsoft, or YouTube ads immediately. It's the quickest way to see return on your marketing dollars.
As a home service contractor wanting to take on more business - being in front of your ideal clients on search and display networks is the optimal choice here. In fact, paid ads for local businesses wanting to grow is one of our top specialties. When you invest in ads, make sure to run them to your website's landing page - it boosts your SEO efforts quite drastically!
Rebuild or Rebrand Your Company Website
It's quite possible your local contractor business is not impressing many prospective customers. Could be your website is driving them away, or the fact they don't know what to do once they land on it. This is another rich opportunity to improve a crucial element of your branding.
Rebuilding your website can help you "reset" everything bad that may have happened to your site in the past, if that has been the case. Poorly-managed websites will likely never get found on Google. Black-hat SEO tactics could even get your site banned on search engines completely. If customers have had bad experiences with you, rebranding might be the best option - start fresh!
Now you have a solid, well-built foundation in place to scale from. Combining website, SEO, local business profiles, ads, and social media together- you will have a business that few can compete with.
Tired Of Inneffective Marketing Services That Don't Get You ROI?
We understand, and we have a solution. When your local service business qualifies for our new 3-PILLARS™ Local Market Domination system, we will make a guarantee to see your investment return a 2X minimum... or we work for free! No guesswork. No what-ifs. Only solid, scalable results. Interested?
