As a small business that provides construction, you have dreams of larger projects and bigger paychecks for yourself. To achieve those goals, however, you need to market your company online successfully. Without a marketing plan in place, it can be challenging to succeed.
Especially now, as the market for home renovations is on the uptick, you’ll want to capitalize on this phenomenon now more than ever. Below are six tips that can help you market your fledgling construction company online:
1. Create an Attractive and Informative Website
An attractive and informative website is vital because it’s how you will be reaching the majority of your potential customers. Your website is your message, and they’re looking for a reason to connect with you. If your site looks like somebody created it in the 90s, they’ll most likely find another company to work with.
As such, you have to make sure to bring your site to the 21st century. If you don’t have the resources to hire a professional web designer to do this for you, free services can help. WordPress is a popular web-building tool, but there are paid services available as well. For example, Wix offers website building that includes free domain hosting all for less than $20 per month.
2. Create Content That Provides Value
You can provide value to your potential clients by educating them about one aspect of the construction industry each month. You might do this through videos or blog posts on topics like sustainability, bidding, or safety.
Not only will you be providing them with information that can help their business grow, but this type of content will also give people a reason to connect with you by sharing your posts on social media.
3. Plan for SEO-friendly Visibility on Search Engines
It’s essential to create content that search engines like Google can easily find. One way to do this is by developing an SEO strategy. This strategy includes inserting keywords in your page titles and headings and into the content itself and making sure you use an image alt tag on each image to represent the associated text.
When people search for topics relevant to your message, you will be more likely to appear in search results.
4. Be Active on Social Media
Social media is one of the top ways people connect today. Therefore, it’s crucial to establish an account on Facebook and Twitter before your company even opens its doors. On these social media channels, you’ll be able to share updates about your company. These photos feature your latest projects, and you’ll also be able to engage with potential customers.
5. Invest in Advertising
You don’t have to spend a lot of money on advertising to make a significant impact. By investing in Google or Facebook ads, you can target your audience exactly as you want and create effective marketing campaigns with limited resources. In fact, Facebook has recently announced that it now gives small businesses access to several new tools for free, including analytics, insights, targeting, and many others.
6. Network with Other Construction Professionals
Another way to make sure your marketing efforts online are successful is by networking offline. When two businesses do business together, they become a mutual reference for one another. If they know and trust one another, customers will feel more comfortable doing business with them. Another benefit of networking with other professionals is finding the right talent you can recruit to your team. A reliable handyman is as—if not, more—important to your business as an online marketing campaign.
As such, make sure you attend various construction-specific events and connect with other members of your industry. This will not only involve networking online but also making connections offline to help build your brand.
7. Offer Incentives for Referrals
People are more likely to take you up on your services if they know their friends can enjoy some discount or free service. For example, you can offer 10 percent off for each newly referred client, making them feel valued and appreciated. In the same vein, you will also benefit from building your company’s credibility as your clientele grows.
8. Send Direct Mailings to Clients
If your business is involved in a major project, you can send direct mailings to clients afterward. In addition to showing them how much you appreciated their business, you will also remind them of the services you offer. Plus, it’s a great way to remind people about future projects they might be interested in so that they call you for an estimate.
9. Be the Local Expert
Make sure you become the local expert in your industry by writing guest blog posts and participating in social media channels like Twitter chats and Facebook groups. Furthermore, offer to speak at industry events and be a panelist on panels where possible. By doing this, you will not only gain exposure for your business, but you can also share your expert knowledge with others.
By following these tips, you will be able to market your small construction company online successfully. Some companies have successfully sold themselves on the web that they’ve grown from a single location into a national or international franchise. All you have to do is to decide which of these steps you will take to help your business flourish.
