Struggling to find enough clients? Feel like it’s hard to compete with larger home improvement companies? Want to grow your business?
Then you need home improvement marketing.
No, we’re not talking about mailing out thousands of flyers or buying some radio ads. We’re talking about targeted (and sometimes FREE) ways even small home improvement companies can market their services.
At Cedreo, we work with a lot of housing professionals, so we know what works. In this 5-minute read, we’ll share 10 actionable home improvement marketing ideas you can start implementing today.
But first, we’ll cover the reasons home improvement marketing is important for your business.
Why Marketing is Important for Home Improvement Companies
The home improvement industry continues to grow. In fact, searches on Google for phrases like “home remodel” or “kitchen remodel” have skyrocketed from 2020-2021. But there are also more and more home improvement companies trying to get a piece of the market.
Home improvement marketing ensures you get your piece, too.
Traditionally, home improvement marketing has meant relying on referrals. But relying solely on that will not fast-track your business to new levels of growth. With more and more companies investing in marketing strategies, it’s easy to get left in the dust.
So do you want to actually start growing your business instead of just getting by? Then it’s essential you reevaluate your marketing efforts.
Start implementing home improvement marketing and you can:
- Land higher-paying clients
- Target clients in a specific area
- Create automated processes that do your marketing for you
- Actively get new clients instead of just waiting for them to contact you
- Stand out from your competitors
Sounds pretty great, right? Here’s how to do it.
10 Home Improvement Marketing Tactics
Here are 10 actionable tips to boost your marketing efforts. Some are simple, easy, and free. Others will take some more time and effort. All are worth implementing — even for small home improvement companies.
1. Optimize your Google My Business (Maps) profile
51% of people use Google to find contractors. When those people search for “home improvement contractors in (your area)”, wouldn’t it be awesome if your company was in the top results?! This is a great way to bring in tons of new leads.
So if you don’t already have a Google My Business profile, that’s where you need to start. It’s free and easy to set up.
Then make sure your business profile is optimized by:
- adding accurate and relevant information (address, website, phone, etc.)
- selecting the appropriate category
- uploading high-res photos
- create a FAQs list
- posting content in the Google Posts section
- starting to collect reviews (more on that later)
However, ranking in the top search results can take some time, especially if you’re just starting out. But there is another way to land at the top of the search results. Check out the home improvement marketing idea #2.
2. Launch a Google Ads campaign
Running home improvement ads on Google lets you pay to rank at the top of the results for your most important keywords like “[your location] home improvement companies”.
Google Ads provides a lot of options that work really well for home improvement contractors. For example, you can set up the ads so that you only pay when someone clicks through to your website or makes a call to your business.
Online home improvement advertising like this is one of the top ways to quickly reach your target audience.
PRO TIP: Use Google Keyword Planner to choose targeted keywords with lower competition (and lower cost). You can also target search terms for the specific type of work you do. E.g. “[your location] kitchen remodelers” or “[your location] hardscape contractors”.
3. Collect and publish online reviews
As much as 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. And 87% say that a business needs a 3-5 star rating before they consider using them.
Basically… online reviews are the new word-of-mouth referrals.
Plus, more positive reviews will help you rank higher in the organic search results. Show up in the top results on Google with a bunch of 4 and 5-star reviews and it’ll be hard for people not to contact you.
So how can you get all those great reviews?
Aside from doing amazing work (that’s a given), ask your clients to leave a review on places like Google My Business, Yelp, and Facebook (or all of them!)
- Ask when your client is happiest
- Don’t wait to ask—do it right after you finish the job
- Invite them to share any suggestions to help improve your service
- Explain or show them how to leave a review
Don’t be discouraged if you get a negative review. Just be sure to handle it properly.
- Thank them for sharing their feedback
- Acknowledge the issue
- Explain if necessary
- Invite them to discuss the issue offline to resolve it
A few well-handled negative reviews among an overwhelming majority of 4 and 5-star reviews can even help build your credibility. People tend to get a little suspicious if there are only 5-star reviews.
4. Sell projects with photorealistic designs
Once you’ve got some leads, boost conversions by improving your project presentations. One of the best ways to do this is by adding photorealistic designs to your proposals.
Instead of just presenting black and white 2D floor plans, imagine how impressed potential clients will be when they see 3D floor plans and photorealistic renderings of the designs. When you help clients envision their dream project, you trigger powerful emotions that motivate them to act.
Cedreo Home Remodeling Software makes it easy for you to create stunning project presentations. Whether your client wants a small bathroom remodel or a full home renovation, Cedreo can help you close the deal. No other program lets you create a full set of 2D and 3D home designs in just a few hours, even with no previous design experience.
Add Cedreo to your home improvement marketing plan today.
5. Share project images and videos on social media
Social media isn’t just for fitness influencers and celebrities. It’s for home improvement companies too!
As you work on your projects, take some before and after pictures or video tours. This is a great way to showcase your work. You can even post brief videos during the project that highlight your quality construction methods.
Important! – It’s a good idea to check with the homeowners first before you post any pictures of their homes.
In addition to actual project photos, you can also share photorealistic renderings created with Cedreo to your social profiles. That’s an easy way to impress potential customers with your design skills while giving them ideas for future projects.
6. List your business on industry-lead sites
So you’ve already got your company listed on Google My Business and social media. Now it’s time to move on to other lead sites specific to the housing and construction industry. Start by creating profiles on the following sites to gradually expand your online footprint.
Here are a few popular sites home improvement contractors should check out:
- Houzz
- HomeAdvisor
- Angi
- Thumbtack
You can also check in your local area for online contractor directories you can join. Each of these lead sites works a little differently, but all provide an easy way to showcase your work, build trust, and reach different people.
7. Use blog content to answer buyer questions
As an experienced contractor, you know which questions homeowners are most likely to ask. So why not answer their questions and establish your expertise by creating some useful blog content?
Imagine someone is looking for a company to remodel their kitchen. They find your website and read an article on your blog about the top 5 things homeowners should consider when planning a kitchen remodel.
That article helps build a trusting relationship with the potential customer and establish your expertise even before the first phone call. Plus, that extra blog content adds SEO juice to your website helping you rank higher in the search results.
Here are a few tips to help you start implementing content marketing into your overall marketing strategy.
- Make a list of some of the biggest questions/concerns your clients have had in the past.
- Set aside some time each week to work on creating the content.
- Promote your new content on your social channels and lead sites.
PRO TIP: Ask someone else to review your content to make sure it’s clear and easy to understand. You could also consider hiring a professional freelancer or a digital marketing agency to help create and post the content.
8. Canvas neighborhoods where you are working
Although a lot of our tips focus on digital marketing, face-to-face sales pitches still have their place. A simple way to do that is to canvas the area where you’re working.
If you’re working on the home’s exterior, your work is already on display. Even if you’re remodeling the interior, the neighbors will notice that something’s going on. And we all know how neighbors like to “keep up with the Joneses”.
So why not capitalize on their interest?
Try knocking on a few of the neighbors’ doors and ask if they’re interested in what you offer. Since you’re already in the area, you may even be able to offer them some kind of discount.
A simple, non-aggressive sales pitch usually works best. A great way to break the ice is to simply mention: “My name is ______ from Acme remodeling company. We’re overworking at [client’s name] house doing [type of job]. I was wondering if you’d be interested in [type of job] as well. Since we’re in the area, we’re offering a special discount to anyone in the neighborhood.”
Even if they’re not interested in any work at the moment, at the very least, you can leave them a business card or brochure.
9. Launch a referral program
Happy customers are the best salespeople. Incentivize your happy customers even more with a referral program.
Your referral program doesn’t have to be complicated. Most contractors just choose to offer a simple cash reward anytime someone sends a new customer your way. Others offer a discount on a future project. Or you can offer both and let the customer decide.
Just make sure the reward is “interesting enough” to motivate people to actually take part.
The best part about this marketing idea is that it only takes a few seconds to implement! Just mention your referral program at the same time you ask them to leave you a review. You can even make up a small card or flyer that explains the incentives you offer for referrals.
10. Nurture leads with email campaigns
It can take weeks or even months for people to decide on a contractor. Email campaigns can help you stay in contact with potential leads and convert them into customers.
The best way to do this is to add an email signup form on your website and offer an incentive for signing up. It could be a discount on a future project or a free newsletter or ebook with home improvement-related info.
Once you have their email, don’t spam them with emails every day. Reach out from time to time to establish a relationship, share valuable information, and show how you can help solve their problems.
Home Improvement Marketing Challenges
Home improvement marketing can quickly boost your business growth, but it’s not without its challenges. Here are two of the biggest challenges and what you can do about them.
I Can’t Find Time for Marketing
Saying you don’t have time to market your home improvement business is like saying you won’t get the oil changed in your car because you don’t have the time. Your car might run ok for a while, but eventually, it’ll start having problems.
Even if your business is doing well right now and you have plenty of work, starting to implement those 10 tips will help keep your business running.
Try to dedicate a specific time each week to implement these ideas. Or hire a freelancer or digital marketing agency to spend a few hours a week doing that for you.
I Don’t Know Much About Digital Marketing
Fortunately, you don’t need to be a computer whiz to implement all of these ideas. Even if you’re new to running a home improvement advertisement with Google Adwords or creating social media posts there are tons of free resources to help you learn the basics.
But if you’d rather not deal with the online side of home improvement marketing and want to make sure you don’t end up wasting your hard-earned money, there are plenty of marketing agencies and freelancers who can lend a hand.
Final Thoughts
Home improvement marketing is more important than ever. So which of our tips will you start implementing?
- Optimizing your Google My Business Profile
- Creating home improvement ads with Google
- Launching a referral program
One of the easiest tips you can implement today is adding photorealistic renderings to your proposals. It might sound complicated, but with Cedreo it’s easier and cheaper than ever.
Get started with Cedreo today and see how it can help take your home improvement business to the next level!
