Home remodeling is a competitive industry. Plenty of people out there think they can do what you do and are trying to build a business with their skills. Whether they can actually do the job is somewhat irrelevant to your business. Why? Because they are competing with you for home remodeling leads, regardless of their skill level.
Home remodeling businesses live and die by their ability to bring in a steady flow of high-quality leads. At Cedreo, we want to help great home remodelers find great clients and grow their businesses. That’s why we have put together this guide.
Below, we’ll cover how to get remodeling leads, the different types of home remodeling ads, and several other strategies for lead generation. Read on to learn more.
Why Is Lead Generation Important for Home Remodeling Businesses?
When a home remodeling job is done, it’s done. Sure, the client may call you for work in the future, and they hopefully will spread the word about your services. But referrals and possible future work can only get you so far. Growing your business on referrals alone is a monumental challenge. That’s why you need a steady stream of high-quality home improvement leads.
If you’re wondering how to get remodeling jobs, lead generation is the answer. Ideally, you want to have more leads than you can reasonably handle. That way, you can pick and choose the best jobs — the ones that pay the most or showcase your particular skill set in the best way.
Unfortunately, getting more leads is not a matter of flipping a switch. You have to have a long-term, multi-part strategy that capitalizes on all of the available lead sources. Build your lead-generation plan with the 10 strategies we discuss below.
10 Strategies to Get Qualified Home Remodeling Leads
Remodeling leads don’t just come knocking on your door. You have to give them a reason to come knocking. This list of lead-generation methods includes a mix of online and offline strategies that can provide a steady pipeline of leads for your home remodeling business.
Rank your website in Google Maps
Home remodeling is a local business, so it makes sense that you would want to show up in local searches. One way to do that is to rank your website in Google Maps. Here’s how it works: Someone in your area wants to get some home remodeling done, so they open up Google Maps and search for “home remodeling.” Maps serves them a list of home remodeling businesses, complete with their hours, reviews, addresses, and more.
You want to be on that list. To get there, you need to claim and fill out your Google My Business profile. Be sure to include as much information as possible and leave no section blank. Upload photos of your business and work, and post on your Google My Business profile regularly.
Create profiles on industry review sites
Every industry has its own review sites, and the home remodeling industry is no exception. One of the best ways to boost your visibility online is to create profiles on every relevant review website. Each profile can act as a magnet for high-quality remodeling leads. That’s because reviews give potential customers an on-the-ground perspective of you and your work.
By reading the reviews, customers can get an idea of what it’s like to work with you and the quality of your work. More than 54% of people say they read four or more reviews before purchasing a product or service. That means you need a lot of reviews and a presence on a lot of review sites.
You don’t have to stick to industry-specific sites for reviews, either. You can and should get into more mainstream and highly visible platforms, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp, and Google My Business.
Boost conversion rates with remodeling software
Leads are important, but they’re only one part of the equation. You also have to convert those leads into actual sales, and that can sometimes be a tall order. However, if you manage to boost your conversion rate, you can get more jobs without necessarily getting more leads.
Here’s a great way to boost your conversion rate: Create photorealistic home designs to show to potential clients. Cedreo allows you to do that quickly and with a high degree of detail so you can bring prospects’ dream projects to life before their eyes. When they see a highly realistic depiction of the work you would do for them, they can picture themselves living in a home that looks like that. This creates an emotional connection to the project and your services. That’s about as effective as a conversion tactic can get.
Create profiles on industry lead gen sites
There’s no shortage of sites dedicated to getting businesses like yours more home remodeling leads. That’s the case in every industry, really, and it’s important that you have a profile on every site that’s relevant to home remodeling. Consider the following industry lead-generation and review sites:
- HomeAdvisor
- BuildZoom
- Porch
- The Blue Book
- ConstructConnect
- Houzz
Each of these platforms has different rules and works a little differently, and it’s worth your time to get to know the platforms so you can maximize the number of leads.
Collect and publish positive reviews
We already talked about getting ranked in Google Maps and creating profiles on industry review sites, but there’s another step to take that brings these two strategies together. You need to collect all of your reviews and add them to your website, your existing review site profiles, and your social media profiles.
The more reviews you have, the more potential clients will trust you. In 2020, 87% of consumers said they read reviews for local businesses. Of course, the quality of those reviews matters.. Here’s what consumers said they valued most in online reviews of local businesses:
- Star rating
- Legitimacy
- How recent the reviews are
- The sentiment of the reviews
- The number of reviews
With that said, you should prioritize positive reviews from real customers. Struggling to get more reviews? It never hurts to ask your recent customers for one. If you believe the client was happy with your work, reach out to them. Most people understand how helpful online reviews can be, and they will be happy to give you one if they liked your work.
Launch a Google Ads campaign
Home remodeling ads can help generate leads. But traditional advertising — on TV, on billboards, and in newspapers and magazines — is often prohibitively expensive for owners of small businesses. That’s why many home remodeling companies turn to online home remodeling ads. The biggest and arguably most effective platform for online ads is Google Ads.
You have probably heard about how SEO can get you to the top of the search results, but pay attention to the results page the next time you search. More than likely, you will see ads above the organic search results. These are paid spots that can help businesses get leads as well as remain top-of-mind for consumers.
Home remodeling ads with Google Ads can be an incredibly effective way to bring in more remodeling leads, but keep in mind that advertising on Google can be expensive. Make sure there’s room in the budget before you go all-in with this strategy.
Partner with other local businesses
Homeowners who want their home remodeled may have other projects in mind, too. That might be landscaping, roofing, interior decorating, or anything that would beautify or increase the value of the home.
What if you partnered with businesses that offer these related services to provide each other with leads? This is a common way to get high-quality home remodeling leads. For example, when you work with a client, you could let them know that you partner with a great landscaping company, should they want any outdoor work done. And when the landscaping company works with a client, they could recommend a fantastic home remodeler: you.
Share successful projects on social media
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn are full of people who could turn into quality leads for your company. Nearly everyone is on social media, and they love to see high-quality photos. So, give them what they want by posting photos, 3D renderings, and even videos of your successful projects.
Think of social media as free advertising — when people want to hire a home remodeler, they’re more likely to think of you if they have seen your incredible projects on social media.
Provide free quotes
“Free” is one of the most powerful words in the English language. People love getting something for free, so why not offer free home remodeling quotes? Publicizing the fact that you offer free quotes makes it much more likely that someone who is considering working with you will reach out.
Once a prospect has engaged with you and you have quoted them a price for the job (and hopefully shown them the beautiful photorealistic design you created with Cedreo), they are much more likely to choose you over one of your competitors.
Offer referral incentives
You can’t base your entire business on referrals, but you can certainly get quality home remodeling leads from referrals. One way to get more referrals is to offer referral incentives. This is just another way of saying that you should reward those who refer leads to you.
You could structure your referral incentive any way that makes sense for your business, but be sure the incentive offers real value to the referral source. You might offer a discount on future services, for example. Alternatively, you could offer the person who was referred to you a discount. That way, the referrer can feel like they are giving a gift to the person they referred.
Frequently Asked Questions About Home Improvement Leads
How can I get exclusive home remodeling leads?
To get remodeling leads that none of your competitors are getting, you can take two approaches: Invest in inbound marketing tactics like SEO and social media, and consider buying exclusive leads.
Can I buy home remodeling leads?
Yes, you can buy home remodeling leads. Various platforms offer paid leads for home remodelers, and they can be a quick solution if you need work fast. However, keep in mind that purchased leads generally have a higher acquisition cost than leads that come from long-term lead generation strategies. Also, even if you purchase a lead, you still have to close the deal.
How much do home remodeling leads cost?
Sometimes, the question is less about how to get remodeling leads and more about how to pay for them. If you purchase leads directly from a lead provider, you can expect to pay anywhere from $35 to $80 per qualified lead. The cost per lead is less clear with many of the strategies we discussed in the list above, but keep in mind that these strategies can provide a steady stream of leads over time instead of just a single lead.
Use Technology to Close More Remodeling Deals
Home remodeling leads can come from a variety of sources. Each of these sources requires special considerations and the investment of time and/or money. Learning how to get remodeling leads is step one. Step two is turning those leads into customers.
To close more sales, take advantage of technology. More specifically, use Cedreo to create photorealistic designs for prospective clients. Why? Because 3D renderings bring projects to life and connect with prospects on an emotional level. That’s a formula for increased conversion rates and a growing home remodeling business.
To get started, try Cedreo for free today.
