Digital marketing has a broad definition and an even broader scope. Anything you do online or on an app to market or advertise for your business is considered digital marketing. It expands across several different platforms including:

  • Google Ads
  • Bing Ads
  • Facebook Ads
  • Social Media Posts
  • Website Presence
  • Content Marketing
  • Search Engine Optimization

That’s a lot to navigate – especially for the owner of a local service business. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Here’s the complete digital marketing checklist for home service companies:

PPC Checklist

There are a few things you should take note of in your Pay-per-Click accounts, especially when you’re the owner of a home service company.

Schedule Ads

You don’t want your ads to show if you’re not available to provide service! Make sure your ads are showing during office hours.

Set Up Region

Likewise, you don’t want your ads to show up in Denton if you only service Dallas suburbs. Set up your geographic reach using cities, counties or zip codes.

Make a Negative Keyword List

Say you offer water damage services to houses. You don’t want your ads to pop up if someone is searching “water damage in car.” Add “car” to your negative keyword list – and any other phrase that doesn’t serve your purposes.

Establish Your Budget

The more common keywords (ex. “[CITY] plumbing”) can be expensive. That’s why you’ll want to set up a marketing budget, so you don’t blow through your profits trying to get more leads.

Set Up Smart Bidding

It can be a lot of work to manually review each keyword, ensuring you can afford the new bid. With smart bidding, you can set up a max bid and let your PPC account drive hands-free.

Optimize Landing Pages for Conversion

You’re wasting money if your ads are getting clicked but you’re not getting leads. Make sure your landing pages are optimized for conversion by including relevant copy, your phone number above the fold and a way to convert electronically.

Website Checklist

Websites and landing pages look sort of similar, but their purposes are different, which means your checklist is going to be different too. Unlike landing pages, websites don’t have ads pointing toward them; they have to rely on Search Engine Optimization

Offer Two or More Conversion Methods

As a home service company, you know that calls are usually synonymous with leads. But it’s important to offer an electronic means of conversion too, to cast a wider net for prospects. Be sure to place both calls to action above the fold for easy access.

Optimize for Short-Tail Keywords

Your webpages are your opportunity to capture the attention of online users who are wanting to make a purchase right now. Short-tail keywords you could use to lure them in are: “[CITY] HVAC services,” “AC repair,” and “emergency AC services.”

Speed Up Your Load Time

Online users are becoming more and more impatient. If your website takes longer than three seconds to load, people will click back to the search engine results page and call one of your competitors instead.

Blogging Checklist

Blogging is strategic. Some online influencers can get away with free-form, stream-of-conscious writing but business owners can’t. Here are a few things to keep in mind when setting up the blog for your home service company.

See What Your Audience Is Searching For

If you’re an HVAC company, it’s pretty easy to determine what your users are searching for depending on the season. Other home service companies will need to use tools like Google Keyword Planner and AnswerthePublic.com.

Stay Relevant

If you’re the owner of a roofing company, you probably know the ins and outs of the business and will want to get technical in your blog copy. Resist. Stay relevant with a conversational, informative voice, broaching topics about style, emergency situations and even neighborhood events.

Optimize for Long-Tail Keywords

While short-tail keywords see a lot of competition, your blog is your chance to reach a wider audience with long-tail keywords, such as “Why is my faucet dripping?”, “How often should I replace my AC filter?”, and “How to patch a leak in the roof.”

Social Media Checklist

Social media is just as broad as the term “digital marketing.” It encompasses many different platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and more. It’s important to select the right platforms for your business and to set them up properly.

Set Up Your Profiles

For a home service company, you’ll want to be on Facebook and Twitter for sure. Your target demographic essentially lives on Facebook, and with Twitter, you can search for tweets talking about your services and slide into their DMs. Be sure to set up your profiles on these platforms completely, being as detailed as possible.

Make Your Handles as Similar as Possible

It’s easier for online users to find you across different social media platforms if your handles (usernames, page names, etc.) are all the same. Make it your brand name or a variation of your tagline.

Post High-Resolution, Unique Images

If you post a blurry picture of an electrical panel with your thumb in the bottom right-hand corner, the only person who’s going to like or share that is your mom. Post high-resolution images to encourage engagement.

Vary Your Posts

It can be tempting to post about the same thing all the time because it’s easy: Your coworker had a birthday; your customer is happy; blurry picture with your thumb in it. Try mixing it up by posting some customer quotes, some pictures from office parties, some contests and giveaways, some professionally made videos and more.

Worried About Checking All Your Boxes? Call VitalStorm.

We know that digital marketing for your home service business can take a lot of time and effort. That’s why we made the home and local services our specialty. We speak your language, and we speak your customers’ language. We act as your interpreter across all digital marketing platforms. To have your PPC ads, website, social media accounts and blogs managed by the professional at VitalStorm, call us at 1-877-311-5695.