A Contractor’s Guide To Keeping Up With Online Marketing
If you’re a contractor, you’re probably busy and don’t have much time to keep up with all the latest and greatest that is online marketing. It’s a fact that marketing is continually changing and evolving. That being said, it’s no wonder it can be so hard to keep up with. In this guide, we walk you through a step-by-step guide to how you can keep up with online marketing after all.
1. Subscribe To Publications and Blogs
A lot of online marketing publications and blogs, like HubSpot or VitalStorm, have a lot of great, up-to-date marketing information contractors like you can benefit from. Subscribing to blogs and other publications can help you stay current on the new marketing trends and other things happening within the digital world, as they happen!
2. Have Social Media
Not only should you have a social media, but you should be active on it. Social media is important for a number of reasons, but most importantly because it helps you reach and engage with your target audience, no matter where they’re at. Businesses use social media to connect with their audience, while also generating brand awareness, leads, sales, and revenue. As a contractor, you should follow these steps to creating a winning social media strategy.
- Step 1: Set Goals
Look into setting SMART goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely.
This will help keep your efforts more focused and effective. We go into more detail about this here.
- Step 2: Choose The Right Platform(s)
Even though there are hundreds of social media platforms out there, not every single one will be fit for your business. You want to choose the platform(s) your audience is using. According to Sprout Social, for example, the age group often found on Facebook and Instagram is 25-34, while Twitter and Pinterest is 30-49. There are many things to consider when choosing your social media platform, including age, gender, income, marital status and more.
- Step 3: Research Your Competition
Think about your top 3 competitors and look into their current social media marketing efforts. You can research what social media platforms they use and how they use them, as well as how well heir current social strategy is working.
- Step 4: Pay Attention To Trends
Much like we covered above, keeping up with trends is an important factor of keeping up with online marketing. You can do this by subscribing to blogs and publications, and by doing your own online research.
- Step 5: Use The Right Tools
If social media seems like a time-consuming part of your marketing strategy, it’s because it is. Luckily, there are tools out there that help make it an easy and seamless process. For example, you can use engagement management tools, analytics and reporting to track data, and more. We also go into more detail about this here.
- Step 6: Experiment and Pivot
Patience is key. If you’re new to this whole social media marketing thing, be patient with yourself. Test different types of content, posts and ads until you find what works for you and your business.
3. Invest In SEO
Social media is a huge part of creating a great online presence, but that’s not all you can do! Have you looked into SEO (search engine optimization)? If your business shows up in search engine results, then you’re already doing a lot to keep up with online marketing! According to imFORZA, about 75% of users will never scroll past the first page of search results. That means it’s absolutely vital to be on the front page of search engine results. Investing in SEO can help you get there. The top reasons why you should invest in SEO include:
- Gets you more website visitors
- Builds trust and credibility amongst your customers
- Provides a better user experience
- Increases engagement and conversions
- It’s relatively inexpensive
- It’s a long-term strategy
- Your competition is already doing it
- It impacts the billing cycle
One of the key steps to keeping up with online marketing is to be present. If your website shows up when someone searches for “hvac repair near me” or “air conditioning installation near me”, then you are in a great position already.
4. Create A Great Online Presence
While SEO is extremely important, you also want to make sure that your online presence is appealing. Do you have reviews? Are they positive? Is your website up-to-date? Do you have all the necessary information on your Google Business Profile so people can contact you about service? When you invest in SEO, also invest in your reputation at the same time.
4. Makeover Your Website
If your website is as old as you are, then consider a makeover! A website that is outdated could turn people away from your business. Not only that, but older sites tend to also not be mobile-friendly. Most people these days view websites on their phone, so it’s extremely important to make sure your site is mobile-friendly. Last but not least, make sure your website is quick to load. According to Google, 53% of mobile site visitors leave a page if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load.
5. Hire A Professional Marketing Agency
If you’re thinking this all sounds good, but wondering how you’ll ever find the team or the resources to do it, you’re not alone. That’s why there are professionals, such as VitalStorm, that are here to take the worry and stress away and do all the marketing for you. In fact, at VitalStorm, we specifically work with local service companies and contractors like you. Whether you’re a roofing contractor, HVAC contractor, landscaper, electrician, plumber, or something else, we are here to help with the following:
- Website Development
- Social Media Management
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Paid Search (PPC)
- CSR Training