Are you a contractor looking for more work? Without some form of marketing, it is hard to obtain clients. With many different ways to market your services, it is difficult to decide what is the best advertising option.
California Contractors Insurance Services (“CCIS”) has experience marketing to contractors and for over 50 years has worked with contractors to start and maintain their businesses. We asked our friends, Todd Bird and Mike Murray of Ask The Contractors, to help us provide some marketing tips for contractors.
Word of Mouth
In a recent conversation with the founder of Ask The Contractors, Todd Bird, we asked what main channels they use for marketing and he replied, “Word of mouth as referrals are huge, which is what we do for our friends.” CCIS agrees that word of mouth is one of the top ways to get clients, especially for contractors.
A contractor who performs excellent work and finishes on time will find themselves receiving calls for service from contacts of their prior clients. Home and business owners, just can’t wait to tell someone about their remodel or tenant.
Personal networking through family and friends is also a surprising way to get some work. However, in order to get more people to refer your business, you must first obtain clients that will do the referring for you.
Social Media
Social media has become a popular way to advertise your business, especially in recent years. Creating social media profiles is free and takes minimal time and effort. Sadly, that is where most people stop.
Once a profile is created there needs to be content generated regularly for the page. Content that engages potential customers is critical. Good content will spark an interest in your page and business.
Posting pictures of the job(s) you are working on is a great way to create intrigue. Not only will they know you are a hard worker, but they can see the quality of the work being completed.
Mass Media
Using channels such as TV, radio, billboards and newspapers are traditional ways to advertise your business. This is meant to reach a large number of people at once and can be very expensive.
Alternatively, Ask The Contractors advertises through their website and via podcasts. Todd and Mike love helping out California based contractors in a way that can provide good PR to the contractor’s business. Per Todd, “There are mass media options and viral type media posts to get your business name out there. Ask The Contractors uses these tools to help bridge the gap between company and customer.”
Direct Mail
A residential contractor can target a local neighborhood with a direct mail piece to notify the homeowners of their contractor services. Some print companies will provide the design, mail list, print, and mail service all in house.
Mail pricing will depend on the distribution and complexity of the piece, but direct mail can be an effective way to drum up business in your area.
Whichever method you choose to reach your customer base, it will cost you time and quite often, a significant amount of money. It is best to diversify and experiment with different marketing methods. It is normal to test out a marketing method and have it fail. Over time a contractor will find what method brings in the business.