How to Attract A New Type of Customer
Increase revenue, grow your business, more leads - are the three top goals we hear from landscape and general contractors all the time. Lets dig one step further. The reason is often to simply get more cash. But what if that means to just change your target client? It can be! Changing your customer base can mean improvement in sales close time, reduced overhead, and higher margins. It can result in more employees. Sometimes, it results in increasing your average project size and less employees, less projects, higher margins, with a lot higher net profits.
Changing your target customer isn't always the right answer; you can determine if it is for your business, in this related article, 5 Signs You Should Change Your Target Customer. If you meet the criteria, then we have your starting line.
First, we have to get this out of the way, your logo. We won't recommend you spend endless months on this. It is however an item on the checklist. A quick, must-do task.
Logos have a way of connecting with people, resonating with some, while forcing others to look away. Within seconds, you make a judgment about a business based on their logo. Yours has to be fresh and speak to today's buyer - which is very different from 10 years ago.
You know that you're guilty of an overdue logo redesign if it's been ten or more years. Even if it's been more recent, ask a professional what your logo says about your company. Don't be afraid to ask the same of your friends and even trusted clients. Then, don't make this mistake: your logo has to be the same everywhere - from trucks, shirts, website, notepads - everywhere! Nothing worse than inconsistency. If you don't want to or are not ready to make the change everywhere, then don't change your logo.
Second, your website. This a key essential. This one does require a lot of time and maybe even budget. Approximately 80% of your customers will start their search online - so regardless of whether or not you have a pretty office (or any office) and how nice your trucks are, your website needs to be your most invested asset in your company.
Lets begin with getting this new type of customer to your website and keeping them there. SEO is a lot more than IT-technical related back end secret stuff today. (Don't believe us, then read more about Google's changes over the years here). SEO today is transparent back end optimization AND content. Blogs drive traffic. The kind of traffic is where your concerns should be. What you, or your marketing agency, write about is where your website will show up. How the messaging is conveyed (specific words and style) combined with actual keywords all attract a type of customer. Change this combination to attract a different customer. For example, if your target customer has kids, then include kids in your messaging. If you don't then you won't show up in search queries such as "outdoor pool design kids." There are hundreds of these kinds of details. Do your keyword research and update previously written blogs and other content on your site and determine your content calendar going forward. And if for some reason you still have a SEO company that doesn't do content, fire them.
In terms of frequency, if you're looking to see results within 6 months, you'll need at least six new high-quality blog posts a month. If you're willing to wait longer, you can reduce that amount to 4 or 5 a month. Anything less is for companies that are looking to maintain everything they have in place. Keep in mind, every business is different. If you're in highly competitive area or business, this might be different for you.
An extra note on keywords. Google doesn't exact match keywords. It matches intention. So if you're reading your content and feel like it's not really read-friendly, then EDIT! Google knows when a site is keyword stuffed and will penalize you accordingly.
Now on to getting your new target customer to call you! Professional photography and calls to action encourage engagement. Give your target customers opportunities to really see the value you offer. Show them that you care about quality with imagery and show them you care about hearing from them by giving them adequate opportunities everywhere on your website.
Third, get more professional. This is especially true if you're in the indoor or outdoor construction work. Homeowners needs and expect professionalism at every single interaction. This includes your laborers.
RELATED: EFFECTIVE SALES FOR HOME IMPROVEMENT BUSINESSES STARTS WITH PROFESSIONALISM
From the first time they phone you, regardless of where you are, they expect and deserve for you to be able to talk with them. Every single time they talk with your employee, they see it as an interaction with your company. Your prospects and clients don't differentiate you and your employees. They always end up thinking, "I just spoke with ABC company." And every single time, it should be a consistent, professional conversation.
To make this happen, consider a CRM. There is really no other way to manage conversations! And since there are so many CRM options for FREE, there is no excuse. By the way, if you're using Quickbooks, then read this article. Get the right quick training in place to all of your employees - from your receptionist to every last laborer and have them update the CRM with interactions - which can do be done within seconds on their phone.
By starting conversations with knowledge of all previous ones, you'll find yourself being able to move the conversations and sales process forward without having to take steps back. In return, you'll close more of your new type of customer.
Happy new targeting!
