Content-Fueled Marketing for Landscape Contractors & Pool Builders
Originally written on December 12, 2014; Updated on March 9, 2021
—
The Content Team,
HALSTEAD.
Old-school contractor marketing was largely limited to display ads in regionally focused, industry-specific magazines, and setting up booths on the home show circuits. These marketing methods are referred to as “outbound marketing.” They still have their place in the world, but are often compared to “yelling” at prospects and hoping they’ll listen. Sometimes they do, but it’s more effective to gear your strategy more toward inbound marketing and effective content marketing—pulling the ideal prospect to your business.
—
The Purpose of Inbound Marketing for Contractors
The way modern, luxury homeowners get their information changed—all the information they need is at their fingertips, and most of the information they consume is pushed their way. As a result, a website that relies solely on a company vision to sell services is simply not convincing enough to ensure high-quality results in the increasingly competitive home improvement industry. Inbound marketing involves creating content that your ideal customers would find helpful to engage their interest and, ultimately, attract them to your services. Managed properly, this effective approach will increase website traffic and qualified leads, and create new business opportunities for contractors.
There’s an art to inbound marketing, and the need for great volumes of industry-specific content that is engaging and accurate requires a marketing agency that specializes in the industry in order to deliver results. The content needs to be compelling in order to assert your business as an industry leader and gain the trust of potential customers.
—
Types of Inbound Marketing for Contractors
1. THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Thought leadership establishes your company as an industry expert so that customers seek you out when they have questions or need your services. Not only does it build trust and respect for your brand, but it also plays a large role in closing complex deals. Keep in mind that content should be purely educational and promotional tones should be avoided. Your informative content could take the form of case studies, instructional videos, and blog posts. Thought leadership is particularly fitting for those firms looking to attract commercial accounts/projects—a content-driven LinkedIn strategy is a B2B winner.
2. BLOGGING
A construction blog is an excellent tool for distributing content. Ensure that you frequently update your company blog to both attract and maintain the attention of possible employees and customers. These posts can help to generate leads, as a registration form on the blog not only allows the customer to receive updates about new posts, but also provides you with the contact information of potential business. Including case studies in your blog allows you to showcase your favorite projects. A blog also benefits your SEO (search engine optimization) performance by building your indexed page count, providing new website content, increasing web traffic, and connecting your website with keywords associated with your business. Great content that truly engages people also contributes to lower bounce rates, which can improve your SEO efforts.
3. SEO for Contractors
Most searchers don’t look beyond Google’s first page of top-ranking search results, so it’s critical for your business to improve its SEO ranking. Even the most beautifully designed website will not be seen if it has not been adequately search engine optimized. A marketing agency focused on the construction industry can optimize your website both locally and beyond, maintain consistent citations, and frequently update your pages with new content. With an understanding of SEO, this regularly added content can also be optimized to target industry-related keywords and phrases.
SEO optimization will ensure that when potential customers search for landscape contractors, for instance, you come out on top. Coupled with word-of-mouth client referrals, search engine marketing can grow your contracting business and increase the number of qualified leads online. However, it takes careful and expert maintenance to yield results, and relying on a reputable marketing agency is of utmost importance.
4. SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media is one of the most interactive marketing tactics. This allows your company to speak directly to customers and potential employees. Social media serves as an easy way to update followers with new company information and to respond to customers. It also serves as an outlet for your website’s content, further increasing web traffic. When creating a social media strategy, platform selection matters. Frequently used platforms for connecting with customers and prospects are Facebook and Instagram, while your company could drive commercial growth with LinkedIn. Post consistently or risk appearing as a dormant company, and continually provide links between your social accounts and website.
But posting on social is not a complete social media strategy. Far from it actually. Organic reach has plummeted over the years, and paid ads have become a necessary component for those contractors looking to reach more of the right kinds of prospects. Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, and LinkedIn Ads drive are a leading driver in ROI-focused marketing for construction firms. Although not Inbound, paid social is too effective to ignore.
5. CALLS-TO-ACTION (CTA)
Include CTAs on all your content. In other words, give visitors to your website something to do—whether it’s to fill out a registration form, share their contact information, or sign up for blog updates. This allows your content to create conversions. The placement of CTAs is critical as they should be easily noticed and quick to fill out. The effectiveness of your CTAs and their placements can be tracked, and updates can be made based on the findings.