The difference of a few new leads and a few big jobs can make or break the bank for many home improvement businesses. Every lead counts, as each job could bring in a significant percentage of the business’s annual revenue since many contractors only take a handful of jobs per year. Traditional marketing efforts can be frustrating for home improvement contractors because most people aren’t currently in the market for remodeling or expansion – but that doesn’t mean you can stop mining for leads if you want your business to grow.
Of course, the most powerful marketing pieces you’ll ever create is the actual work you’ve done to improve or update client houses – and odds are that many of your new leads will come via referral from satisfied homeowners. Just hoping that your clients will refer you to friends and family isn’t enough though. Give them the ammo to easily refer your home improvement business by making sure they have copies of your business card to pass along when the time is right. Simple, yet effective – and often overlooked!
You can even customize those cards to incentivize the referral even more. Include a “5% Off Kitchen Remodeling” offer alongside your business name, contact information and other key details. Clients will be quicker to hand out cards with discounts to potential referrals because they feel like they’re helping a friend out. They might be – but they’re helping you out as well.
Speak For Your Customers
Your client’s potential referral reach only goes so far – friends,
family, co-workers, etc. If a client let’s you know that they’re particularly satisfied with your work, why not ask them if you can put a custom printed yard sign in front of their house? This is an extremely effective way to get your business name, logo & information in front of potential leads that don’t personally know the homeowner.
By providing high quality work and craftsmanship along with these simple marketing ideas for your home improvement business, you can increase leads within your current area relatively quickly. You can customize your approach based on your specialty too. Specialize in kitchens? Print magnetic postcards for customers to stick to their refrigerator in that kitchen you improved!
Expand Your Network
Most contractors eventually need to expand to other neighborhoods and communities to continue expanding their home improvement business. You can canvas new target areas with printed door hangers that highlight your work to start expanding your network. Once your advertising generates leads and clients, you can use the same methods to generate referrals in this new area. Best of luck improving your home improvement business!