Michael Epps Utley {kind=image/jpg}
Marketing has really changed. We used to focus on having a good website. Now, we focus on a complete digital presence. And with the possible end of the Google-dominated era of the Internet, this broader approach could not be more important.
If you are a general contractor, you may think, “everyone who needs to know us…knows us.” This is a recipe, not for being seen as out of touch, but for actually being out of touch. Ignoring large areas where people discover GCs for RFP invitations will lead to your company slowly being ignored (so slowly you may not feel it). If that sounds horrible, read this post and use the checklist we provide. Get in front of the long, slow sunset of your brand with this plan to be “present and accounted for” in every RFP invitation.
This one's for all those builders who think the rules don’t apply to them.
Website: Present the Peaks of Your Capabilities and Depths of Details Needed
Your website is the home base for your brand. Builders and GCs: You should see your website as a handshake. Is it firm? Does it open strongly and finish smoothly? Is it alive?
If you have a weak handshake for a website, call us. We will do this for you:
Consider the action you want the user to take, and make that easy. If you want phone calls, include your phone number. If you want to show your work, make your portfolio front and center. Use images that show your amazing work, and you won't have to sell again.
Use a traditional layout. We recommend using a layout that does not frustrate the user. For example, web visitors who click on a landing page or blog have grown accustomed to clicking a company’s logo in the top left of the website to enter the home page (so make your logo big, clickable, and place it in the left corner of your site). Navigation should be centered around why people use your website. Each page should enable action. Also, make sure your pages load fast. Use social proof on your pages to sell a story (the story being: “We are trusted”).
Expand your content to answer the questions people have for you. Remember, every page on your website is the first page. People use search engines to have their questions answered, so make sure you do your part to anticipate those questions and provide concise, valuable solutions. Answer all the questions you can on your site in a structured flow from your home page and top nav, all the way down to FAQs and blog posts.
Accounts: See Your Video and Social Media Accounts as Outposts of Your Website
Your video and social media accounts are like outposts of your website. Complete all the opportunities in each one to feature your brand. This includes header graphics, playlists, supporting content, and any new features these channels offer.
Staying alert to how your channels look will keep them fresh. We recommend a quarterly refresh at a minimum. See your website and your off-site accounts like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn as “merchandising” real estate for your upcoming brand messages. Expanding to a new city? Add a new announcement to your website hero area (home page, above the fold), and add a similarly themed graphic to your accounts.
In your channels, sample projects rule. Show off lots of great images, before-and-after shots, drone footage, and walkthrough videos. People want to see what you do and how you do it before they decide to trust you. And you can’t oversell the quality of the work if you have great-looking visual assets to tell the story.
Email: Extend Your Website to Generate a Community by Staying in Touch
Email isn’t outdated. In fact, it’s the best ROI channel for everyone who uses it. Everyone else says, “Meh, we don’t read email, so we don’t want to send them.” Don’t fall into that trap; people read some emails. Your email newsletter is your business card in everyone’s Rolodex. The recipient may not open your messages, but where they see them, the subject supports that you’re still here and doing new things. That’s how you stay top-of-mind when a recipient decides they do need you.
For companies doing SEO with us, we like to use the content we develop to power a newsletter. We take an approach of email newsletters that “give” in the relationship. Use your content to inspire your past customers, industry contacts, and business feeders. Develop actual human, useful content that adds a few gold nuggets of real insight to their day. This approach to email will be well received.
Reputation: Affirm Your Place at the Top With a Solid Google Business Rating
If you are a builder and want to be included in invitations to RFP, you will want to be sure your website works well in search engines. Keeping a strong reputation helps your business achieve higher rankings and get found more often. We recommend getting a minimum of one five-star review every month in your Google Business Profile.
Reaching out to happy customers with a link to share a review is the best approach. You don’t need a high volume of these for a big-ticket sale, like commercial construction projects, but if you're flat, your placement in search engines will be too.
Listings: Name It and Claim It With Every Big Platform
Search engines and humans also check business listing platforms like Glassdoor, Angi, and Yelp. You may think that those placements don’t apply to you. While you take that position, someone who is doing all the small things is ranking higher than you in search engines and getting discovered more often.
We recommend using a few searches for your competition, going to pages 2-4 of the results, and seeing their listings appear. Then, if you want to do this on your own, make a list of the places you see business listings come up and start building out your profiles. You can also call us to help bring the mountain of work down to size. We have processes to do this faster. Consistent information across the 100+ platforms out there is key. This includes name, address, and phone (NAP), but also hours, URL, images, description, and a variety of special features in each platform.
Ads: Do You Want to Gather Leads to Kill Slow Seasons? Then Run Year-Round
General contractors should use ads when moving to a new market to let everyone know they are in town. Search ads are good for offering services directly to people searching for a provider. Social ads are good for running a campaign to alert your industry that you have a new office or other presence in town. Both channels are good, but they could not be more different. Please check with us to see which one you should use as you expand to new markets or add to your service set.
Analytics: Get Clear on What to Measure, and Pull It Into One Location
Is digital marketing a bunch of mumbo jumbo numbers? Not how we do it. We drive by measuring what matters, seeing it on the right cadence, and ramping up in phases. Start with some basics: website visits, marketing leads, sales-qualified leads, pricing, deals, customer acquisition cost, and revenue acquisition cost. Then, consolidate it into one dashboard and share the results across your organization. Are the right people seeing the right info at the right time? Get zen with how you use your analytics to drive behavior for growth.
GoEpps has been helping general contractors and trades businesses expand their online reach and refine their online presence for years. We know what works while keeping an eye on industry trends, new platforms, and what’s changing with search engines like Google. Reach out to us for a free strategy consultation to get your business ahead in digital marketing.
