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3 Ways To Increase Your Clients As A Contractor

If you’re a contractor, you probably know that one of the best ways to attract new clients is through referrals.  Clients that are satisfied with your services will undoubtedly refer you to their family members, friends, and colleagues, all of which can create great business opportunities.  That being said, as technology and the internet have become so prevalent in our day-to-day lives, it’s no longer the case that people will refer you simply by handing others your phone number.  Instead, they’ll most likely give them your website or have them “google" you.  

These people will go to your site because they want to know more about you, what services you provide, and how skilled you are at what you do. Make no mistake — a referral from a fellow client is a great opportunity for new business, but a website that is not up to par will make people look elsewhere for their contractor needs.  Here are three things to consider when creating or revising your website.

Is your home page as good as it can be?

Your home page is similar to the clothes that you wear to a job interview. It’s the first thing that people see. It’s what ultimately lays the foundation for the rest of the meeting.  That being said, does your homepage clearly state the services that you provide?  Does it give a clear picture as to why you’re the best person for the job?  And most importantly, does it have a clear 'call to action'? A 'call to action’ is an instruction to the people visiting your site that requires an immediate response, usually in the form of a button or link (e.g., “Click here for a free consultation").

Does your site have pictures and/or videos of your work?

How do we know that Picasso was an amazing painter? Because we can see his work!  And while not everyone may agree that he is great or the best, giving people the ability to see your work is an important step in allowing them to determine whether or not they want to hire you.  Before and after pictures, and videos of your work, will make you more accessible, will increase your value as a contractor, and will leave potential customers confident that they will be getting the most bang for their buck.

Do you have testimonials?

Pictures of your work are a great way for people to learn more about your skills, but even more powerful are testimonials.  The words of satisfied customers can make a potential client’s decision to hire you infinitely easier.   Consider that while referrals are the best way to attract new clients, people won’t always have access to a family member or friend with connections to a local contractor.  They’ll have to conduct the search alone, using the internet to select the best person for the job.  Testimonials will provide these people with proof that you can and will do an outstanding job.

Creating and optimizing your website can propel your contracting business by leaps and bounds, but it can also be overwhelming.  At FAWWS, we provide web development and contractor marketing ideas for businesses looking to engage new clients and increase their bottom line.  Our passion is helping people increase their online presence, while allowing them to work on what’s truly important— their business.  Click on the link below for a free consultation and to learn more about how we can help!

http://www.fawws.com/free-marketing-consultation/

2 Reasons Why Twitter Can Be A Client Magnet For Roofing Contractors

As a house owner, there are certain things that you'll consistently have to change and/or replace throughout your time of ownership— light bulbs, fixtures, ceiling fans, windows, etc.  Your roof, though, is not one of them. People don’t replace their roofs in the same way that they do their windows because roofs are costly and replacing them can be time intensive, among other things.  More often than not, people in need of a roofing contractor will be looking to make repairs rather than major overhauls.  And let’s face it, these repairs can be knee jerk reactions necessitated by problems that arise in the moment — a leaky roof, broken gutter, etc.

With an ever-growing number of people relying on social media to communicate to the world, creating an online presence on the right networks can help you connect instantly with potential clients.  On Twitter, for example, you can send short posts to your community of followers, providing information on new ideas, trends, local and global happenings.  It gives you the ability to engage with people without overwhelming them. Here are two reasons why using Twitter can help you increase your client list and overall revenue.

The ability to be proactive in real time

Twitter works in real time. What does this mean? Let’s say that a severe thunderstorm suddenly hits your area.  It’s pouring, winds are gusting, and lightning is tearing down trees.  Chances are that people will be tweeting about it in the moment — posting updates, stories and pictures, and exchanging personal messages.  People will “tweet” about everything, including damages incurred to their cars, back yards, and you guessed it, their houses.  

A storm that creates a leaky roof is cause for immediate repair.  If you can catch this in the moment or within a few hours, you will potentially have made a new client for life.  And while this may be an extreme case, the point is that setting up and managing a service like Twitter will allow you to be something that many other roofing contractors are not — proactive! Instead of sitting back and waiting for the clients to come to you, show them that you are looking for them and genuinely interested in helping with their needs.

Ads targeted to a specific audience

If you were going to advertise your services using traditional methods, you might decide to post a billboard in a busy intersection or highway, hoping that the “right” people will read it and contact you.  With so many variables in this process — are these people in need of roofing services?  Do they own homes? Are they in a rush and unable to jot down your number? — it’s very likely that your efforts will be a significant waste of time and money.  

With targeted Twitter ads, you can indicate the specific audience you that you want to reach (e.g., home owners within a 5 mile radius of Washington, DC).  In addition, the ads will allow you to include the link to your website, giving people the opportunity to go directly to your site to request a quote.  The best part is that these ads are cost effective and can be easily changed, all of which will help your bottom line!

Using online marketing and social media is a fantastic way to reach new and existing customers. If done correctly, it can help you maximize customer service satisfaction and revenue.  At FAWWS, we provide a full tool kit of marketing for roof contractors and other digital marketing services, including social media and ad campaign management.  Our goal is to help you increase the effectiveness of your business. Click on the link below for a free consultation and to learn more about how we can help take your business to bigger and better heights.  
http://www.fawws.com/free-marketing-consultation/

How Digital Marketing Can Improve Your Home Improvement Business

People, regardless of where they live -- in a house or in an apartment, in the suburbs or in the city— always have a number of home improvement projects on their checklist of things to do.  Whether they want to replace an old door, install new countertops in the kitchen, or add that large jacuzzi-style bath tub that they’ve been dreaming about for years, people are always looking for ways to improve their quality of life, and what better way to do that than to repair and beautify the place in which they spend the majority of their time. For a home improvement company, this is great news.  It means that you should have an ever growing list of clients, a consistent stream of opportunities to provide memorable customer service experiences, and most importantly, continuous business growth (i.e. higher revenue!).
 
If this is not the case, it’s probably because people don’t know that you exist, or worse, they do but aren’t convinced that you can do the job well. And why is this? Either because they couldn’t find you or because you didn’t give off the right first impression.  The best and easiest way to do both of these things is to improve your presence and marketing efforts online.   Here are two ways in which digital marketing services can help you build your client base and overall bottom line.
 
Increase your exposure.

Let’s say that a couple living in Washington, DC finally has a weekend off from work and decides to use the free time to remodel their bathroom.  Having recently moved to the DC area, they decide to use the internet to search for “home improvement companies in DC” and “bathroom remodeling DC.” Using Google, their search page produces 10 companies that specialize in bathroom remodeling, but none of these companies are yours.  Instead, your website is sitting comfortably in the 2nd or 3rd page of Google’s search engine, a black hole where most people never go.  In other words, people are never going to find you.
 
By implementing SEO (search engine optimization), your company’s website will be front and center when people perform online searches, sky rocketing your chances of acquiring new clients. And in case you’re wondering, SEO is just a fancy name for the techniques used to increase you’re site’s chances of showing up on the first page of a search.
 
Provide a better on-site experience
 
As a home improvement company, you’re probably thinking, “we already provide an incredible on-site experience for our customers,” but in this instance, that’s not the “on-site” we're referring to.  On-site refers to what people see when they first click on your page.  Consider this -- most users wait only 3 seconds for a page to load before they leave and go elsewhere.  After that it usually takes only 10-20 seconds before they decide if your service or product is going to provide them any value.  That being said, does your website load quickly? Does it clearly state the services or products you provide? Is it warm and friendly and does it give people an easy way to contact you?
 
Your website— specifically your home page— is what will determine people’s first impression of your company.  Give potential clients a warm welcome and the benefits are endless!  Providing a solid customer service experience from the moment a person visits your site to the moment you complete the project will not only make you their go-to home improvement company, it will also encourage them to refer other clients!
 
At FAWWS, we specialize in web development and home improvement marketing. Our goal is to help local home improvement businesses grow by utilizing a wide of array of digital tools.  Click on the link for a free consultation and to learn more about how we can help.    http://www.fawws.com/free-marketing-consultation/

5 Surefire Ways to Beef up Your Website for Your Contractor Business

If you are a roofing contractor and you own a company website but are not getting the result you want. There are some things that can be done to make your site more competitive and get those leads that you need to run a successful business. A poorly designed website is a sure way to lose business. So, take note of these suggestions and learn how your website can become a sales generating tool and improve your overall roofing contractor marketing campaign.

1. Podcast and other types of videos can be added to your website to give your company an identity and draw potential customers in. This is a great way to add a personal touch to your services and is a great way to explain how dedicated you are to your customers.

2. Make sure your contact information is in bold. Not being able to find your phone number can be really frustrating to potential customers and it may even cause them to not use your services. Keeping your contact information in plain view your webpage will lead to more sales.

3. Add a way for your customers to instantly get into contact with your sales team. A chat widget is a great way to answer customer’s questions and even take orders. This convenient communication tool will attract more customers to inquire about your services and can also lead to more completed sales.

4. If your roofing company has been given a good rating by past customers on review sites, a good way to show how great your services are is to link your website to the reviews. This will show that you have experience in your industry and that you have done quality work for others.

5. Give offers that have time limits. This is a great way to drive sales and you can even use coupon codes that are directly linked to your website. This will make customers act fast because they want to take advantage of the offer before it runs out.

How can we help?

Adding all these features can be a lot of work and for a busy roofing contractor, you don’t have the time to be caught in the office working on a website all day. Hiring us to do the hard work for you is a great way to get started in making your website more user friendly.

Let us help you generate more sales and get your name out there. Our consultation services will guide you in the right direction and get your website up to date with all the features you need to kick start your roofing contractor marketing efforts and drive in a consistent amount of sales on a weekly basis. For more information on our services please visit our website today and request a complimentary consultation. Let us get started working for you right away. Click here to request your consultation.