Finding and generating leads for home services professionals can be challenging due to an industry that heavily relies on word-of-mouth advertising and referrals.
There are various methods available to home improvement businesses for generating high-quality leads that result in satisfied homeowners. Learn about 15 effective lead generation strategies here.
1. Google My Business
Google My Business is an effective way to generate leads for your home improvement business. With free insights into customer viewing patterns, demographics of your target audience, and clicks made on your website link – Google My Business provides valuable leads.
Key to using Google My Business effectively for lead generation is providing accurate information and keeping it current – such as photos, opening hours and any other relevant details.
Establish strategic alliances with businesses offering complementary services – yet noncompeting ones – as another strategy to develop high-quality leads through this method.
2. Social media
Social media can be an effective lead generation strategy for home improvement businesses, providing them with a means to reach new customers while strengthening relationships with existing ones.
One effective marketing strategy is offering tips, DIY tutorials and guides for homeowners – this will not only attract more viewers to your videos but also establish credibility as an authority figure.
Social media can also help lead generation by sharing customer reviews. Consumers rely heavily on reviews when selecting which company to work with.
Social media provides businesses with an invaluable way to respond swiftly and professionally to customer concerns, making new and potential customers feel secure about working with your brand, increasing trust with new and potential customers alike.
3. Email marketing
Lead generation is an integral component of any thriving home improvement business, according to one study which showed that companies employing effective lead generation practices garner at least 133% more revenue compared to their counterparts who don’t engage in lead generation practices.
Email marketing can be an excellent way to build and convert potential clients into customers, including welcome emails, newsletters and special offers.
Targeted email campaigns are an effective way of segmenting your list based on interests and needs, for instance you could send different messages to residential homeowners than commercial property owners.
Hosting webinars and vlogs is another effective way to generate leads for your business, providing an opportunity to showcase your expertise while building trust among audiences, while providing crucial information that people seek.
4. Pay-per-click advertising
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can be an efficient means of lead generation for home improvement contractors. PPC involves bidding on keywords, with payment only occurring when someone clicks your ad.
PPC advertising can be costly, but the return on investment more than makes up for its expense when it comes to lead generation. Furthermore, this form of digital marketing provides an ideal way for homeowners to discover your services within your locality.
An effective lead generation strategy requires striking a balance between hard sales pitches and engaging marketing messages – without which, it will be much harder to convert prospects to customers.
5. Referral programs
Referral programs are an effective way to generate leads and expand your home improvement business’s reputation. By incentivizing customers to spread the word about your company by rewarding them for doing so, referral programs encourage word of mouth advertising of your services to reach a broader market.
Referral programs typically provide incentives such as discounts and free products to encourage customers to refer friends. They also track which customers make a referral.
Make the most out of your referral program by creating an easy process for customers to follow when sharing links with friends. Doing this will enable customers to easily share them.
Understanding your desired customers through referral programs will enable you to design a strategy tailored specifically for your home improvement business.
6. Online reviews
Online reviews are one of the best lead generation strategies for home improvement companies. Reviews can attract more customers while increasing your search engine ranking – making it easier for homeowners to locate you and request quotes.
Online review sites such as Google and Angi (formerly Angie’s List) allow customers to write reviews about local contractors. They also offer tools for sending/receiving quotes/requesting/claiming offers/managing profiles.
Earning a positive online reputation is critical to any business, but especially so for home improvement firms. Beyond building trust with customers, positive customer reviews can also serve to attract leads by drawing potential buyers in and increasing visibility in search engines.
7. Paid advertising
Paid advertising for home improvement companies can be one of the best lead generation strategies for home improvement businesses, enhancing online presence and increasing organic search ranking.
Google and Facebook offer you the ability to target specific demographics with online advertising campaigns, making it possible to reach those searching for home improvement services in certain locations and help generate home improvement leads that could lead directly to more sales of home improvements services.
If you need assistance getting started, hire a professional advertising agency who can develop an effective paid marketing strategy and budget that will enable your ads to run effectively and generate results.
8. Search engine optimization
SEO (search engine optimization) is a method that enhances the visibility of your website in search engine results pages (SERPs). SEO can increase traffic to your site and result in more home improvement leads.
Search engines use sophisticated algorithms to evaluate websites for their relevance to a search query from users, taking into account things like keyword matching, content quality and aggregated interaction data.
To be the most relevant result for users, websites need to offer content that’s helpful and pertinent to their search, something which content strategy can assist with.
9. Search engine marketing
Search engine marketing (SEM) is one of the fundamental digital marketing techniques, using paid advertising to place your site at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) when users conduct keyword searches related to your business.
Targeting potential customers through digital signage advertising is an incredibly effective strategy to reach new ones, while customizing it to specific locations or devices allows businesses to reach specific demographics more effectively.
Combining SEO and PPC can increase your presence on Google and other search engines while drawing in new potential leads. One energy supplier saw their website traffic grow 71% while receiving 86% more leads via Google Ads when pairing SEO and PPC together.
As with any type of marketing, search engine marketing requires careful planning and monitoring. Before embarking on any campaign, it’s crucial that you define your goals and budget in advance.
10. Pay-per-click advertising
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is an effective marketing technique designed to bring in new customers and expand your home improvement business. Bidding on specific keywords and paying publishers when someone clicks your ad is all it takes.
PPC advertising can also help your home improvement business generate leads by placing banner ads on content sites and social media platforms, where customers are most likely to find them and trust you enough to become leads.