Generating Leads for Your Home Improvement Business

Over the last couple of years, we’ve watched as supply chains normalized and the wait time between projects has decreased. As a result, you may have found your backlog shrinking or gone entirely. So, what now? It’s time to put more focus on generating leads for your home improvement business.

Here are 5 lead generation techniques to help you get started:

Have a Referral Program

88% of consumers are more likely to trust the word of their friends and family as opposed to other forms of marketing. Having a referral program in place makes it easier for you to take advantage of this benefit. There are three different types of referrals: incentive, direct, and reputation. Incentive referrals are where the customer receives something in exchange for their referral. Direct referrals usually don’t have an incentive tied to them and are a result of a customer just being happy with the service they received. Finally, reputation referrals are when you’ve built up enough recognition in your marketing that people organically reference you to their network – even if they haven’t worked with you personally.

First, you need to make it as easy as possible for your customer to submit a referral. The more legwork you do, the more likely they are to participate. You can do this by directly asking them for referrals and leaving them with a link or QR code to simplify the process. Another way is to send a follow up email once the project is complete and they’ve had time to sit with the result. Don’t forget to also ask for a review – social proof is another great way to bring in leads!

Once you have a strategy in place, you need to determine what, if any, incentives you’re going to offer. Some popular examples of incentives include dollar credits, discounts, free gifts, etc. You also should determine who is going to be incentivized. Will it just be the person who submitted the referral, or will the friend/family member who was referred also receive something?

Finally, depending on the size of your business, you may need to add a referral marketing tool. This can help you better manage the referrals coming and ensuring that people are receiving the incentives.

Optimize Your Social Media

If you’re not using your social media to its full advantage, you may be missing out on some great leads. While having social media isn’t required to be a successful business, it can help. However, if you’re going to take the leap, it’s important that you keep it up to date and post regularly. If a potential customer finds your Instagram page and the last time you posted was 9 months ago, they’re not likely to follow up.

When posting to your profile, share what your audience wants to see. Social media is intended to be consumed quickly, so show rather than tell. Sharing images and videos of your best work can help bring in the eyeballs. In fact, posts on Facebook that feature an image have an 85% interaction rate and 35% higher likelihood of being shared.

There are a lot of social media platforms out there, and it can be tempting to try all of them. However, it’s best to focus your time and resources on the platforms where your potential customers already are. If you already have social media, you can use the audience tools to see who is already following you. The more targeted you can make your posted content; the more likely potential customers are to see it.

Create Compelling Content

When first looking for a product or service, what’s the first thing you do? Most people run an online search. Now imagine visiting two websites. One has all the basics you need such as the name, contact information, and a description of their services. The second has an extensive library of content, photo libraries, customer reviews. Where are you more likely to spend more time and, ultimately reach out to?

Providing valuable content not only positions you as an expert in your industry, but it makes it easier to nurture leads and make it more likely they’ll convert to a customer. Examples of valuable content can include blog posts, articles, videos, newsletters, etc.

Network with Your Network

There are several ways that you can network with those within your industry. This includes attending events, joining online groups, being on social media, sharing content, and just simply asking those you know to refer you.

And it’s not enough to just make these connections, you need to nurture them over time. For example, you may connect with another contractor who doesn’t have any referrals for you now, but they may down the line. If you continue to stay in touch, you’re more likely to stay top of mind when the time comes.

Offer Attractive Financing

Research shows that when you advertise attractive financing in your advertising, you can see an increase in the amount of leads you get, plus a better conversion rate. Additionally, having your own financing makes you stand out to homeowners and helps provides a better customer experience. This increases the likelihood that your customers will refer you to their friends and family, increasing your workload.

Want to learn more about having your own loan program? Fill out the form on this page and someone on our team will be in touch soon!