Online Marketing For Home Services

3 Ways General Contractors Can Build Trust Online

ways general contractors can build trust online

 

A home improvement contractor’s first job is to gain the client’s trust. You need your customers to open their doors and invite you into their homes. They will only do this if they trust you.

I am going to give you 3 ways general contractors can build trust online:

 

1. Shoot and post videos.

 

You knew I was going to say this! There is something about putting yourself on camera that builds trust. Clients tell me that over time, as they post videos, they have people come up to them and say, “I feel like I already know you!” Or, “I felt like I knew you before you even came over!” Many people will check you out before they call you. People will watch two or three of your videos and get a warm and fuzzy feeling about you before they pick up the phone.

 

2. Brush up your branding.

 

The second way you can build trust is to work on your branding. What I mean by this is: make sure all your technicians have polos or shirts with your logo on them. Make sure your trucks are wrapped—I’m not talking overly wrapped, but I do mean more than just a magnetic sign. Consistent branding on your uniforms and vehicles makes you look more professional. When you look more professional, your customers feel more comfortable inviting you into their home than if you turn up in a ratty t-shirt and a weird unmarked white van.

If you need help with your branding or with things like a logo or embroidered shirts, let me know! I have great partners I can refer you to. These little touches go a long way towards making people feel comfortable investing thousands of dollars into your service.

 

3. Ask for reviews or testimonials.

 

Your customers can put reviews on Google or Facebook. One fantastic way to do reviews is to ask your clients to do a video testimonial. Sometimes my client will bring me to one of their job sites, and we will get a video testimonial from the homeowner. The great thing about video testimonials is that you can put these on YouTube and create a video playlist that just has video testimonials! When people are out there hunting for services, they won’t just find your reviews, they will also find your video testimonials!

 

Your Next Step

 

Of course, if you need help making the videos, give me a call! I will show up at your job site, film the videos, and post them to Facebook and YouTube for you. You focus on your trade, and I focus on showcasing you! Remember, when you market with Mario, you profit with Mario!

 

How Often Should I Upload Videos On YouTube?

How Often Should I Upload Videos On YouTube?

You’ve heard that it will help your business to have a YouTube channel. Once you’ve made your account, what do you do? How often should you upload videos? I’ve had a couple of people call me lately to ask whether they should make and upload videos once a month or so, or whether they should shoot several videos at once and upload them all at once.

 

 

Should I Upload a Bunch at One Time?

 

 

The idea behind uploading several videos at once is that then when customers visit your YouTube channels they will see a lot of content. This is true. However, all of those videos will have only one or two views each. Your viewers will also be able to see that the videos were all uploaded within a short time frame. Not only that, but if you filmed the videos in a single day or over one weekend, they will probably all look the same.

 

This doesn’t make for a terribly interesting channel.

 

Be Consistent

 

 

I find that videos work best if you upload consistently. How often you upload videos doesn’t matter as much as keeping up with a consistent schedule. If you can only do one a month, then upload one a month. If you can realistically keep up with one a day, then do one a day. Whatever frequency is doable for you on a regular basis, do that. You know your business, and you know yourself well enough to know what you can keep up with.

 

The strategy behind an effective YouTube channel is similar to the strategy behind getting in shape. It takes consistency. You can’t just do your leg workout for 2-3 hours a day for a week and expect to see the results you’re going for! Instead, you have to do your workout consistently once a week, along with eating right, and over time you will reach the results you want.

 

When you upload your videos consistently over time, your customers will get to know you better. They will see you in a variety of settings, doing a variety of things, and they will know that you are consistent and reliable. This will build you a client base that gets you the results you want.

What I Do With My Clients

 

 

 

I do a monthly video shoot with my clients. I like to film them at different locations and in different settings, doing different types of projects. This way even if they’re wearing the same thing in each video (many of us wear uniforms), the videos have variety. When I upload these new videos every month, customers see that my clients are active and consistent, out there doing their fantastic work.

 

If you can make and upload videos more often than once a month, that’s great! Just remember to do as many as you can consistently, and avoid a situation in which you upload a bunch of videos and then stop. This makes clients think that you’re not active anymore.

 

Your Next Step

 

Do you like the idea of a YouTube channel but don’t have time, or don’t want to handle it yourself? This is what I do! I’d love to sit down with you to talk about how I can help grow your business through a consistent, active YouTube channel.

5 Things That Make Your Home Repair Business Look Cheap

5 Things That Make Your Business Look Cheap

5 Things That Make Your Home Repair Business Look Cheap

 

Let’s get right into it!

 

 

1. You’re constantly asking for business on Facebook.

 

 

We all know you’re trying to attract customers who are looking for quality, not just the lowest price. That’s why we’re writing this blog post. But when every post on your social media is a sales post asking for business, and/or constantly discounting your prices and offering coupons, this makes your business sound desperate, needy, and cheap.

 

Instead, post content that is educational. This might be pictures or videos—and this kind of content is something I can help you out with.

 

2. You have a Gmail account as your business email.

 

This is the second thing that makes your business look cheap. You should always have some kind of info@ or contact@ followed by your actual web domain for your business website.  If you have a Gmail account, your business looks cheap. I hate to break this to you, but it’s true!

 

3. You have a bad website.

 

By this I mean it takes forever to load, or it’s one page, or it looks like you built it overnight. If you put together a website really fast just to throw something together, your business looks cheap. Invest in your website. People who are willing to pay for quality are absolutely going to be checking out your website. It needs to look good, it needs to load quickly, and it needs to look good and be functional on a mobile device.

 

 

4. You’re using magnets on your trucks.

 

Let me be very clear here: I’m not suggesting that you go overboard and get these crazy wraps that make your truck look really loud. If you’re overly wrapped … well, you know how that really loud guy is always the most insecure guy? Go for something subtle instead. But we started off talking about magnets, right? The reason magnets look so cheap is that it’s very hard to put them on straight. If you are a contractor and you have a crooked magnet, it just makes your whole operation look a little janky. In fact, I would even opt to have your truck blank instead of having a magnet. But the best idea is to invest in someone to put your logo and maybe your phone number on your truck in a more subtle way.

 

 

5. The phone number on your website and social media is your personal cell phone number.

 

People should not be able to reach you directly. You should have someone else answer the phone. If you are a one-person operation that’s okay—there are several businesses that offer phone answering services. This gives you more of a perception of being a quality company because the owner is not answering the phone. But also, you as the owner cannot pick up all the phone calls! And if you miss a phone call in the business, it’s death. You have to have some kind of answering service to always answer your phones. Ideally, you’d have a team member answer the phones for you, but regardless, it cannot be you who is the direct line of communication. This definitely sends a signal that your business is probably going to give out the cheaper bids.

 

These are all my opinions. You can roast me if you want to! But I promise you that making these little tweaks will help you attract a higher-end customer.

 

 

If you want to attract high-end customers

 

 

If you do need help with the video part of this process—I love shooting videos for my clients! I meet them at their job site, I shoot videos of them doing the work, I post the videos to their Facebook page and their YouTube channel. This really helps to show off the quality of their business, and it shows homeowners why their bids may be a little more expensive than others.

 

So if you’re doing any of those 5 things, stop making your business look cheap! I can help you with the videos, but I also have contacts in truck wrapping, phone answering services, IT, and high-quality websites. Hit me up! I’d love to help you with those videos!

How to Attract High-End Customers To Your Home Service Business

 

Home Repair Contractors:  Today we are going to talk about not just attracting more customers, but attracting better customers. If you are a home repair contractor you probably want to avoid the type of customer who is just looking for the cheapest price or the lowest bid.

 

Let’s look at 3 behaviors that the high-end, high-quality customer has:

 

 

 

1. They never bring up price right away.

 

 

You know you’re dealing with someone who is only concerned with the lowest price when the first question out of their mouth is, “How much is it?” The higher-end customer does not go straight to talking about price. This is because this type of customer has already researched the job and knows about what to expect in terms of price. They have enough money to pay for quality, and they understand that quality is worth the price. A customer who is concerned about quality is not a customer hunting for the cheapest bid.

 

 

2. They check you out before they call you.

 

 

If you are only looking for the lowest price, you call around until you find the lowest price. You don’t care about the company. You don’t need to. But if you are looking for quality service, like a beautiful pool or outdoor kitchen that will wow your guests and stand the test of time, you do care about which company you use. You may ask your friends for recommendations. You are going to check out their Facebook page and their website. You’re going to check out their content, and their Google reviews.

 

This should tell you that if you want to attract a better customer, your online presence really needs to be on point.

 

 

3. They will show off your work.

 

 

This is great for you! Think about it: if you build someone a gorgeous pool with a slide and waterfalls and a grotto, they’re going to show it off! They’re going to invite friends and family over. They’re going to post pictures of it on Facebook. And that’s all your work that they’re showing off!

 

Now, if you’re reading this blog or watching my videos, you are probably not the contractor that is getting calls for the lowest bid. If you are reading and watching this, you are out to attract better customers with your quality work. The people who are only looking for the cheapest price are calling contractors who don’t do the quality of work that you do. And when they get their lesser-quality work done, they’re not going to be as eager to show it off. If you put a significant amount of money into remodeling your home, you really want to show it off!

 

What do you need to be doing to attract these better customers? You need to:

 

• Post videos.

 

• Post blog posts that give your potential customers value and answer their questions before they call.

 

• Have an amazing online presence that matches the quality of the service you provide.

Want Better Customers?

 

 

If you’re sick and tired of hearing the phone ring only to have someone on the other end trying to get the lowest price possible out of you, and you want to attract customers who have a budget and care about quality, I’d love to help you out!

Call me today at 214-856-0492. Let’s talk about your business, and let me see how I can help!

Digital Marketing Tips For Pool Builders

digital marketing tips for pool builders

Digital Marketing Tips For Pool Builders

All right, pool builders! Let’s jump right into talking about your digital marketing strategy for 2021! There are three things you should be doing this year to set yourself apart from all the other companies out there.

 

1. Shoot Videos.

 

If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you know what I’m going to say first: video! Nothing captures your audience’s attention quite like video. Make sure you’re posting your videos to your YouTube channel, and your Facebook page.

 

But there are a few other things that are important for you to do as well. Think about things from the homeowner’s perspective. Let’s look at a pool company, for example. With the pandemic in 2020, the pool industry exploded! People didn’t feel safe going to the community pool, so they decided to just put one in their own backyard.

 

What does a homeowner want when they search for someone to put a pool in their backyard? They don’t want a really small company, because they might have the fear that it will take a very small company too long to get the job done. But they also may not want to go with a really large company, because of a fear that they might cut corners, or be more expensive. Homeowners tend to feel better about mid-sized companies.

 

What are some of the things that will set your company apart from your competition? Nowadays, word of mouth is happening online. That is why your digital strategy is so important. We buy with our guts, not with our brains!

 

2. Add Blog Posts to Your Website.

 

Beyond video, there are two things you should be paying attention to. The first is to add content to your websites. This means blogging, which is something I do for my clients. Let’s look at our hypothetical pool company again, although this will work for you no matter what industry you’re in. The typical homeowner has all these questions: How long is the job going to take? What’s the price range? What kinds of features should I be going with for my pool? What’s a grotto? Start blogging about these topics! Someone who is willing to invest $60,000, or $100,000, or $150,000 into a pool is not typically going to Google and call the first company that pops up. They’re going to do some in-depth research on this, and you want to be the one who answers their questions! If you are the one answering their questions, you are the one they are going to trust.

 

So blog! Whatever your industry, blogging is the way to give your clients the information they need, and to build their trust in you so that you earn their business.

 

3. Send the Blog to Your Email List.

 

Every time you blog, you also want to send that blog post to your email list. I talk about this all the time too because your email list is gold! These are people who have already trusted you enough to get a quote from you, or even better, have done business with you before and know how you operate. Believe it or not, this is even important in the pool industry, because people move! And since you did such a great job putting in a pool for them at their last house, they want to use you again. Or, their friends may be so impressed with their pool that they ask who put it in—if that homeowner has a fresh email from you in their inbox, they will remember right away who did the job and be able to recommend you.

 

 

Recap

 

 

The three things you really need to be doing in 2021 are videos (add these to YouTube and Facebook), blogging on your website, and sending those blog posts to your email lists. Doing these things will help separate you from other companies this year!

 

If you need help with your digital marketing, I would love to meet up with you! I’m Mario with Market With Mario, and remember—when you Market With Mario, you profit with Mario!