If you’re not a professional marketer, it’s impossible to keep up with the daily changes in consumer trends, technology, and customer behavior. Which means you—the hardworking, home services professional—should never go it alone when it comes to marketing.
If you want to successfully market your home services business, you need a guiding light...someone to direct your marketing so it delivers the best return on your investment possible.
So with all of that said, let us shine a little light on the subject of successful digital marketing for you...
Area of focus #1 - Topic clusters
When you’re creating content for your website (like writing blog posts), the content you create needs to be structured to fit a theme. This structured theme is called a topic cluster and it helps Google identify your content and rank your website.
For example, if you’re a plumber writing posts for your blog, a chosen topic cluster (theme) might be “piping”, and topics might include...
- How to keep your pipes from bursting in cold weather
- The first thing you should do when your pipes start to leak...
- What causes pipes to corrode and how to prevent it?
- Why you should replace any old, iron piping ASAP...
Do topic clusters really matter?
YES!
In an era where the average American has nine unfinished home projects, creating thoughtful content underneath specific topic clusters is a great way to introduce new, local customers to your business.
As homeowners and weekend DIY-ers turn to the Internet with their various questions about plumbing, heating, wiring, etc., your business is being presented with an incredible opportunity to publicly demonstrate its expertise and professionalism through high-quality content (as well as paid advertising). If you’re creating quality content and organizing that content into topic clusters, there’s a better chance Google and other search engines are going to present your content on page #1 of a homeowner’s search results.
By organizing content (e.g., blog posts) under a common theme (e.g., pipes), Google will view your website as an authority on the subject and be more likely to position your website at the top of an online search.
To build your own topic cluster, start by…
- Choose a theme that you’re knowledgeable on that will interest potential customers
- Ex. Pipes, water heaters, AC ducts
- Write out a list of at least 10 potential topics to write about
- Note: Focus on commonly asked questions
- Create a calendar on when to publish this content to your site
- Note: Keep a consistent schedule (1x week, 1x month, etc.)
- Draft your blog posts.
- Designate one of them to be the main piece that all others will link to.
- Ex. A Complete Guide to Leaky Pipes
- Optimize your content with relevant keywords (typically from the blog’s title) to boost their visibility in online search.
One key to remember is that you ONLY want to create and publish content that is useful for your prospective customer. So, ask your customers questions, get to the bottom of their concerns, and listen when they’re confused. Creating content specifically geared to these common questions can be a goldmine for increasing your online visibility and bringing you more leads.
Area of focus #2 - Social media
Do you have a Facebook profile?
Because 68% of your customers do—and they use it regularly.
Although the platform is largely used for entertainment, it commands a lot of attention, as more than 80% of all Internet traffic is expected to be on social media by the year 2021.
As a result, if you want to reach as many of your ideal customers as possible, social media is something you can’t afford to ignore.
Whether you’ve just built a profile on Facebook, or you’re just trying to grow your current following on Instagram, all roads within social media marketing lead to paid advertising—which remains the quickest and most effective way to generate calls and real jobs from social media.
To succeed in social media, your home services business must...
- Build profiles on platforms like Facebook and Instagram to increase exposure for your brand.
- Invest in advertising to reach more customers and maximize your visibility.
- Use social media platforms to speak directly with potential customers.
Due to its increasing scope and popularity, social media has become a marketing opportunity your business can’t ignore. So, take advantage of these platforms now, and use them to put your message in the hands of your ideal customers where they spend the most time...online!
Area of focus #3 - Video content
1 in 7 Americans have cut their cable because Americans are finding better entertainment through digital streaming services like YouTube and Facebook. (In mobile viewership alone, YouTube reaches more people between the ages of 18 and 49 than any other broadcast or cable network on television.)
Today digital video is the most effective content medium on the Internet for marketing because of its ability to deliver your business’ marketing message in a format that holds your customer’s attention, encourages engagement, and establishes immediate authority in your local market.
To get started with video marketing, here are a few things to remember...
- Almost 50% of homeowners look for videos related to a product or service before making contact with a home services business
- Video drives a 157% increase in organic traffic
- Home services marketers who use video grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users
- Four most common videos: explainers, product demos, how-tos and testimonials
If you’re looking to implement video content and ads, there two channels you want to pay close attention to…
YouTube: YouTube is big. With more than 1 billion visitors each month, YouTube can give your business premier visibility and advertising options, putting your business in front of the exact customer you want and at their highest point of need.
Facebook: Facebook’s power comes from its massive user database. Because of this, Facebook has given business owners the ability to target their ideal customers with unprecedented specificity, allowing them to narrow their targeted customers by neighborhood, job, search history, etc.
However, if you want to create your own video content to market yourself, it’s important to produce video content that piques the interest and excitement of potential customers.
- What do your customers want to know?
- What will inform them or entertain them?
- How will you format your videos to reflect the brand of your business?
You want to think about the types of topics that capture the attention of target audiences, then create high-quality video content on those topics to facilitate likes, shares, and positive organic search results.
To learn MORE about changing consumer trends and marketing for home services businesses, be sure to review our previous blogs on this topic:
- Here’s Everything You Need to Know About the Modern Home Services Consumer
- 3 Dangers to Home Services Marketing That No One Is Talking About
- How to Capture More Home Services Customers in the Age of Connectivity
- Using Voice Search to Attract More Customers to Your Home Services Business
- How to Use Big Data to Generate More Jobs and Revenue for Your Home Services Business
- How to Secure Your Home Services Business for the Future
Want to learn how to bring more jobs and revenue to your business?
