The Ultimate Guide To Email Marketing for Home Service Businesses

There’s no better way to grow for home services companies than by getting your brand name in front of new eyes. While there’s no magic wand, you can wave to get access to new leads, one solution that can take you about as close as you can get: email marketing.

With the way technology develops every day, you might be wondering: Isn’t email dead? That couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s thriving. Take a look at some of the stats:

• About 66% of people say they open their emails first thing in the morning
• Email marketing generates 50% more leads for 30% less investment
• Email is 40x more effective at getting new customers than Facebook and Twitter combined

The numbers are clear. Building an email marketing campaign is still an important marketing strategy. A powerful email marketing strategy will give you access to new potential customers - right in their inboxes. Once they need your services, your name will be at the top of their list.

Email marketing even beats out some top marketing strategies, including social media, search engine optimization (SEO), and affiliate marketing. But how do you take advantage of everything it has to offer? This guide will walk you through the ins and outs of email marketing for small businesses, including how to build a powerful campaign for a home services business.

Email Marketing for Small Business

As a small business owner, you might overlook the power of email marketing. Many small business owners assume it isn’t for them - only for the larger businesses with a larger budget and a dedicated marketing team. But this isn’t true. It doesn’t take much money up-front, and it’s not as complicated as you might think.

Email Marketing Is for Every Business

Regardless of your company’s size, you can expect to get a lot in return. For example, for every $1 you spend, you can get as much as $44 back. That means even businesses working with smaller budgets can see a serious profit from an email marketing strategy. It’s also simple to put a strategy in place. With the right technology and automation tools, you can get leads even without devoting a lot of time to your email marketing campaign.

Even as new marketing strategies emerge each year - the rise of social media marketing, for example - email is still standing strong. More than that, it consistently outperforms these other strategies. Almost everybody has email, and it’s much more straightforward than trying to keep up with the constantly changing algorithms and trends.

How to Get Started With Email Marketing

There’s a lot to gain from email marketing, and with such a low start-up cost, there’s not much to lose. What are you waiting for? It’s time to get your small business’s email marketing campaign started. We’re here to help. Here’s how you can get set up.

Build an EmailList

The actual process of building your email list is pretty simple. Start inviting customers to add their email address through website pop-ups, social media accounts, or even in-person events.

Make sure your invitation is enticing enough to get them through the door. Your description should give a taste of what your newsletter will offer. This could include a free preventative maintenance checklist or helpful tips on choosing the right maintenance company. Some free add-ons can’t hurt, like offering a discount on their first purchase - or even a discount just for signing up.

Send Your First Email

As soon as a customer signs up, they should get an automated email welcoming them to the list.

It can be tempting not to send an email right away. You don’t want to seem overbearing or “salesy.” But if a customer has signed up for your newsletter, it means they want to hear from you. They’ve already shown interest in your services, so don’t miss the opportunity to remind them of your presence. It can also help deliver the discount or helpful info you promised in the sign-up process right away.

Keep Sending Emails on a Regular Schedule

Once you’ve got your email list rolling, keep it up by sending at least one email a month. Offer your list a mix of helpful resources, promotional material, and a reminder of where they can find you online. This is a great place to add links to any blog posts or social media content that you’ve posted elsewhere.

Make Your EmailListHigh-Quality

You can’t control who signs up for your newsletter. But you can do a few things to ensure that your list is high-quality. Quality will always win over quantity. Take a moment to review your email list and make sure to correct any typos. Also, keep an eye out for any spam emails that may be cluttering your list.

To increase the chance of your subscribers engaging with your content, you can also weed out inactive users. How do you do this? Just use a double opt-in. This means that when a customer signs up to your list, they receive another email asking them to confirm their interest in receiving more emails from this company. Once they confirm, they’ll officially be a part of your list. This might seem counterproductive, as it cuts down on the number of people who signed up. But this can benefit you in the long run - everybody on your email list is much more likely to open future messages and engage with what you have to offer.

Break up Your Audience

For some home services companies, you might find yourself with different audiences. For example, the difference between homeowners and commercial customers. Or customers interested in pest control vs. termite removal.

You can always segment your list into a few different categories. This might mean writing slightly different newsletters for each part of your list, but it ensures you’re consistently delivering content that’s 100% relevant for each of your potential customers.

Consider Using Automation

While an email list is easy to set up, it isn’t always easy to maintain. And when you’ve got a lot on your plate already (like running your business), it’s hard to prioritize your email marketing campaigns.

That’s where automation can come in handy. Automation makes it easy to follow up with prospects who interact with your brand - clicking on a link, downloading content, and more. Instead of worrying about sending emails manually, email marketing software sets up a system where emails are sent automatically.

Crafting the Perfect Email Campaign: Top Email Marketing Tips

Email newsletters can be a win-win - for your business and your customers. Why? They can provide value - information, discounts, deals, etc. - for your subscribers while also bringing you leads that could convert them into loyal customers.

Creating an email list and sending out emails is pretty straightforward. The not-so-easy part is making great emails with attention-grabbing content month after month. Let’s break down everything it takes to craft the perfect email and impress your audience.

Create Content That Nurtures Your Leads

Here’s something you need to remember: Email marketing is about nurturing potential leads, not just selling to them.

Don’t get caught up in promoting your services. While your subscribers are interested in what you have to offer, the best way to keep them invested is to build a more personal, human connection.

If you can engage them with relevant messaging that goes beyond just a sales pitch, you can create life-long customers who keep coming back for more. About 80% of new leads never turn into actual sales. But businesses that nurture their leads can generate 50% more leads that are ready to turn into buyers.

What exactly does that look like? Focus most of your emails on engaging, educational content, like:

• Before and after stories or photos
• Behind-the-scenes looks at your workers in action
• Case studies showing what your services provide
• Exclusive tips of the month
• Free resources, like checklists and guides
• Frequently asked questions (FAQs) with answers
• Funny, informative, or motivational quotes
• Home maintenance or money-saving tips
• Recent studies or surveys related to your industry
• Roundups of the best blog posts from your website
• Surveys or polls to involve your audience
• Updates about new changes to your products or services
• Updates about your social media channels
• Video how-tos or DIY tutorials

Once you give your readers a reason to keep opening your messages, the interest in your services will follow. Over time, this can turn a mildly interested subscriber into a die-hard customer.

Inspire Engagement With a Call to Action (CTA)

Every email you send should include a clear CTA that encourages subscribers to take the next step. This can include calling to book your services, but it might also look like using a coupon code, filling out a survey, or taking a look at another resource on your site, like a blog post.

Even if all you’re doing with this particular newsletter is providing educational resources, there should still be a chance for your readers to get more involved.

Don’t Forget About Aesthetics

You don’t need to be an expert graphic designer, but you should still put some effort into making your emails look good. Make sure you’re using an easy-to-read font and spacing out your paragraphs so that it’s easy for a reader to skim through your content.

Add a nice-looking header, a company logo, and a few photos to break up the text. You can also use tools like Canva or Photoshop to help you put together an attention-catching email template. Additionally, an email marketing automation tool should have email templates that you can use.

Always proofread each email newsletter carefully before you send it. Bad grammar or awkwardly written sentences won’t make a great impression on your audience. Tiny mistakes will always make it through the cracks - use a tool like Grammarly to keep your grammar in check.

Make Your Subject Line Stand Out

Email marketing can be an incredible tool, but you aren’t the first company to figure this out. These days, customers’ inboxes are flooded with emails from different brands, from small businesses to corporations.

To get people to open your email newsletter, you need a subject line that stands out. You want to write something that makes them curious enough to click on the email, but not something so confusing that they don’t know what it’s about. If you’re dropping some valuable information in your newsletter, this is a good place to tease that. Additionally, we always recommend using words that are eye-catching and enticing like “new,” “trends,” “hurry,” or “exclusive.”

Some examples of excellent subject lines include:

• Four little-known ways to lower your electric bill
• Do THIS to make your home energy efficient
• Last call: A/C tune-up deal ends in 24 hours
• Save 25% on lawn maintenance this summer!
• This simple maintenance trick could save you money
• Uh oh, your appliances are due for repair
• What I learned about hiring the right plumber

Find Your Relatable Brand Voice

Even when email subscribers open your email, you’ll need to catch their attention to get them to keep reading. The average person only spends 10 seconds reading a brand email. The quickest way to get them to close the tab and move on to the next email is by using stuffy, boring language.

When writing your emails, you need to focus on tone to appeal to your reader. This doesn’t mean you need to be dropping internet slang left and right. Not only is it hard to use, but most of your target audience won’t talk like this anyways. It’s all about striking the right balance between casual and professional. If you want to be more relatable and hands-on, you can go full casual. Try dropping some jokes, using light slang, and writing to the reader as if they’re a friend. You can also strike a more professional tone if you want to seem more authoritative and polished.

Either way, you need to find a distinct and approachable brand voice - and stick to it.

Email Marketing Examples for Home Services Businesses [Templates]

The previous section covered just about everything that goes into a great email. However, it can be hard to put these tips into practice, especially if you don’t know what a successful email looks like in your industry.

To help guide you, below is a compilation of a few basic samples of what great home service business emails look like. These customizable templates can work as a starting point when you’re drafting your own.

The Welcome Email

You first send this email when someone joins your email list. The goal is to draw them in, make them feel welcome, and give them a small taste of what’s to come.

Here’s what that could look like:

Subject line: Welcome to the (Company Name) Family!

Hi (First name)!

Thanks for signing up for our newsletter - I’m glad our content inspired you to join us!

Our goal is to create resources that homeowners like you can use to (Goal for target demographic). (Service) is more than just what we do for a living. It’s what we live and breathe each day.

In this newsletter, we’ll bring you up-to-date information on (Industry). From discounts to helpful how-tos, we have everything you need to stay on top of your home maintenance.

Interested in learning more? Click here to learn more about our company values and what we hope to accomplish with our wide range of services. You can even set up a consultation by heading to (Contact page).

The Resource Round-Up

You’re probably already producing content through other channels, whether it’s social media posts or blog articles. This email is a chance to show off the best of what you have to offer.

Subject line: Best Content of the Year

Hi (First name)!

It’s been a great year at (Company). We’ve been hard at work creating valuable resources to help you (Goal for target audience), but some of our posts have risen to the top. Every year, we reflect on what we’ve covered and share our best work with the community.

Here are some of our top resources for (year):

• (Link to blog #1)
• (Link to blog #2)
• (Link to blog #3)
• (Link to blog #4)

Have an idea for content you’d like to see shared? Have a burning question you want to see answered? Hit reply and let us know what you’d like to see next year!

The Discount/Promotional Email

While the #1 reason you have a newsletter should still be to bring people valuable information, you’ll still be running the occasional deal, discount, or promotion.

Here’s how to get that across without sounding too pushy or salesy:

Subject line: Don’t Forget Your 10% Off!

Hi (First name)!

To celebrate the first day of fall, we’re offering 10% off of all our services this week only! If you’ve been meaning to get (Service), there’s no better time than the present.

Here’s what (Offer, sale, or discount) includes:

• (Offer detail)
• (Offer detail)
• (Offer detail)

To take advantage of this offer while it lasts, give us a call at (Phone number) or contact us on our website. We look forward to having you along for the journey!

The Referral

For most home service businesses, word-of-mouth sales are the company's backbone. That doesn’t have to end when you’re using email marketing - asking for referrals from friends, family members, and more is a great way to bring more people through the door while also rewarding your most loyal customers.

Subject line: Wanted: More Customers Like You!

Hi (First name)!

By now, we hope you’ve been experiencing the benefits of (Services). For (Number of years), we’ve satisfied customers across (Local area).

But we’re still constantly improving our services and have some exciting plans for the future. Here’s what we need: Do you know anyone who would love (Services)? If so, we’re offering (Incentive) for anyone who (Condition to receive incentive).

Interested? Here’s how to get (Incentive). (Information on referral program).

Manage the Best EmailCampaigns With the Best Email MarketingService

You’re probably thinking of personalized, customer-focused messaging when you think of email marketing. The more personal, the better, right?

It might feel counterintuitive to use email marketing automation with that in mind. The concept sounds robotic and impersonal. But in reality, automation can help you create more effective campaigns that reach your subscribers on a personal level.

Email automation is the best way to reach the right people with the right message at the right time - without all the work. The benefits of this kind of software include:

• Building a relationship with new customers
• Creating segmented email lists automatically updated based on data
• Engaging more with existing customers and building loyalty
• Improving engagement by sending more relevant, timely, and personalized messages
• Increasing efficiency by automating repetitive tasks
• Quickly converting subscribers into actual customers

That’s where Scorpion’s email marketing software comes in. Designed for home services businesses, our tech can help you make every email count. Automation lifts the marketing load off your shoulders - instead of focusing on your email marketing strategy, it can all be sent automatically. From invoices to newsletters to special events, just upload your email addresses, and our email marketing tool will handle the rest.

Let Scorpion help you set up an automated email marketing campaign. Once it’s up and running, it won’t take much maintenance, which means you can spend your time doing what you love most: Providing the best possible service to your customers.

Making the Most of Email Marketing for Home Services Businesses

Let’s face it. Many home services companies rely heavily on referrals they get from satisfied customers. But sometimes, those marketing efforts aren’t enough to reach the kind of growth you want to see. When you use email marketing, you can unlock a whole new resource full of prospects. With a bit of effort, you can create an email marketing campaign that keeps them in the loop, provides them with valuable information, and makes sure you’re the first person they call when they need your services.

Need help?

Email marketing should be a huge part of your overall marketing plan. Its cheap and easy to do and can turn one time customers into loyal ones. Its also important to find the right partner to help while you run your business. We have decades of experience helping businesses just like yours setup a great email marketing program. We have the team and technology to run it all for you and the dashboards so you can check in and see how its going. 

Ready to talk to our team about how our small business email marketing technology can take you to new heights? Learn more about our email marketing service or take the leap and schedule a consultation today.