How to Get More Remodeling Leads

If you clicked on this article, we can only assume you’ve been asking yourself “How do I get more leads?” In the remodeling industry, quality leads are a necessity to keep your business afloat, and sometimes they’re not the easiest to get with all the competition in your area. In this article, we’ll give you eight different tips to help you get a more steady stream.

The three steps of lead generation

Lead generation for any business involves three basic steps:

1. A lead finds your business
2. A lead is interested in your business
3. That lead converts into business

Part of getting more leads is getting “found” more often. When a lead finds your business this is the “awareness” phase of lead generation. They find you through an online search for a remodeler for example or more likely, are referred to you by another customer; They simply know who you are and what you do.

The second part of getting more leads is getting “noticed” more by those who find you. Once a lead has found you and they start comparing you with other remodelers, this is the “consideration” phase. They’ll learn about your business and what you offer, then decide their level of interest in working with you versus your competitors.

Both step one and step two are needed to get to step three: converting those leads into remodeling customers. Here’s how you can get more remodeling business by being found and noticed more often:

Getting more leads to find you

Here are four ways you can increase the number of people who find you:

Make your website user-friendly and search engine optimized (SEO)

To increase the number of leads that find you, you need to get your face out there. And the face of your business online is your website – it’s the first impression potential remodeling customers have of you and it should provide a great user experience. You would be surprised how many people will write-off a business solely based on how their website looks and functions. 

Here are some important website statistics to know:

• 39% of people will leave a website if images load too slowly, or won’t load at all.
• 38% of people will leave a website if the layout is unappealing.
• 44% of people will leave a website if there is no contact information.
• 86% of people want to see information about a company’s products/services.
• 88% of people will not revisit a website after a bad experience.

Make sure your website is simple to navigate, has clear calls to action, loads quickly, and has an attractive design. Having an optimized mobile design is even more important:

• 71% of mobile users expect a mobile site to load as fast or faster than a website.
• 89% of people are more likely to recommend a brand after a positive mobile experience.
• 61% of users are unlikely to return to a website if the mobile experience was poor and 40% will go to a competitor’s site instead.

In addition to optimizing your website for desktop and mobile, you’ll want to optimize it to show up better in search engine results. There are over 200 factors that go into the Google SEO algorithm, which is just a fancy term for an automatic system that ranks websites based on all these factors. But Google has a great starter guide for SEO to help you begin making small changes to improve your website and get found more often.

Partner with businesses in your area and network

Local plumbers, painters, realtors, and other tradespeople can be a great resource to get the word out about your business. They may work with homeowners looking for a remodeler and can recommend you, and you can return the favor if you have a project and your clients need service done.

During this time you may also want to check out any virtual events and ways to meet other remodelers, contractors, and small business owners in your area. If you make the right connection you can build a solid business relationship that may bring you consistent remodeling leads. If you’re an established company in your area, consider sponsoring a webinar or event yourself to get your name out there further.

Build your social media presence and stay connected

You’re out in the local area making connections – now you need to get out there on social media. Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are some of the top sites to get more remodeling business. You can share engaging content with hashtags that target users looking for a remodeler and connect with locals by sharing an expert opinion or giving a recommendation to a DIYer that needs some help. You can also create stunning photo galleries on Instagram and Pinterest to showcase your work. The more beautiful photos you post, the greater the chance someone will come across one they love and go to your website to find out more about you. In fact, U.S residents using online resources to plan major home renovations are four times more likely to search on Pinterest.

Run digital paid ad campaigns and have them professionally managed

Digital ad campaigns can help bring in more relevant leads because they target people searching for your services. A Pay-Per-Click campaign, for example, is a popular type of paid internet marketing where you run ads and pay a fee every time an ad is clicked on. This fee is a bid made on a specific keyword that a person would search for related to your remodeling business. Google Ads is the most popular platform to run a PPC campaign, and given Google is the number one search engine in the world by a long shot, you definitely want to use it.

Running social ads will help you target your ideal customers in the spaces they’re hanging out and more likely to check out your social profiles. Ad impressions are up 20% in the last year over social media platforms, meaning more people are seeing them, so it’s worth the effort to experiment. Facebook alone has over 2.7 billion active monthly users, represents 75% of the social media advertising market, and earns 40% of the digital display ad revenue annually. Not to mention it’s ad costs are extremely inexpensive compared to other platforms.

Because paid ads cost money, consider using a professional to manage your campaign and get the most cost-effective results.

Getting more leads to notice you

Here are four ways to increase your chances of getting noticed after you’ve been found:

Implement a referral program and don’t be shy

One of the easiest ways to get a lead to notice you is to have a satisfied customer tell them about you. 92% of people trust referrals from people they know and referrals count for 65% of new deals for companies. Not to mention, referred leads have a 30% higher conversion rate and are four times more likely to refer others to the same business.

Referral marketing is incredibly powerful for boosting your sales pipeline, so don’t be afraid to create a referral program and mention it to your satisfied customers after a job is finished. If you’re proud of your work you should want everyone to talk about it!

Read More: How to Leverage Your Promoters and Get More Referrals

Get crafty with your email marketing and be strategic 

Emails help you stay connected with leads and current customers without being invasive. Marketers who used segmented campaigns saw as much as a 760% increase in revenue. Here are some quick email marketing tips:

• Emails should be short, sweet, and attention-grabbing. Include photos of your latest remodel with a customer testimonial and details about upcoming offers.
• Subscribe to competitors and see what they’re doing. Part of growing a business is paying attention and learning from what others are doing, especially if they do it better. 
• Optimize your emails for mobile use. Over 60% of email opens are done on mobile devices, so this is a critical step in your strategy.
• Only send emails to real, organic leads. It’s better to have 100 leads that found you than 1,000 paid leads with only 10 people that might open your emails.
• Subject lines really do matter – 33% of email recipients will open an email simply because it has a catchy one. But try to avoid sounding spammy; 69% of recipients will report an email sender as spam based on the subject line alone.

Overall, keep it personal and don’t sound too promotional. People like to connect with businesses and receive personalized experiences. Show off your company’s personality and have a little fun.

Ask for more reviews and use them to your advantage

Just like referrals, online reviews are a huge source for bringing in new leads. Statistically, three in four people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Ask for a review from every remodeling customer, not just the jobs that went well. Consumers rely heavily on reviews to make purchase decisions and despite what you may think, 62% of them won’t purchase from a business that censors online reviews. They want transparency and authenticity.

Your positive reviews will help set you apart from competitors by showing casing your strengths. While negative reviews are unfortunate, your response to rectify a bad experience demonstrates your integrity and dedication to great customer service. You can leverage your reviews on Google My Business, Yelp, and even Facebook. 

Read More: 8 Tips for Remodelers to Get Repeat Customers

Create content and position yourself as an expert

Providing free value to your social media followers, email subscribers, and customers can establish you as an expert in your industry. Think about the top questions people ask you and create interesting content that answers them. Make videos showing how a new floor is put in, or what a proper sink install should look like. The more helpful content you put out, the more you’ll emerge as an authoritative voice in the remodeling industry.

For example, maybe you’re often asked “how much will my remodel cost?” You can create an infographic or a simple well-designed one-sheet that breaks down the common costs associated with a remodel. Maybe you even create a different piece of content for each main area of a home. You can now give this information to leads when they ask, and post it online to show off your expertise. Check out free design websites like Canva, that provide tons of templates to help you get started.

The slow and steady practices will always win

It can be tempting to want to grow your leads the quickest way possible. There are a number of scams out there that will make a lot of promises to you. Just remember that the highest quality leads come from tried and true marketing strategies, and many will need to be nurtured over time. 

If you’re looking for a way to get more ratings, reviews, referrals, and quality leads, consider AvidCX, the leading customer experience management platform for the building industry.