- The most obvious is a lack of understanding about marketing principles. The lead generation opportunity is so large and so many contractors don’t embrace their own marketing. And there should not just be a focus on website leads, but rather a focus on quality contractor leads based on a specific radius. Why else are there so many Lead Generation Companies and Advertising firms such as Home Advisor (formerly Service Magic), Angie’s List, Porch (affiliated with Lowe’s), Houzz, Pro.com (affiliated with Amazon and separate from the new Amazon Home Services), Red Beacon (owned by Home Depot), and on and on? The great news about all these companies raising money, being acquired and simply being out there is that it helps a contractor understand there are many people looking for you but they are not finding you. You should realize the best way to be found is to ensure the nucleus for people searching for you should be your own website.
- Many contractors start off with a website without specifically focusing on Lead Generation as being the main foundation of the objectives, especially when someone does not know who you are. A portion of the site should be designed to be found specifically when they already know your name, but the majority should target being found when someone is searching for your type of service without knowing your company name.
- Many contractors hire a person or firm, that while they may (claim to) be good at marketing and SEO, they may not specifically target the trade. There are differences and there are just too many to list.
- Many contractors hire a person or firm, and there are limited or no proactive updates as to what is going on. A contractor’s marketing strategy should not consist of posting daily updates on Facebook or Twitter, or just tweaking a website based on keywords without fresh content.
- Many contractors hire a person or firm, and those people are not business people with the understanding of what it takes to grow a contractor’s business. We know what it takes to start with $0, with no name credibility, no website, no business operations and making it become a multi-million dollar company. Sure, many can throw around some techie buzz words, but there is a whole lot more when it comes to phone demeanor, business literacy, follow-ups and trust beyond just the showing off a website layout and mentioning Google Analytics.
- Many contractors don’t realize the importance of understanding the competition which comes in two forms. First, there are the Lead Generation and Advertising Companies (yes, they are competing for those leads with your help providing pictures, testimonials. etc.), and then comes some other local contractors who may have a jump ahead.
- Many contractors simply are deficient when it comes to marketing strategy. The deficiency while last in our list is really the more important topic. A little boost in the right educational and organizational direction changes a business forever.
