5 Digital Strategies to Market a Remodeling Business
By Jocelyn Van Saun
May 2, 2023
You’re probably doing all the standard local marketing tasks, including mailing postcards, delivering flyers, partnering with other businesses, and asking for referrals from your customers.
But in today’s digital world, you need to work a bit differently when marketing your remodeling business. A combination of online and offline tactics will help you stand out from your competitors and get the remodeling leads you want.
Digitally speaking, your customers may live in your local area, but they spend much of their time online. Here are some interesting facts:
- 61% of consumers say they search for something in the local area, every day
- 82% of the U.S. population is on social media platforms
- 56% of people prefer to message a business on a social media platform or website, rather than call them
You need to do everything possible to be where your prospective clients are.
Drawing from years of helping remodeling businesses flourish online, this guide will walk you through marketing for remodeling in a way that complements your existing local efforts. We’ll cover everything from enhancing your social media presence to optimizing your website for local search, ensuring you’re not just seen but sought after. Let’s build your digital marketing strategy together, making sure your business is where your clients are looking.
Table of Contents
- Create a Website
- Leverage Content Creation
- Master the Art of SEO
- Try Paid Ads
- Post on Social Media
- Manage Your Online Reviews
- Bonus: Reach Out to the Experts
- Key Takeaways
Create a Website
My family started a remodeling company about 25 years ago, and I’ve worked with it for almost 20 years. Around 10 or 15 years ago, we used HomeAdvisor to buy leads, which worked great initially. However, over time, the leads became more expensive and less reliable. We found ourselves competing with other contractors for the same leads or contacting people who weren’t ready to start their projects.
During a slow period around 2013-2014, we created our website. Although it was basic, it helped us stand out in our area and brought in a lot of customers. Like HomeAdvisor, this strategy eventually became less effective as other contractors in our area improved their online presence and ranked higher on Google, capturing most of the customer inquiries.
Out of necessity, I learned about digital marketing and applied it to our business. After much effort, we started receiving calls again, and now we’re booked for the next two years. We’ve been so busy that we haven’t taken new appointments in the last few months. All our customers now find us through Google and our website.
–Chuck the Contractor, Owner of Kile Construction
Your online presence is a lot like your physical business location. When customers search Google for a home remodeling business, your remodeling company’s website should be in the search results.
To rank on the first page of the search results, you must use search engine optimization (SEO) to beat the competition. Your website must also be engaging and hold the reader’s attention, by following basic website design best practices.
Today it takes a custom website to rank well. A basic site, thrown together using drag-and-drop tools might be functional for some of your existing customers, but it won’t help get you new ones. Potential customers expect a professional web presence — and so does Google.
A professional web designer can make sure your home remodeling website has these important qualities:
- Mobile-friendly web design that’s easy to navigate on smartphones
- Simple user experience so customers can explore your services and find answers to their questions
- Optimized SEO to improve your rankings in search results
- Personalized, local remodeling company content and reviews to increase conversions
- Overview of your company’s story, in a relatable, engaging way
- Consistent calls-to-action (CTA) that make it easy for customers to reach you in multiple ways
Customers want to do business with remodeling companies they like, trust, and believe to be easy to work with. Your website can help build relationships by sharing your company’s values and making it easy for customers to message you.
Checklist for Success: Website Creation
- ☑ Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and easy to navigate.
- ☑ Optimize your pages with relevant keywords to your service offerings.
- ☑ Include meta descriptions, alt tags, and headings in your website’s HTML.
- ☑ Implement clear and consistent CTAs across your website.
Leverage Content Creation
In the realm of digital marketing for your home remodeling business, understanding your target audience’s needs and preferences is paramount. This involves utilizing tools like Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush to identify the topics and questions most relevant to potential clients. A well-planned content marketing calendar, scheduling regular updates with a mix of educational articles, project showcases, and engaging multimedia, ensures consistency and engagement, crucial for boosting your online presence and search engine optimization / SEO.
Diversification in the types of content you produce is key to maintaining audience interest and driving engagement. Some content ideas that could engage your audience include:
- Renovation tips on budgeting, selecting materials, or working with contractors
- Before-and-after showcases of bathroom remodeling or kitchen projects
- DIY guides for renovation projects
- Video tours of completed renovations
- Live Q&A sessions on renovation and DIY-related content
- Customer testimonials
- “How-to” style videos on painting walls, installing tiles, etc
- A video introducing potential customers to your team and the day-to-day workings at your company
Checklist for Success: Content Creation
- ☑ Create a content calendar to schedule regular updates.
- ☑ Produce a mix of articles, project showcases, and multimedia content.
- ☑ Incorporate videos and before-and-after galleries to demonstrate your work.
- ☑ Promote your blog content across social media platforms and email marketing newsletters.
Master the Art of SEO
To effectively do contractor marketing in the digital realm, strategic search engine optimization practices are essential. Begin with targeted keyword research to identify phrases closely aligned with the services you offer, such as “kitchen renovation services in [City Name]” or “eco-friendly bathroom remodels near me.” Incorporate these keywords naturally in blog posts, service pages, and FAQs to enhance both visibility and engagement.
On the technical side, ensuring your website is optimized for both performance and user experience is crucial. This means having a mobile-friendly design, quick loading times, and a secure connection. Additionally, local SEO is vital for home remodeling marketing. Claim your Google Business Profile listing (previously known as Google My Business), and maintain consistency in your business’s NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) across online directories.
Lastly, continuous monitoring and adjustment of your SEO strategy are necessary to stay ahead. Utilize tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track your website’s performance and identify areas for improvement.
Checklist for Success: SEO
- ☑ Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to identify topics relevant to your audience.
- ☑ Secure your website with HTTPS.
- ☑ Claim and optimize your Google My Business listing.
- ☑ Ensure NAP consistency across online directories.
Try Paid Ads
Even a custom website needs help getting in front of a new potential customer. The next step is to drive targeted traffic — local people who need remodeling services — to your website with the help of paid search and display ads.
Paid Search Ads appear on search engine results pages (SERPs) such as Google Ads or Bing. They’re typically text-based and designed to blend in with the organic search results, although they are labeled as ads. These ads are shown to users who actively search for specific keywords or phrases related to your business or services.
Display ads extend the reach of your marketing efforts beyond search results. Unlike search ads that appear on search engine results pages, display ads are shown on websites within the Google Display Network or other advertising platforms. This network encompasses millions of websites, including news sites, blogs, and more, allowing your ads to appear where your potential clients spend their time online. Display ads come in various formats, including:
- Image-based ads: These can be static or animated images designed to catch the eye of the viewer.
- Rich media ads: Interactive ads that may expand, float, or change in response to user interactions.
- Text ads: Simple, straightforward text messages displayed on websites.
Another impactful channel for reaching your target audience is through video ads. With the widespread use of platforms like YouTube, where videos reach over 2 billion people monthly, incorporating video content into your remodeling marketing strategy is a powerful way to engage with potential clients. Video ads allow you to showcase your services visually, creating a lasting impression and capturing the attention of a vast audience.
Paid media gets your website in front of more people than unpaid organic search traffic will. With help from a PPC marketing expert , you can deliver targeted ads to people searching for remodeling services in your local area. The right paid media puts eyeballs on your website that you can convert into paying customers.
Checklist for Success: Paid Ads
- ☑ Define your target audience’s search habits and location to pinpoint the most effective use of your resources.
- ☑ Choose the right platforms for paid search and display ads.
- ☑ Develop engaging ad content for display ads and YouTube.
- ☑ Monitor ad performance and adjust strategies and bidding accordingly.
Post on Social Media
Social media marketing boosts your visibility and establishes your authority as a reputable remodeling business. And with 82% of people in the U.S. using social media platforms, it’s also one of the most effective ways to get in front of customers.
Yet it’s easy for businesses to ignore social media as a remodeling marketing strategy. One of the main reasons small companies resist using social media marketing is the time commitment. After all, social media isn’t as simple as posting a status message. It includes creating engaging and relevant content, interacting with followers, analyzing performance metrics, and adjusting strategies accordingly.
An effective social media strategy requires consistent posting — three to five times a week or more — and engaging content like:
- Fun polls for potential customers, like “What’s Your Dream Remodeling Project?”
- Fun facts about your remodeling company and the renovation process
- Time-lapse videos of renovation projects
- Trend spotlights and your thoughts on them, like the recent revival of 70’s style wall paneling
- Myth-busting posts, like the idea that repairing is always cheaper than replacing
- Seasonal maintenance tips, like adding a smart thermostat with low-temp alerts to prevent freezing while on vacation
That being said, it’s worth the effort to spread brand awareness. Social media is one of the most cost-effective ways to reach a vast audience, offers the unique opportunity to talk directly to your customers, allows precise targeting of those customers, and is a powerful driver of site traffic. You can see what works and what doesn’t through built-in analytics platforms without paying for expensive software, and can quickly gain insights into your customers needs and wants that you wouldn’t if you were less in-touch with them otherwise.
Checklist for Success: Social Media
- ☑ Develop a consistent posting schedule.
- ☑ Create engaging and relevant content for your audience that helps them and isn’t ‘salesy’.
- ☑ Actively engage with comments and messages.
- ☑ Monitor the performance of your social media activities and do more of what works and less of what doesn’t.
Manage Your Online Reviews
Just how important are online reviews? Consider these facts:
- 82% of consumers say they read local business reviews during searches
- Consumers spend up to 14 minutes reading reviews before deciding to buy
- In searches for small-to-medium businesses (SMB), Yelp appears in the top 5 search results 92% of the time
(Source: Search Engine Journal )
Online reviews help your customers get to know you before they talk to you. Reviews also complement personal referrals: 85% of customers say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from people they know.
Some companies don’t spend much time chasing down customer reviews. Historically, only a small percentage of customers will leave a review, even when you ask them.
One way to increase your responses is with an automated review canvassing system. Your digital marketing partner can help you choose the right reputation management tools, set them up, and start collecting reviews automatically, without any extra work on your part.
Checklist for Success: Review Management
- ☑ Implement an automated system to solicit customer reviews.
- ☑ Address negative feedback promptly and professionally.
- ☑ Showcase positive reviews on your website and social media.
- ☑ Consider incorporating customer feedback into your service offerings.
Bonus: Reach Out to the Experts
It’s not easy to stand out in a sea of local remodeling businesses. However, concentrating your marketing efforts on the right channels can put you ahead of your competition.
Do you want to market your remodeling business online? The home improvement market experts at Socius Marketing are ready to help you with your remodeling marketing digital strategy to reach prospective customers.
Schedule a consultation , and we’ll talk about how to maximize your existing lead generation sources — and how to create some new ones.
Key Takeaways
- Optimize your website with SEO and ensure it’s mobile-friendly to rank well in search results.
- Regularly update your content to engage your audience and boost online presence.
- Utilize targeted SEO strategies to attract a more qualified audience.
- Invest in paid search and display ads to drive targeted local traffic.
- Maintain a consistent social media posting schedule to enhance visibility and engagement.