In addition to door-knocking, digital lead generation is a good way for contracting businesses to reach more customers after a storm. HOVER sat down with Mike Kite from Digital Hyve, a national digital marketing agency, to learn a bit more about how digital marketing can help grow your business.
Q) For a long-standing, well-established business, how important is digital marketing?
An established company with a solid reputation probably gets a lot of business through word of mouth. That’s the best kind of business…it’s free! But the best brands constantly do marketing because they know that people forget fast. For large exterior home projects, consumers come in and out of the market, making it very important to remind them you are there and ready to get started. Plus, the modern consumer has more options than ever before and relies heavily on the internet to do research. If you’re not marketing where your competition is, that’s a customer you could be losing out on.
Q) Where do you recommend a contractor starts if they haven’t done digital marketing before?
First, understand who you want to target. Let’s say it’s homeowners who live in a specific county. Do research to find out where these people are online. Then fish where the fish are!
Q) So, why digital marketing? Is “traditional” marketing, like TV, radio, billboards, and the newspaper, dead?
The best way for you to market all comes down to return on investment. The challenge with a TV commercial or billboard is that you’re not able to target your perfect customer. Everyone sees it, including renters or others who don’t fit your customer profile. We love digital because you can target specific customers, meaning there are no wasted marketing dollars.
Many of our customers have taken to “digitally canvassing” a neighborhood after a storm hits instead of knocking on doors. They serve ads to homeowners in the areas affected most, and test different ad copy and images to find out which one brings in the most leads. The most sophisticated of them also interact with those leads through virtual appointments and technology like HOVER before sending someone on-site. This adds efficiency and even the most traditional purchasers respond well to it.
Q) What has proven to work for storm contractors, specifically?
Everything from social media to search engine marketing. Most commonly, we find that storm contractors see strong responses with geo-targeting both before and after the storm comes through. We also find that it’s helpful to target homeowners in order to get a higher return on the ad spend. Last, we recommend focusing the messaging on the type of CAT event, whether hail or a tornado, so homeowners quickly understand you are an expert who can solve their specific problem.
Q) Can you give us an example of this paying out for a contractor?
Let’s say you start with display ads on various websites that highlight you as the restoration contractor to call when a storm hits. Local homeowner Sally sees your ads and is introduced to your company, even though she doesn’t click on it. She sees your ad again on Facebook and clicks to your site and reads some customer testimonials.
A month later, a tornado hits and Sally needs a restoration contractor – fast. She searches for “contractor to fix roof after tornado.” If you’re investing in Google Search ads, you’ll come up first in search, where Sally will recognize your name. She taps the phone number in your ad, connects with a rep from your company, and sets up a time for someone to come out.
Q) How do you know if your digital marketing is working?
Digital marketing is completely measurable and you’re able to see exactly which leads came in as a result. The cost is driven by factors like your specific goals, your tactics, and the competition in your industry. Regardless of budget, it’s all about maximizing your marketing dollars by reaching only the right people and putting the right amount of gas on the fire to get a return on investment.
Q) What’s your recommendation for a contractor who wants to get started with digital marketing, but doesn’t know where to begin?
For the D-I-Y’ers out there, the internet is full of resources that walk you through many of the tactics I talked about. For those who don’t have the time or patience to do it on their own, a digital marketing agency can do the heavy lifting and optimize your marketing dollars for you for the best results.
Curious how customers use HOVER’s 3D model to drive storm leads? Our team is here to help. Schedule a time to talk to the team .
About Mike Kite and Digital Hyve
Mike is the Senior Director of Business Development at Digital Hyve. Digital Hyve is a digital marketing agency serving businesses nationwide. Named by Inc. Magazine as the 5th fastest-growing marketing company in America in 2018, Digital Hyve has made this publication’s fastest 5,000 Growing Companies in America list for two consecutive years. More information on Digital Hyve can be found at www.digitalhyve.com.
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