Repeat After Me – My Business is More Than Just a Fucking Keyword! As a contractor, your number one job in your community is to create a localized brand that is so strong, that people seek YOU out, not just a keyword, to do business with. By having a unique service offering you force people to bypass all the marketing bullshit around them and make a bee-line to your door. But this approach to marketing takes time to cultivate and you have to do it one satisfied client at a time.
But a lot of the guys I talk to are trying to figure out how to get on the first page of Google at any cost; SEO, paid ads, Places, black hat, gray hat, white hat, whatever fucking color hat will work to get them there! The problem with being so focused on being first at the trough is that once you have fed, you will eventually get hungry again, and you will do whatever it takes to stay fat and happy. Then one day the Slaughter comes (I love my last name, my wife hates it!) and all the traffic you either optimized for or paid for is gone.
Well here it is…
The path to riches is riddled with the carcasses of what could have been great little contracting companies were it not for everyone wanting a shortcut. Marketing is marketing, and you can’t sneak one past the consumer…not for long. Telling people your building a business based on trust, good prices and quality workmanship is all bullshit, everyone says that. What are you going to do to make yourself and your company stand out?
You need to realize your business is not a keyword, it’s a business.
With real people and real products or services, and you deserve to be known for more than the price of a click.
What’s the takeaway?
There is no doubt business is being done online every day, but you also need to plant roots in your local community. Little league sponsorships, home shows (more on home shows soon, I listen to my surveys!) or Girl Scout sponsorships keep you and your company embedded in your local area. This localized approach moves your company ahead of the bottom-feeders who are just competing on price, that way, your margins stay intact since people come looking for YOU specifically, not just anyone in your industry who happens to rank higher than you for a keyword.
My request to you…
Do something this month in your community. Sponsor a Girl Scout Troop ( I have one here in Abington taking on sponsors!), get involved in little league, join Kiwanis. Do something that ingrains your business name in your local community and I promise you the seeds you plant in January will yield results in June!
6 responses to “The Dirty Little Secret to Online Marketing for Contractors”
This is such an insightful post. Eliminate the bottom feeders by rising to the top with your company.
” There is no doubt business is being done online every day, but you also need to plant roots in your local community. Little league sponsorships, home shows (more on home shows soon, I listen to my surveys!) or Girl Scout sponsorships keep you and your company embedded in your local area. This localized approach moves your company ahead of the bottom-feeders who are just competing on price, that way, your margins stay intact since people come looking for YOU specifically, not just anyone in your industry who happens to rank higher than you for a keyword.
My request to you…
Do something this month in your community. Sponsor a Girl Scout Troop ( I have one here in Abington taking on sponsors!), get involved in little league, join Kiwanis. Do something that ingrains your business name in your local community and I promise you the seeds you plant in January will yield results in June! ”
We will start our action plan immediately, great post.
We are more than a keyword.
Interesting post Darren, it brought to mind this idea. When someone approaches you about buying a small ad in the Little League program, don’t spend $25 on the “business card” size ad……spend $250 on a full page ad. Put your logo in the middle with logos (with their permission) and/or names of your past customers filling up the rest of the page. Send a copy to those customers letting them know you are still thinking about them and include a copy in your new prospect presentation folder.
It means there is longevity to marketing locally that can’t be matched advertising online. Don’t get me wrong, I love to market online, but when you market locally you extend your brand as well as develop leads. Most marketing online (other than user reviews and testimonials) generate leads only…for the most part. Thanks for stopping by Sam!
Great post darren and has made me think. Your right all
I have thought about this past year is the Internet but it’s to true you can forget about the grass rootes activies. Im going to think about an action over the week.
Good for you Greg! Pass the word!
I will do great site Darren … I’m currently reading it all lol