Lead generation for contractors is essential for short-term sales and long-term growth. There are plenty of ways out there to generate leads and keep the funnel flowing, but let’s recap a few of the better solutions available for those just starting out, and some for those who have been around a while trying to generate construction leads on their own.
Let’s start with the cheapest, but longest way to lead gen, SEO:
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO, like other marketing tools, helps potential clients in finding your business. The SEO matches your website/blog’s content with what people are searching for.
If you want more customers ending up at your website/blog, you need to select the most effective keywords for your business. But how do you select the best keywords?
Here are a few suggestions:
- Pick long-tail keywords (3-4 word keywords) as they get you closer to a buyer.
- The keywords should be relevant to your business.
- Be innovative, try selecting keywords that have low competition and effectively relate to your business, so that you have to go through an easier competition in topping search results.
It is very important to note that SEO can negatively affect your business if you don’t use it properly. A shitty SEO shop can RUIN your business if they do it wrong. For example, if you strictly write content for search engines, the content will become boring, it will generate traffic, but the readers won’t convert because they won’t be convinced you are right for them because of the writing.
Instead, keep your target audience in mind; balance the content with keywords and information your reader will find useful.
Pay-Per-Click Advertising
Pay per click is an advertising technique that will generate plenty of traffic for your business if done properly. By using PPC you can instantly appear above all of your competitors on local search results pages. PPC drives traffic to a landing page that can be on your website, but it should never point to your homepage unless that page is your landing page.
An effective tool for this strategy is Adwords; the advertising service by google enables you to display ads on google and other partner networks, where you will have to pay only when the people will click your ads.
The ad service can really help you in generating leads because it is an action-based function. In other words, unlike the newspaper who charges you regardless of anyone actually taking action, you only get charged if someone clicks your ad, thereby increasing your overall ad spend.
Here are a few tips to improve results with your PPC lead generation:
- Create an impressive and relevant landing page for your PPC links
- Attract visitors with features and benefits, give them a compelling reason to reach you such as a free consultation or evaluation.
- Get to the benefits of your product/services quickly on the landing page.
- Use CRMs. Customer Relationship Management, are programs that enable you to keep records and track of the potential customers that contacted you, and what were the details of the dealings that followed.
- Focus on the costs per lead in order to make the right decision to invest in PPC
Facebook Ads
With over 1.5 Billion monthly active users, Facebook is by far the most popular social networking website today. Creating Lead generating ads on Facebook is a great way to generate traffic to your site.
Here are a few tips that will help you in making your lead generations more capturing;
- Include call-to-actions in your photos
- Add links in captions; this will make it easier for your potential clients to make their way to your page.
- Use Facebook chat effectively to communicate with your potential clients
- Get assistance from coders in building your forms on tabs; tabs in Facebook are the same as landing pages in PPC
Content Marketing
Content marketing is blogging. Simple as that. Here are a few suggestions to turn your content marketing into a lead generating machine:
- Know your buyers/potential audience.
- Identity the needs of your clients, then target these critical points to convince your potential clients into becoming your loyal customers.
- Prepare content for your blog that educates, not sells. This will help position you as the expert in your field, not just a salesperson pushing a product or service.
- Include practical examples like case studies where your product or service.
- Create white papers and e-books; creating e-book is not an easy task, but if done efficiently will do wonders as you can offer your e-book on the topic to potential customers in exchange for their contact information. Same goes for white papers.
Other Social Media Marketing
Like Facebook, other social media platforms can be used effectively in generating leads.
- Twitter: You can now effectively use Twitter to generate leads for your business by sending promoted tweets. Promoted tweets are like ads and will lead potential customers to your business. You can also use attractive and eye-catching Twitter cards for lead generation.
- Linkedin: Linkedin is a professional network, you can list your business details and give your potential clients a flavor of your company and the services/products you have to offer.
- Instagram: Though Instagram is new in the market in terms of ad placement; you can use it effectively by posting your business images and portfolio videos to attract potential customers. Use location-based and project-specific hashtags to attract potential clients.
These were just a few ways to try and develop construction leads online. Here are a few warnings to keep you out of trouble while you learn:
- Never create spam links to your website.
- Do not post identical content on multiple pages, blogs or websites.
- Use these tips to drive traffic BACK to your website, not away from it. Getting people to your website is the goal.
Hope this article will help you generate all the construction leads you could hope for! If you need help, don’t have time, or don’t know the first thing about construction website design, contact us by clicking here or calling 215-740-2713.