Common Marketing Issues Specialist Contractors Face… And How To Overcome Them!
I have given ample advice to specialist contractors on what they should be doing regarding digital marketing efforts, but I have never addressed the common issues that occur when all that information isn’t understood or used properly. That’s why I am today looking at the main recurring issues specialist contractors face when it comes to marketing themselves, and how these issues can be overcome with a little help and clarity.
Marketing Issue: Clear about the ‘what’ but not the ‘who’
It is easy to see what other people are doing or are telling you is the hot marketing technique right now and want to jump on that band wagon yourself. But when it comes to marketing it isn’t always a case of what worked for someone else will work for you. It all comes down to WHO you want to attract with your marketing efforts. You need to know who your potential new clients are, and who you want them to be, before you can know what the best strategies for you are.
Marketing Issue: An Inconsistent Effort From The Top
Whether you are an SME owner or have a larger company to run, you will have a million other things on your mind and worrying about marketing efforts won’t be one of them. Even if you employ a team of trusted marketing specialists or an outside agency to help out with your marketing efforts, the CEO still needs to have some input. Marketing strategies need constant review in the fast paced digital age, and as the owner you need to have an active involvement in the direction your business takes.
Marketing Issue: Tight Budget
We all know that late and non payments in the construction industry are a common and damaging issue, and despite our constant efforts to fight against it, it continues to happen, causing holes in specialist contractors’ cashflow. The common reaction to this issue is to cut all marketing budget and efforts to save money, however this is like signing your own company’s death warrant. No marketing efforts meanings no potential new customers, and no new sales. The best course of action to take is to re-evaluate your marketing efforts. Take a look at the following suggestions for saving money without cutting your company’s air supply when on a tight budget:
Join networking groups: Our LinkedIn group, The Nationwide Alliance of Specialist Contractors in Construction and Engineering, is free to join and has over 1,1000 members who share news, advice and support each other through the active group. There are also many members who continue to build great working relationships with each other as they find they can help each other out!
Take free advice: Our blog and website are both hives of information on how to market your specialist contracting business, and we also send out weekly information emails to those registered with us, and it’s all free! We are handing it to you on a plate, take it and use it!
Write content for your blog/website: You know plenty about the industry you work in from the basics right down to the technical stuff, so share that knowledge. Use your blog and your website to post informative and advisory content that your potential customers will find useful and want to pass on. This content can include text, images and throw in some video to keep it interesting, as people feel more engaged when there’s a video to watch.
Email or call your past clients: Keep in touch with the people that have previously hired you, and the likelihood is if they need work doing again you are the first place they will turn. You can also ask them for testimonials and referrals for the previous jobs you worked on for them, which you can post on your website to show potential new customers what others have thought about you in the past.
Build relationships with the right influencers: Influencers are the other businesses that your customers might also have an interest in. E.g. if you are a painter/decorator, your potential customers might also be looking for a flooring contractor, a plumber, etc. If you have a good relationship going with local influencers you can then refer them out to your customers and they will be more than happy to return the favour.
There are a million more ways to get creative in marketing with no budget, so don’t let having a lack of cashflow be the excuse for cutting your marketing. Get creative!
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