2 min read
Have you ever gone into a store to buy a computer, only to be totally baffled by the vocabulary of the salesperson? You think you know what you want, but all of a sudden the salesperson is slinging terminology and acronyms around you’ve never heard of and you’re left feeling “less than brilliant” about your proposed purchase.
A lot of people feel the same way when they talk to a building contractor or look for information online. Sometimes they feel like they don’t even know how to ask the right questions.
When potential customers look for your services online, they may not use the same terminology that you do. They’re not builders—they’re homeowners. That means they use homeowner language to describe what they’re looking for. That is why you need the right type of contractor marketing.
Why is that important? Here are a couple of reasons:
Getting Found
When people look for information about building or remodeling today, they don’t pull out the phonebook. They go to the Internet. They probably go to a search engine such as Google© and start typing in keywords. If the words they use to describe what they are looking for are dramatically different than the words you use to describe your services, they may not find you. That’s what’s essentially behind organic Search Engine Optimization (SEO), the best marketing for contractors. The search engines try to match the words that people type with content on various websites. The more your website content matches the words that people use to search—the more often they’ll end up on your website.
Gaining Trust
Let’s go back to the illustration of buying a computer. If the salesperson can’t communicate in terms of how the computer is going to help you, you’re probably not going to buy it. Worse yet, if the sales person makes you feel like an idiot (deliberately or not), you’re probably not going to buy from him or her (even if you later decide to buy). But if that same salesperson talks about what the computer can do for you—in terms that make sense for you—there’s a much better likelihood that you will (eventually) end up making a purchase. And you’ll want to purchase it from someone who understands how you want to use it.
So speaking your customers’ language helps them find you in the first place, and then helps you gain their trust—and even their business.
Note that marketing by digital contractors is as much an art as it is a technology. Do not give up if anything does not work! Try various methods. Think out of the box, be imaginative, and have fun with the process. It could be the secret to your potential success to keep at it.
It doesn't have to be stressful to learn how to do business as a contractor. You will prove your value to potential buyers and make the most of any good project by paying attention to your website, social media and online presence.
