In The Field – Billing, Invoicing, and Reviews In Your Hand

If you can equip your on-site employees with iPads or other internet-capable tablets, you open up the ability to more rapidly complete a variety of tasks – getting you paid faster and getting more responsibility off of your in-office staff.

Immediate Payment For Services Rendered
There is a sea of online payment vendors available that help you swipe your customer’s credit card on the spot instead of calling in for authorization or taking down billing information for later submission. Completing payment and digital invoicing on the spot reduces the downtime between job completion and money in your account.

Moving Your Reviews Online
If you are still using paper comment cards, recycle them all now. The effort you and your customers put into completing paper comment cards is wasted – from a marketing standpoint.

According To BrightLocal, 82% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses.

Using a reputation management system (like the one provided by Footbridge Media!) allows you to push your happy customers to the places on the internet that your prospective customers are going – like Google.

Using our Review Management System as an example of how good technology helps to build your business, you can use an iPad to capture contact information to be used in review generation before you even leave your customer’s property. It automatically communicates with your client to ask for a review, and also takes care of follow-up communication about online reviews.

Marketing Review Part 2 – Checking The Stats
Reviewing Effectiveness Through Concrete Data, Not Emotion

While you most certainly can get pretty detailed when it comes to keeping data on your business (and we welcome you to if that works for your company size and operations!), our goal is here is really just to have a good idea of what is working and what is not working for your business.

Keeping track of where your customers come from can be a tedious process. For every client, asking the “how did you hear about us” question can help to highlight your marketing strengths.

At the very least, you should be tracking your sales numbers.

When you gather information like sales numbers and where customers are finding you – you can take more action and plan more effectively. This becomes more valuable over time.

If you know that January is a slow month every year, you can prepare your budget and staffing levels accordingly.

If you know that people are contacting you because they see your Google Ads immediately before contacting you, you know that is money well spent.

Make The Ask for The Review – 2020 Version

There is a nearly endless sea of reputation management programs out there now, with a variety of physical media, phone communication, and online methods for reaching out to customers.

While your mileage may vary depending on your specific program, we’ll run down what clients using the Footbridge Media Review Management System would do to get more reviews.

Similar to the old-school tactic, it is still important for the on-site staff to begin the conversation about the importance of leaving reviews.

The Follow Up – 2020 Version

If you use the Footbridge Media Review Management System, the program automatically scans for new review activity and automatically completes a variety of follow-up communications – so there isn’t anything else extra you have to do!

Smartphones, Smart Speakers and AI Assistance – Using Voice Search To Find A Contractor

At this point, the majority of adults in the United States have a smartphone (81% of all US Adults according to 2019 Pew Research Information)

That means that 81% of all of your prospective clients have a smart assistant built into their phone that they can use to find a contractor – And not everyone uses their keyboard to type out their search queries.

Aside from the smartphone in 81% of pockets, there has been a meteoric rise in smart speaker ownership.

In December 2019, it was estimated that 24% of adults in the United States have at least one smart speaker in their home (That’s about 60 million speakers according to Edison Research)

So what happens when someone uses their smartphone or smart speaker when they search for a contractor?

Smart Thermostats Can Self-Diagnose Potential HVAC Problems

The ever-popular Nest thermostat had recently started testing a new “HVAC Alerts” feature.

With this option, the client can opt-in Nest and Google automatically use data from a thermostat to identify potential equipment problems.

Basically, the system will track obvious data – like the exterior temperature and how long it takes for an AC system to cool the property over time.

The system would take notice if it now takes longer than normal to cool the property – triggering a notification to the Nest user of a potential HVAC problem and even suggesting an HVAC professional to work with to resolve the situation.

But Really Why Do I Need To Do It

Everything about your marketing presence shapes the outside view of your business.

That’s why having a clean work shirt and not double-parking your box truck in front of the handicap spots at your Dunkin Donuts is so important — people will read into everything.

They assume that if you don’t have a clean work shirt that employees are not well-kempt in general. They assume that if you are careless enough to double park inappropriately that the same attitude will reflect in your services.

And if you don’t respond to reviews, they may also take it for granted that you’re not a big enough business to work with.

Or worse – if you reply to reviews in an aggressive manner, they’ll think you’re not a legit enough business to work with.

Don’t Get All Emotional On Me, Now

When tackling negative responses, it is important to not immediately fire off an equally emotional review. I’ve talked to plenty of contractors that want to absolutely lay into a client for being a bad customer. And maybe they were. But the public reply to a public review is absolutely not the forum for venting like that.

If you are the one replying to the review, I recommend that you start by writing it any place except the actual reply box. Start to write an email to yourself or open up Notepad on your computer and start typing there. That way, even if you start with a bit too much salt-and-pepper in your reply, you have a safeguard before accidentally posting.

When you are done, walk away for a few minutes. Grab your 4th cup of coffee for the day and handle some other issues. Then, come back and re-read what you wrote. It would be even better if another member of your team could read it with you. This gives you a chance to proofread what you were going to say while you’re emotionally a little more sober and clear-headed.

Your Go-To Negative Response – For Actual Customers

In just about any negative review context that isn’t spam, the safest bet is to move the location off of the internet. That should be the goal of your response, which would sound a little something like this.

“We are sorry you were not completely satisfied with your services/products. We’d love to talk with you more about the situation to come to a resolution. Please call at ###-###-#### and ask for NAME.”

This tries to push the conversation away from the public eye, where you can possibly remedy a negative customer experience and turn it into a positive one (and a positive review too!)

So I Have To Check My Reviews Every Day?

Yes.

Really, you should be aware of your reviews on a continual basis. If you do have a negative review, you’ve got a better chance of turning it around if you are quick on the draw to get a conversation started again.

You could check for your new review activity manually – by visiting at least the most popular sites that people will be looking at (usually Google Reviews, Yelp in major metro areas, etc.).

You could also utilize some software to assist with that – many review management systems (including the one provided by Footbridge Media) offer review monitoring services, so that you get notifications when you get a fresh review.

Author’s Note: This Contractor Marketing Check List was originally posted in 2017 and updated in 2018, 2019, and 2020

Dust Off Your Website & Stay With The Times

I think it’s safe to assume that if you are reading this – at this point, you’ve figured out that you need a website. But websites are not set-it-and-forget-it contraptions. Unless you’ve got a marketing company keeping tabs, you need to keep a pulse on your website.

We’ve discussed mobile friendliness at great length – From the Google mobile-geddon to mobile first site structure and everything in between. In summary – mobile users (+ Google!) want you to have a mobile friendly website. If you don’t, you’re missing out. Mobile friendly means all kinds of on-the-go device sizes. Whether it’s a smartphone or a tablet – it is vital to have a site that is easy to use.

Aside from keeping your site up-to-date from a technology standpoint, you need to keep your design in the now too. The web moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop to look around every once and a while – you might miss the changing times. After considering visual design, your site content should also be updated regularly. Does your website copyright date still say 2002? Are your reviews still “Coming Soon” even though you’ve been in business for a decade? Keep your site alive by adding content on a regular basis.

Keeping Your Brand Fresh & Alive

One website does should not be your marketing plan. Your company’s brand should be living and breathing – it should be able to stand on its own, with its own personality and vitality… so does it?

Your online marketing presence includes everywhere your brand is mentioned on the web. Most people think of review sites and business listings, like Yelp and Google. This also includes your company’s social sphere – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the like. With something as simple as a Google Alert or our Review Management System, you can keep your eyes on the prize while keeping an ear on the ground.

Your offline marketing presence is how potential clients see your brand in the real world instead of in the digital world. From truck wraps and storefront signage to employee uniforms and patches – does your company need a refresh? While it isn’t cheap, presenting your company in the best light possible and overall image crafting for your business is incredibly important.

Getting Your Gear Ready For The New Year

Depending on your industry, your tool and parts cost could be dirt cheap or sky high. You know your business best – be sure to maintain a balance within your toolbox and supply stash. Too much, and you risk overextending yourself in the short run. Too little or old-and-busted, and you aren’t ready to take on the work. Take inventory, review PO histories, and take a look ahead to your growth – make sure you’re ready!

Prepping Your People For Success

The growth of your business correlates to the growth of your employees – both in number and in skill. Aside from making sure you have the numbers to handle your expected workload in 2020 adequately, it’s time to prepare your staff in body and spirit for a successful year. Besides having the aforementioned gear ready for deployment – your employee’s minds and hearts should also be ready to go. Consider ongoing education efforts to keep your employees on the cutting edge of customer service and trade skills.

Just as a machine works optimally when all of its components are properly maintained, your business operations and the people who complete the daily work need specific care to work as efficiently as possible. Even simple affirmations and thank you’s for a job well done can do wonders for maintaining a positive work attitude and environment.

Offline Marketing To Round Out Your Plans

Your 2020 contractor marketing checklist should also include offline marketing to be a balanced attack on all fronts. From the everyday basics (like business cards and invoices) to your home show season marketing materials (like flyers and presentation folders) to your direct mail pieces (like EDDM postcards and brochures) – it’s important to shape your year’s print marketing plan. To avoid buying everything all at once, keep an eye on your stock and plan accordingly to keep your print marketing materials in good order and quantity.

Expand Your Digital Marketing

If you mark just one thing off of your marketing check list, it should be to grow your marketing presence. Your online marketing footprint should expand past your website. There are a variety of options that each require different amounts of time and/or money. To start, your social media can be managed in-house by knowledgeable office staff – or you could use a social media management program to do the heavy lifting.

Automate Your Client Communication Processes

In general, any steps you can take to simplify your work processes at an acceptable cost frees you up for taking care of more customers and develop your business. Ongoing client communication is an excellent opportunity for you to get your feet wet with streamlining your business operations. Even though your past clients may not have an immediate need for recurring service, that captured information can be used to draw out additional referrals.

Contacting past clients individually would be incredibly time intensive. Chances are you wouldn’t get a great open rate to emails or phone answer rates for all the wasted cold emails and calls you’d have to make to reach out to those people regularly. That’s where email marketing shines. So long as you have confirmed with your client base that you can safely send marketing materials their way, a monthly email newsletter helps keep that top-of-mind-awareness.

Consider Video Marketing Opportunities

Technologically, video marketing is getting easier to manage yourself – just about any smartphone will be an okay baseline video camera for sharing quick videos online.

Technically, there is a lot that goes into high-quality video productions. Composition, lighting, audio, content planning, captions preparation – there is a good amount of behind the scenes work that must be done to make a basic video that looks good.

That’s where real-time video (like Facebook Live) can be a major win. In this instance, it is absolutely acceptable to use your smartphone – aside from major productions, this is the most common way to “go live” on Facebook. This type of video content on social media doesn’t have the same expectations of a “finished” video – it may not have the best lighting or audio quality, but that’s to be expected with a simple smartphone as your main camera.

Once you get past the stage fright, live video can really pay off. You can show off your office, a particular install, or host a simple Q&A for your customers to help establish yourself as a expert in your industry. Chances are you’ll get more engagement for your efforts. Per Facebook – “People spend more than 3x more time watching a live video on average compared to a video that’s no longer live.”

Mark Off Your Contractor Marketing Check List By Contributing

Some of the opportunities above cost money, but you can cheap mark off this to-do on your contractor marketing checklist by sending a little more time each day to build up your business.

You can no longer opt to be completely hands of with your marketing. To do well in today’s day and age, you’ve got to be willing to join in the collaborative efforts to improve your business presence. That could mean providing IPP content, talking to each of your customers about reviews, or growing your client and email marketing lists – but you’ve got to be there to contribute to your success.