The home improvement sector is made up of businesses as diverse as builders, bathroom designers and burglar alarm fitters.
Despite their differences, there are many similarities between these businesses. Their sales are usually high value. They are often aspirational purchases – homeowners keeping up with the Jones. And they work in a market which rocks between boom and bust on a regular basis.
In such a changeable marketplace it’s critical to have a brand and marketing strategy that can help you survive the lows and get the most from the highs. Let’s consider five ways you can do this.
1. Understand (and strengthen) your brand positioning
Identifying your brand position means understanding what your brand means to your customers and comparing this to their perception of your competitors. Where do you have the advantage? Is it price, quality, customer service?
Once you understand your position you can fine tune your marketing to strengthen it, or make more fundamental changes to reposition your brand to where you want it to be.
2. Have great visuals
Wonderful, aspirational photos (or even videos) are essential in the home improvements market. You need to show potential clients how wonderful their home can be when they employ your services.
Professional photography or videography can make a world of difference to your website, social media, HOUZZ listing…in fact to all your marketing activity.
3. Google optimisation
Generally speaking, home improvement businesses are targeting homeowners in a relatively local area. This means you have a great opportunity to rank highly in Google searches for your services in your local area.
This can be done through location-based landing pages or, better still, case studies. And, where SEO doesn’t quite get you to the top, you can always rely on Google Ads.
4. Appeal to more sophisticated purchasers
When was the last time you purchased something without checking out their website? Asking friends if they’ve used the company? Reading online reviews? Probably not recently.
A prospective customer might need between six and eight of these ‘touchpoints’ before they go ahead with a purchase. Your marketing needs to consider which touchpoints are most relevant for your audience and brand position, then make sure you have them all covered.
5. Trust signals
Because homeowners do so much research before they purchase, trust signals have become an increasingly important part of the marketing mix. These can include guarantees/warranties, affiliations to well-known industry bodies, Google reviews, word of mouth, influencer marketing, Facebook recommendations…the list goes on and on.
The key to success is, obviously, to encourage happy customers to talk honestly about your work, particularly in independent online reviews.
Add focus and structure to your marketing strategy
Find out more about marketing for the home improvements sector on our website or call us on 01273 814 019 to discover how we can help you attract more of your ideal customers.