The way consumers take in and respond to communications from companies has changed drastically over the years, from ads in newspapers, to radio commercials, and now to email and social media ads. Keeping up with these ever-changing marketing tactics can be a lot of work, and cost a lot of money, and many contractors would rather focus on their clients and their projects than spending hours planning and designing marketing materials.
Managing and improving marketing efforts doesn’t have to be endless amounts of work, if you have the right tools. One of Scoperite’s most useful features, are the reports that can be generated within the system. These reports compile customer data from all claims entered in the system, and give users an easy to read, sort, and analyze Excel spreadsheet.
These reports can be used for a lot, but specifically can help contractors advance their marketing efforts without having to use a lot of effort.
1) Targeting
Targeting is absolutely essential to marketing, without it you are just shoving information at people who don’t really care. Targeting for contractors can be a little complicated in the fact that the “target markets” are often broad such as homeowners with hail damage or people who want a kitchen remodel. These broad targets can make it hard for contractors to ensure that their message is getting to the right people, and that is where the reports can help.
The reports compile customer information such as names, addresses, and phone numbers into one sheet. This information can be searched, sorted, and analyzed however is easiest for you. Which means that contractors can use this information to look for trends within their customer base, and identify potential target segments. For example, the data could be sorted by zip code and you may notice that there are certain zip codes where you have done a lot of work. You could then use this to geographically segment customers in those zip codes, and target more customers who need or want your services, all while saving money by targeting areas you know are more successful for your business.
2) Brand Building and Customer Loyalty
For many contractors, their brand focuses, at least partially, on giving their clients the best experience, not just the best result. People will remember the very good (and the very bad), but the very good do more than just repair or renovate a home. The contractors that are remembered for being very good are the ones that follow-up, they give a company warranty, they are available to inspect and repair years after, and they are the ones that customers are loyal to.
Typically, when a job is finished, it fades from being front of mind, and those customers fall aside to new ones whose projects are happening now. But when all client information is accessible in an easy to read sheet, it’s easier to keep finished jobs at top of mind. You are more likely to see a name of a client from a few months back, and pick up the phone, check in with them, see how they are liking their new kitchen, or if there have been any issues with their windows. And that is what clients like: to be remembered and to feel important; it will make them more likely to call you for other projects, refer you to their friends and family, and leave your good reviews, all of which help build your company’s brand.
3) Email Marketing
Email marketing is truly one of the easiest ways to stay top-of-mind. It keeps your logo in front of customers, reminds them of your services, and sometimes triggers people to act. The reports function revolutionizes the ease of email marketing for contractors; all the email addresses of all the clients you have or have had are there organized into one single column, all you have to do is export them into whatever email marketing system you use and click send.
The emails can be used for whatever purpose you need; reminders to get inspected for damage after a storm, a deal that you are running, a simple reminder of what you do in case anyone needs it. All of these keep your company in client’s inboxes’ and minds, increasing your chances of having them call your or refer you.
4) Storm or Crisis Preparation
For some contracting companies, storms or crisis situations are where they make their name. This means that sometimes marketing efforts consist of getting out into neighborhoods quickly, knocking on doors, and getting signed contracts so you can stick your sign in someone’s front yard, and hopefully encourage their neighbors to sign with you as well.
Being prepared when storms or a crisis hits can be hard because you don’t always know exactly where it is going to be, and what the best way to approach a neighborhood might be. With the reports spreadsheets, you can sort your clients by city or zip code so that people who were in the storm area are easy to find. That allows you to send emails and make calls to people whose homes you’ve helped repair in the past and offer your services to them again before anyone else does. It also allows you to get into the damaged neighborhoods without having to knock on doors or make as many cold calls; you go out and help your established clients, and other people will see your logo and your process, and hopefully will choose to call your company to come help them as well.