If you’re a contractor looking for more business, it’s important to consider how your current customers are finding you.

If you’re still relying on word of mouth and traditional marketing methods, you may be missing out on potential customers that are looking for contractors online.

With most consumers going online to research and find services they need, it’s important to have an effective digital presence. Here’s how to find contractor leads:

Advertise on social media

Social media offers a great way to advertise your business. There are multiple platforms for you to use, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Here are some tips on how you can use social media to get more customers:

• Facebook – Facebook ads are easy to set up, have a low cost per click (CPC) and can be targeted very precisely. You can also use Instagram ads for free if you have less than 10,000 followers.
• Twitter – Twitter gives you access to the same targeting options as Facebook but at a lower CPC rate. It also allows you to do retargeting to remind people who have already visited your website they should come back and book your services at once.
• LinkedIn – LinkedIn is an older platform that many people don’t know how to use yet but it’s incredibly valuable for having tons of professionals who would love to work with contractors like yourself! You need an ad budget here, though – it’s expensive compared with other social media platforms.

Create a professional website

You need to make sure that your website is mobile-friendly. If a potential client is checking out your website on their smartphone, they should be able to navigate it with ease.

You want to make sure that the site looks great on desktops and laptops, as well as mobile devices.

You also need to ensure that it’s easy for people to read and find what they’re looking for on your site.

If you have a lot of text or images, use a dark background with white text so that everything still pops off the page.

It’s also important to use clear headings and subheadings so readers can find exactly what they’re looking for quickly in case they’re in a hurry or using another device that makes reading difficult (like an eReader).

Create an optimized GMB profile

Looking for ways on how to get free contractor leads? Try Google My Business.

GMB is a free tool that helps you create an online presence. Creating a GMB profile is a no-brainer for contracting businesses since up to 64% of consumers use it to find information on local businesses.

Once your profile is created, you’d get access to other tools that help you optimize your presence online — reviews, analytics, Google Search Console, and so much more.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Make sure all your info is correct. Go through your listing, and check if everything is accurate and spelled correctly.
2. Add the right categories for your listing. Categorize it correctly, so it will show up when someone searches for something very specific. 
3. Indicate your service area and services offered.
4. Add as many professional photos as you can.
5. Set it up to receive messages and quote requests.

Focus on local SEO

One of the best lead generation strategies for construction companies is local SEO.

When clients in your area search for the services you offer, you want to make it as easy as possible for them to find your company.

Local SEO efforts ensure that you show up in search engine results when people in your area search for construction companies.

Here are a few strategies to get started:

• Optimize your meta titles and descriptions. Your title and meta description are the first things people see when your website pops up in a search engine; make them good.
• Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on your GMB page. This will provide the social proof you need to convince people to become your customers.
• Utilize schema markup. To give search engines more information about your business, try schema markup. Schema.org markup is a way to do this; however, if you’re not a web developer, you may need some help to get started.
• Get backlinks from local non-competing businesses. They’re great for SEO and can help your business rank above competitors.

Do content marketing

The first step on this guide on how to get contract leads is to create content that will help you do it.

Content marketing involves the creation and distribution of text, images, and videos that are related to your business and it can be an excellent way for contractors to build trust with potential clients and establish themselves as experts in their industry.

Content marketing can also be used as a tool for building your brand identity.

It helps potential customers get familiar with who you are and what sets you apart from the competition. In addition, this method offers a great way to increase your visibility on search engines like Google, which will help bring even more contractor leads into the fold.

Some of the methods you can use to do content marketing include blogging, social media marketing, influencer marketing, and newsletter campaigns.

Get your company listed on online directory sites

Online directory sites are a great way to get your business listed.

They vary in size and scope, but most offer free listings for contractors.

Contractors can use online directories to get more contractor leads and clients because they show up on the first page of Google search results when someone searches for “contractors near me” or similar queries that indicate a need for services like yours.

Whether you have an established company that needs exposure or are just starting out with no clientele yet, there are many benefits to getting your business listed in online directories:

• You’ll be found by prospects searching for contractors near them who provide services similar to yours (like painting) or related ones (like contracting).
• Your contact information will be available as soon as people click through from Google’s first page of results without having to do any work other than submitting it once. This means you can spend more time doing what matters most — working with clients!
• Those who find your listing may also look at other companies listed on that site so make sure yours stands out from theirs by including keywords relevant both now and into the future, such as “painting contractor” instead of just saying “painting service.”

Use a B2B appointment setting program

In addition to local SEO and content marketing, which can drive inbound leads, there’s also the flip side of that coin—outbound marketing. Outreach is important in an industry like construction, even if you’re already known well.

If you’re not speaking to people in your market, a competitor is going to, so lead generation is extremely important.

• Prospecting is defined as “to search for new customers.” To do this, you need one dedicated person responsible for prospecting and building lists. 
• Cold calling is not dead; it’s just hard. But if you have a process and your sales team knows how to handle objections, cold calling can be an effective part of your strategy.
• Email marketing is an important part of a B2B appointment setting program because it allows you to follow up with prospects and provide them with more information about your company. 
• Lead nurturing and qualification is an essential part of a B2B appointment setting program because once you qualify leads, they should stay in your pipeline. Outbound marketing is not calling thousands of prospects and hoping one agrees to meet. Instead, it’s calling hundreds of qualified prospects, asking discovery questions, building a relationship, and continuing to follow up until it’s the right time for them to book your service. 

Use the power of word-of-mouth advertising

Word-of-mouth advertising is one of the most effective ways to generate leads. When people recommend your business to their friends and family, they tend to be more engaged with you than other potential customers who don’t know you personally.

But what if it’s not your friends or family members who are getting the word out about your business?

What if it’s someone else? You need to ask yourself: “Who can I tell about my services?” Remember that there will always be someone who has a friend or family member looking for similar work that you offer.

If this person refers you to their friends or relatives, then word-of-mouth marketing has worked its magic.

Conclusion

These are just some of the ways that will help you increase your sales and revenue in the long run.

But, there is no one surefire way to do this. With that said, you need to understand what needs to be done in order for you to figure out how to get more leads as a contractor.

Remember that it’s important not only for new customers but also for existing ones, too! When done right, you can expect continuing business and possibly faster growth as you go along.

The post How to Get Contractor Leads in 2022 first appeared on Creactive Inc..