Three Powerful Actions Contractors Should Take To Put Their New Website To Work
Three Powerful Actions Contractors Should Take To Put Their New Website To Work (plus one important pro tip)
by Wayne Lamarre | Contractor Fuel
I’m sure you remember the feeling…
Most business owners do.
The unmistakable feeling of pride that came along with opening that box from the printer full of your new business cards.
You knew each one of those cards represented the potential of future business.
What every owner soon realizes, however, is that potential alone does not pay the bills. We have to put these cards to work for us to turn potential into income.
Getting a new website is just like that.
You have to put your new website to work for your construction business if you expect to attract new clients.
The good news is, a website is more powerful than a business card could ever be. That’s because a website can be used in more ways and in more contexts to help generate business. Using your website well can be a game changer, but only if you take a few simple, yet powerful actions.
Let’s look at three powerful actions contractors should take to put their new website to work:
#1 Invite People to Your New Site.
Sounds simple right? But most contractors do not take advantage of this simple action.
Now that you have a well-functioning home base on the web you should email your current and past clients inviting them to take a look. You have been collecting emails in a list, right? This is a chance to get back on your customer’s radar. Your invitation could be even more attractive if combined with a special offer for a service you provide. Take it to the next level by asking your list to extend your offer to their friends and family as a way to spread the word.
Another often overlooked action to invite someone to your website is to add your URL to the signature area of your emails. If you are not using a signature line you should add one now. It adds a level of professionalism to all of your communications and gives an opportunity for the recipient to be one click away from your site at all times.
A third way to extend an invitation to your site is to add your web address to all of your signage. This one might seem obvious, but if you also add a call to action on your sign such as “Visit us at…your domain name”, your sign instantly goes from just being information to being an invitation. Because your domain name is, at minimum, the second most important piece of information on your sign, be sure it is prominent enough to be read easily. Especially if your domain name is a variation of the business name itself.
Take full advantage of adding your URL to all client facing material, such as proposals, contracts, and invoices. Every business document functions as a marketing document to one degree or another. Including your domain name in some of these underutilized locations can be an effective way of directing visitors back to your website.
#2 Link Your Site for Better Rankings and Visibility.
Linking back to your website is an important component to a sustainable business model. Linking helps you to be found and being found means you are keeping yourself available for potential sales.
An easy way to do this is to add links to your website on all of your social media profiles. Make it simple for anyone to find out more about what you do, or what you’ve been up to lately with one click from Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. You can direct links on posts to specific pages of your site; it does not always have to be a link to the home page. For instance, if you are asking someone to contact you in a post then link right to your contact page. If you are showing off your work, link directly to a portfolio page.
Next, add your URL to all of the online directories you are listed in such as Google, Yelp, Houzz, Yellow Pages, etc. Consistency is important. This is a good time to go to your listings to make sure things like your name, address, phone number, and URL are all up to date. Google, for one, likes it when there is no conflict in information.
Finally, you must actively look to acquire links from other businesses and authoritative websites back to your own. These backlinks are a critical element that influences where search engines rank your website. Acquiring backlinks is still a strong indicator to Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines that others approve of, and trust your business.
#3 Use Your Website to Build Your Business.
Websites are meant to be used, not left to die a lonely death in cyberspace. Keep your website fresh for visitors and search engines by adding new content every month. Whether it’s new project pictures, videos, blog posts, or any other form of content, consistent updates let everyone know that your business is active and thriving.
Another way to use your website is in your sales process. Bring an iPad or tablet to your sales meetings. Preload your site and have it ready as a visual aid. There are times when showing your work in pictures can be more effective than explaining it in words.
Lastly, as a primer in early stages of a sales process, you can include links to relevant projects in your email communications. This is a form of customer service that can build trust in a new relationship by demonstrating competency.
Now for the pro tip: Start collecting testimonials to add to your site.
Nothing builds trust like testimonials.
Think of a testimonial as a referral that you can post and use over and over again.
One way to make it painless for your client to give a testimonial is to ask a specific question they can easily answer. There’s no need to burden your client by forcing them to figure out what they should write about. Instead, help them out by asking a simple question like, “What was the one thing that you were most satisfied with?”
Also realize a testimonial does not need to be as long as a novel to be effective; in fact, quite the opposite can be true. Some of the most powerful testimonials are only a single sentence in length.
Remember to invite, link, and use.
Taking these powerful actions consistently will create a strong foundation for business development.
That same feeling of pride you once felt gazing upon your new business cards for the first time can now be felt everyday as you watch your website develop into a valuable contributor to the growth of your business.
Take action today. Putting your new website to work for you is your first step towards contracting success.
About the Author: Wayne Lamarre is a construction marketing expert, speaker, and business development consultant, who specializes in helping contractors go from good to great. Contact Wayne to add fuel to your construction business.
Do you need a better presence on the web for your construction business? If so, we have the right solution for you. Many contractors are working with limited time and budgets (we know because have backgrounds in construction ourselves!). We can build you an affordable website that can easily be added on to as your success grows.
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