The continued release of the vaccines across the country is a sign that the end of the pandemic is near. With this, businesses should start preparing for a post-pandemic world. While many businesses already made adjustments after the pandemic started, they still have to fine-tune their marketing efforts so that they can expand their reach into their market.
This is particularly true in the home improvement sector, where it is challenging to compete with bigger companies that have been existing for around a century already. But this does not mean a start-up home improvement business cannot make it big in the market.
To get a head start in the market, owners of home improvement businesses can look for help in companies providing marketing coaching services to help them with increasing their share of the market. But they can also work on their own in promoting their business online. Here are some things they can do.
Focus on Current Customers
When home improvement businesses started, they might have started as a subcontractor for a bigger company. With this, they might already have created a network of previous customers who were satisfied with their service. New home improvement companies can focus on this network. They should also promote the other services they offer aside from the projects they provided for these customers. They can also check if their previous customers can refer any friend who might need their services.
Before doing so, they should make sure their contract as a subcontractor allows them to do this. There might be provisions on the contract that disallows them from promoting themselves to their previous customers.
Continue Marketing Online
If the home improvement business is not yet doing so, it should market its services online. When the pandemic started, internet traffic increased as more people went online for their needs. These needs ranged from their necessities to the consumption of digital content. So, the business should expand its promotional efforts to cover the internet.
It can even consider hiring a full-time digital marketing specialist to help the business increase its online presence. The specialist can optimize the website, create social media posts to increase engagement, and implement an online marketing plan to promote the business.
The business can also start its email marketing campaign to reach out to potential customers who want to renovate or improve their homes. It can offer the services that fit the season. For instance, the business can focus on home improvements to prepare for summer before summer comes. Therefore, it should meet the needs of homeowners who want to be comfortable during the year’s hottest season.
Offer Exclusive Deals
When the home improvement business promotes itself, it should not only offer the services it provides. It can also offer exclusive deals to potential customers. The business can partner with another company to offer the deal. For instance, it can work with a home entertainment system manufacturer and offer a deal that involves working on a recreational room where the customer gets a free television or entertainment system.
These types of offers can bring in new customers. But the business should make sure it prices the promotion properly. It should take into account all the expenses in the promotion and make sure the price of the deal can suitably cover all of them plus a little profit. The business can offer different deals that attract the attention of potential customers.
The business should also make sure it can deliver. If the business cannot deliver, it should refund the customer and provide discounts for future services. This is important so that they can reduce the impact of the non-delivery of services on the trust of the customer in the business.
Invest in Social Media
In 2020, the number of social media users increased by 1.3 million every day. This means nearly half a billion new users started a social media account last year. The business should take advantage of this and invest in social media. It can make sure its social media account is active and engages its customers.
The business can also start investing in Facebook ads to increase its presence online. These ads are rather affordable depending on how far the business wants its ad to reach. The targeting capabilities of Facebook also allow the business to fine-tune its ad campaign to reach potential customers based on location, profession, marital status, and hobbies, among others. Advertising on Facebook becomes effective when the business does it consistently and targets its intended market.
While the home improvement sector saw an increase in sales during the pandemic, new businesses still struggle to reach their customers. With this, new home improvement businesses should work harder to reach their intended market in the post-pandemic world.
