Builders: The Secret to Finding Your Ideal Renovation Leads
home builder leads
Remember the scene from Minority Report, where Tom Cruise enters a shopping mall and is spoken to by advertising billboards? Identity recognition devices scan the retina of approaching people and access databases full of their preferences. The billboards then address passers-by with advertising messages specifically tailored to their needs and wants.
Why am I relaying this scene? For decades now, marketers have successfully utilised the power of targeted and direct marketing and their campaigns have gone straight to the right person, at precisely the right time. And this is important in finding your ideal renovation leads.
1. Identify who needs your services
The Secret To Finding Home Builder Leads
A colleague of mine determined that just 15 companies in his area could be considering his services now. In one week, he sent three communications to the companies’ respective CEOs before calling. This resulted in him taking on board eight new clients! All he did was target people currently considering his services.
The power of targeted marketing is dependent on having detailed information about the people you want to reach. It’s true you might not be able to scan eyeballs and access personal preferences, but social media advertising certainly gets you close by helping you to find the ideal renovation leads you're looking for. How?
But…to avoid pouring your money down the social media drain, make sure you have really good answers to these three questions:
2. Identify Your Target Market
While you might assume that everyone needs a builder – and you may be correct – it’s important to remember that your potential customers don’t view it that way.
They don’t want a builder, they want a full internal makeover or an external re-clad. Maybe they want more bedrooms, or a more useable living area, or they could have a young family and want to add a nursery area.
Mature couples may want to create an entertaining dining/kitchen area, a more conversation friendly lounge or a custom-built dream home.
Again, the list goes on: an ecologically friendly smart house, an executive-level family home or a retirement cottage...
And, while all these potential customers might need a builder to carry out these desires, different people are looking for different things. You can’t target them all, which leads us to our second question:
Identify your target market for home builder leads
3. Decide Who To Target
This is perhaps the most important question you can ask, because the answer could determine the future shape of your business.
Think about your ideal clients; the ones you enjoyed working with, who appreciated your work and/or who were happy with your prices and introduced you to other customers. Usually ideal clients will make up 20 – 30% of your client base, and these people are likely to be your best target market.
For example, when I began business coaching, I worked with any and every business. However, at least 60% of my clients were builders – it just seemed to happen! They also always got the best results. When I finally realised this (my blinding flash of the obvious), I realised they were my target market and I've since focused on marketing to, and serving them better.
Finding your target market and focusing on it is the best way to strengthen your future, which leads us to our final question:
4. Uncover Their Interests
Who's interests does your marketing appeal to? Yours or your customers? This is an area where many business owners make an understandable – but significant – error.
For example, print adverts that only focus on promoting the business are called tombstone ads. This is because most people simply don’t notice them. Just like tombstones, they are of little interest to the living.
Here lies <BUSINESS NAME> whose claim to fame is <BUSINESS LOGO> located at <BUSINESS ADDRESS>.'
Smart print advertisers work to capture the interest of their target market with a powerful headline, or an irresistible offer that assures a second look – but you can pay a lot for this service.
However, thanks to social media channels and Google Adwords, you can now place your ad in front of people who are already interested. All you need to do is select the right interests, pay a few dollars and, as a result, your ad will appear on the social media streams exposed to the audience you’re targeting – perfect!
Yet this type of advertising will be useless, unless you make sure to include their interests, not yours.
For example, parents of teenagers may want an additional bedroom but they’re not interested in home building. If your message is targeted to people with home building as an interest, your ad won’t reach them. Instead, ask yourself what parents with teenagers might be interested in – Sports? Camping? Movies? Survival!!
Just because there's a need, doesn't mean there's an interest. For example, everyone needs a bathroom, but not many people would list bathrooms as an interest.
The Game Plan
In conclusion, to use this strategy to your advantage, build a list of the interests of your best clients and target your ads at these.
By understanding the specific interests of your market, your social media messages can speak directly to the kind of people you want to do business with. Just like in retina scanning.
Graeme Owen
P.S. Whenever you’re ready….here are 4 ways I can help you grow your building business:
1. Grab a copy of my free book
It’s a road map of a successful 15 minute sales call that’s guaranteed to increase your conversion rate. http://thesuccessfulbuilder.com/book-15-min-sales-call/
2. Join Trade Mates and connect with builders who are scaling too.
It's our new Facebook community where smart builders learn to get more income, time and freedom. View our free business resources for builders. Ask questions of like minded business owners and business coaches. Give your knowledge and expertise to help others. -https://www.facebook.com/groups/TradeMates/
3. Join My New Group
I’m starting a new group called “OnRamp” to kick start sales and marketing in your business. If this sounds like you, message me with the words, “OnRamp”, and I’ll get you all the information.
4. Join Loft Members
If you’d like help to get off the tools, make more money and get your life back...just message me at graeme@thesuccessfulbuilder.com and put “LOFT MEMBERS” in the subject...tell me a little about your business and I’ll get you all the details.