Anybody in business (whether it’s building and remodeling or not) knows the very best kind of marketing is word of mouth. People expect you to tell them how wonderful you are—and they probably don’t believe you. But when someone else tells them how good you are, that carries weight! But word of mouth marketing doesn’t just happen. It occurs when there is something so good going on that people just have to tell others about it. Because it’s remarkable, they remark on it.
If you’re a successful builder or remodeler, chances are good that you do some remarkable work. You pay attention to details. Your quality is high. Your prices are fair. When you’re done with a project your customers are happy—and they tell their friends about it.
You need to apply that same attitude to your marketing efforts. You’d never allow sloppiness or half-hearted efforts on a job site. Don’t let it slip into your marketing efforts, either. You love it when customers tell people they know about your work. What if potential customers were telling their friends (also potential customers) about the information they found on your website?
The content on your website needs to be remarkable as well. What makes your content remarkable? First and foremost it needs to be customer-focused. It needs to address the questions and concerns of people reading it. People don’t really care how many awards you’ve won (at least, not right away). They’re more interested in getting their questions about building or remodeling answered. Give them information that will educate them and make their decisions easier. Give them answers about troubling questions they have. You build and remodel every day. For many people building a custom home or doing a major renovation is a once-in-a-lifetime proposition. Give them help and answers they won’t get anywhere else.
If you provide that kind of help, people will pass it on to their friends who are considering building or remodeling. Be remarkable in what you build, but also be remarkable in the help you offer people who are thinking about a building or remodeling project. You’ll set yourself up as a trusted advisor and expert. And guess who people will call when it’s time to actually build something?