5 Myths You Need to Blow Up to Take Your Digital Marketing Game to the Next Level (Part 1 of a 2 Part Series)

If you’re a remodeling contractor and are overwhelmed by digital marketing, you’re not alone. What do all these fancy acronyms mean? What is SEO, PPC, SEM anyway? You may be asking, how can I bid, coordinate and install jobs and still find time to create ‘content’ (whatever that means) and post on social media? How can I generate more new leads and make sure past customers remember about me without bleeding my budget dry with Pay Per Click or Facebook ads?

In order to be successful with digital marketing as a remodeling contractor, I would argue first you need to blow up myths about this subject which are dumpster-trash (that’s what part 1 of this series is about).  After you get past the myths, then you’ll need strategies to get your digital marketing into high gear (dig into part 2 of this series to get your arms around that question).

Let’s first look at the 5 myths.

Myth #1 about Digital Marketing for Remodelers – I’m too old to learn digital marketing. That stuff’s for Millennials

I wish I was 29 years old. I also wish my hair was dark brown (although it could be with a $9.99 bottle of hair coloring). I wish I could run as fast as I did when I was 29.

Here’s my reality. I’m not 29. But I am 29 x 2 +1 (that would be 59 years old for those of you computing at home). While this might be considered ‘old’ in digital marketing year’s (I’m not hardly a Millennial), that hasn’t stopped me from learning, growing and teaching digital.

Today, I speak at conferences and write in a national trade publication about this subject (note: I started learning this stuff 9 years ago). I write on 4 blogs. They reach over 110,000 visitors per month. These blogs are distributed to an email list over 21,000 people.

Does this make me a genius? No frickin’ way! As a matter of fact, you’re reading an article from a guy who went with his wife to see the movie Dumb and Dumber ….at the wrong theater! I don’t think a genius would do that – ha! Ha!

However, I do have 1 skill and 1 secret weapon. I’ll promise to reveal them to you…if you can keep a secret. Shhh…. now listen up.

The 1 key skill is I learn like a maniac. I believe in the following Mahatma Gandhi saying:

  “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

I bet you also want to know my secret weapon. It’s the team I work with. It’s Michelle. She’s my Marketing Manager. OK – I will fess up she is a Millennial! And it’s John (our Digital Marketing Consultant). OK – he’s a Millennial also. Simply put my secret weapon is an excellent team of people who work together to achieve results.

Learning and growing is not a DIY experience.

Here’s the bottom line. You’re only too old to learn digital marketing if you’re unwilling to take the time to learn it. With marketing results becoming sooooo dependent on digital, can you afford not to learn it?

Myth #2 about Digital Marketing for Remodelers – It’s all about getting leads today for Free Estimates and Free Design Consultations

I love getting leads in my in-box for Free Estimates and Design Consultations. That’s a ‘pay-dirt’ marketing moment.

However, there’s a problem if your website and social media posts only focus on getting an appointment with some right now who needs a kitchen or bathroom remodeled. Here’s what it is….

98% of the people searching the Internet for remodeling are only in the research and design phase. They aren’t ready to buy today. They aren’t ready to schedule a free in-home estimate or design consultation.

For these people if the only ‘call to action’ (‘er this would be a button or phone number on your site to influence them to take some action) is to ‘call now,’ they’re not likely to do it.

They will leave your site. They may never come back. Basically, you just wasted the $5 to $10 on the ‘click’ to get them to your site.

So, you may be wondering how can you keep ‘top of mind’ with people researching and designing so WHEN THEY ARE READY for a design consultation they’ll think of (and call) you first?

The best way is to add informational ‘lead magnets.’ Don’t know what lead magnets are? They are buttons (or slide in or pop up offers) where you provide free stuff (articles, samples, guides etc.) in return for their email address.  

You use their email address to provide more free information and advice and set up your expertise.

When they’re ready for the free estimate or design consultation you never guess whose business they’re going to remember? ‘Er, that would be yours!

Myth #3 about Digital Marketing for Remodelers – I’ll have to slave away at my computer 24/7 to do this digital thing. I don’t have enough time!

You’ve got more than your fair share to do working your ‘day-job.’ Sales calls to run. Materials to order. Jobs to manage. People (to try) to hire.  

How can you find time to ‘play around’ on Facebook, Twitter, Houzz and LinkedIn promoting your products, your articles and jobs you’ve completed?

I would contend you do have the time…. IF (and only if) you embrace one big word. That word is…

AUTOMATION

Smart digital marketers (whether they’re in remodeling or any other industry) understand they have to promote their digital content (i.e. their web site, blog posts, videos etc.). They need to be on the best social media networks at the right time for their prospects to see (and be influenced by) what they’ve got. THE way to do this time-effectively is with automation tools (think of these as digital power tools).

For example, Michelle at our company uses tools like Meet Edgar, Tailwind and Buffer which not only automate social media posts, but also tell you the best times for your posts to go out for your audience to see them. How cool is that?

Effective digital marketing requires digital marketing power tools (i.e. automated scheduling programs).   

Myth #4 about Digital Marketing for Remodelers – You think you can DIY ALL your digital marketing

I like to call myself a D.M.G. (a Digital Marketing Geek), and I’m sure there may be a few people who call me some less-flattering names behind my back!

What this means is I love to read, learn about, and do digital marketing. I blog about digital marketing. I may have even been caught by my wife dreaming about digital marketing. Wow, Rose really needs to get a more interesting husband – ha! Ha! And I do this digital marketing geeks stuff AND my day job (leading a local remodeling and nationwide bathroom products wholesale business).

However, even with all this effort my knowledge about digital marketing still is a drop in the bucket of what there is to know. As I mentioned previously, I get help. I’ve got Michelle (my Marketing Manager) and John (from Flyte New Media, our digital marketing agency).

In addition, Take Flyte works with 2 other consultants on our behalf (Alisa Meredith Consulting for our Pinterest account, Mark Collins from OnWebLocal to improve our local SEO). Lastly, we have a smart (and talented) web design guy in David Gardner from Kinopicz. 

It’s good (and important) to participate and guide our digital marketing initiatives (after all it’s over 50% of our marketing budget). However, this digital world is far too complex to ‘go it alone’ and ‘pretend’ we’re an expert in all this stuff.

Simply put, be smart. Get help.

Myth #5 about Digital Marketing for Remodelers – “The Field of Dreams” Myth– If I build it (my web site, blog, videos), they will come (my prospects)

It’s been a while since I’ve watched the movie Field of Dreams. However, it’s not hard to remember the line, ‘build it and then they will come.’

Oh, how I wish this was true with our ‘owned’ digital marketing properties (our ‘owned’ properties are our web site, blogs, videos and email lists). If only I could build a web site and ALL my targeted prospects would immediately flock to it. However, in real life, it doesn’t work that way.

Maybe you’ve resembled this example. You launched your Bee-U-Tee-Full web site and then what did you get? CRICKETS! The leads DID NOT flow in endlessly as you’d hoped.

Sure, your Mom, your Dad and your spouse all loved it. Did you expect anything less?

However, you need qualified prospects (‘er this would be future paying customers) to come to your owned digital properties. You need to create ‘street-cred’ with ‘the big-boy (that’s Mr. Google – hope I’m not being too sexist here) to show up in searches. You need to promote your ‘owned properties’ (web site, blog, videos) to let the right people know they exists. The $10 million question is, how?

While I’ll go into this in more depth in the part 2 of this series in the article, 5 Proven Strategies for Remodelers to Ramp Up Their Digital Marketing Game, here’s 3 tools you need to use (and/or create) to get rolling:

• Tool #1 – Use social media – Find which social networks your prospects ‘hang out’ in. Start spinning out (and paying to promote if you have to) your digital properties (web site, informational blog posts and videos).

• Tool #2 – Start a blog – This is no ‘get rich quick scheme!’ This is, however, a way to get lots of traffic slowly scheme. Answer your customer’s questions by creating informational articles you post on your blog. Develop links from your posts to your web site product and service pages. You’ll become the ‘go-to’ resource. Prospects will start to come to you (from their research) vs. you having to pay to go get them (with pay per click and Facebook ads).

• Tool #3 – Build an email list – How can you stay ‘top of mind’ unless you work to stay ‘top of mind?’ You need to continue to educate and influence your prospects. The perfect way to do it is by scheduling emails. Make them informational, not promotional. Set up your expertise.

Conclusion

I wish I could tell you this digital marketing thang is easy. It’s not. There’s a lot of ‘moving parts.’ There’s a lot to learn.

However, here’s what I can tell you. If you’re willing to learn, willing to use automation, willing to get help and to promote your digital properties (web site, blog, videos etc.) you can (and will) succeed.

Connecting with us

If you’d like to talk more about digital marketing, call 877-467-7488 and ask for Mike or Michelle.

If you’d like to improve your bathroom remodeling or new home offerings with simple to install, sharp-looking tub and shower wall surround panels and become a shower wall panel dealer (hey- I’ve got to plug my business sometime – after all my kids’ education bills need to be paid!) call 877-467-7488 and ask for Mike (or that wacky dude who writes those articles).

I’m looking forward to getting to know you and helping in any way I can.

If you’d like to connect on LinkedIn, you’ll find me https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefoti/

If you’re into Twitter follow me @Mike Foti or my companies’ @InnovateBuild and @InnovateHomeOrg.