{"id":533,"date":"2019-08-20T14:01:51","date_gmt":"2019-08-20T18:01:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovatebuildingsolutions.com\/dealers\/?p=533"},"modified":"2019-08-29T14:07:59","modified_gmt":"2019-08-29T18:07:59","slug":"5-myths-digital-marketing-remodeling-contractor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/innovatebuildingsolutions.com\/dealers\/2019\/08\/5-myths-digital-marketing-remodeling-contractor\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Myths You Need to Blow Up to Take Your Digital Marketing Game to the Next Level (Part 1 of a 2 Part Series)"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re a remodeling contractor and are overwhelmed by digital marketing, you\u2019re 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 \u2018content\u2019 (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?<\/p>

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\u2019s what part 1 of this series is about). \u00a0<\/strong>After you get past the myths, then you\u2019ll need strategies to get your digital marketing into high gear (dig into part 2 of this series to get your arms around that question).<\/p>

Let\u2019s first look at the 5 myths.

\"\"<\/a><\/p>

Myth #1 about Digital Marketing for Remodelers \u2013 I\u2019m too old to learn digital marketing. That stuff\u2019s for Millennials <\/strong><\/h2>

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.<\/p>

Here\u2019s my reality. I\u2019m 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 \u2018old\u2019 in digital marketing year\u2019s (I\u2019m not hardly a Millennial), that hasn\u2019t stopped me from learning, growing and teaching digital.<\/p>

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.<\/p>

Does this make me a genius? No frickin\u2019 way! As a matter of fact, you\u2019re reading an article from a guy who went with his wife to see the movie Dumb and Dumber<\/em> \u2026.at the wrong theater! I don\u2019t think a genius would do that \u2013 ha! Ha!<\/p>

However, I do have 1 skill and 1 secret weapon. I\u2019ll promise to reveal them to you\u2026if you can keep a secret. Shhh\u2026. now listen up.<\/p>

The 1 key skill is I learn like a maniac. I believe in the following Mahatma Gandhi saying:<\/p>

\u00a0 \u201cLive as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.\u201d <\/em><\/p>

I bet you also want to know my secret weapon. It\u2019s the team I work with. It\u2019s Michelle. She\u2019s my Marketing Manager. OK \u2013 I will fess up she is a Millennial! And it\u2019s John (our Digital Marketing Consultant). OK \u2013 he\u2019s a Millennial also. Simply put my secret weapon is an excellent team of people who work together to achieve results.<\/p>

Learning and growing is not a DIY experience.

\"Need<\/p>

Here\u2019s the bottom line. You\u2019re only too old to learn digital marketing if you\u2019re unwilling to take the time to learn it. With marketing results becoming sooooo dependent on digital, can you afford not to learn it?<\/p>

Myth #2 about Digital Marketing for Remodelers \u2013 It\u2019s all about getting leads today for Free Estimates and Free Design Consultations <\/strong><\/h2>

I love getting leads in my in-box for Free Estimates and Design Consultations. That\u2019s a \u2018pay-dirt\u2019 marketing moment.<\/p>

However, there\u2019s a problem if your website and social media posts only focus on getting an appointment with some right now<\/em> who needs a kitchen or bathroom remodeled. Here\u2019s what it is\u2026.<\/p>

98% of the people searching the Internet for remodeling are only in the research and design phase. They aren\u2019t ready to buy today. <\/em>They aren\u2019t ready to schedule a free in-home estimate or design consultation.<\/p>

For these people if the only \u2018call to action\u2019 (\u2018er this would be a button or phone number on your site to influence them to take some action) is to \u2018call now,\u2019 they\u2019re not likely to do it.

\"Lead<\/p>

They will leave your site. They may never come back. Basically, you just wasted the $5 to $10 on the \u2018click\u2019 to get them to your site.<\/p>

So, you may be wondering how can you keep \u2018top of mind\u2019 with people researching and designing so WHEN THEY ARE READY for a design consultation they\u2019ll think of (and call) you first?<\/p>

The best way is to add informational \u2018lead magnets.\u2019 Don\u2019t 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. \u00a0<\/p>

You use their email address to provide more free information and advice and set up your expertise.<\/p>

When they\u2019re ready for the free estimate or design consultation you never guess whose business they\u2019re going to remember? \u2018Er, that would be yours!<\/p>

Myth #3 about Digital Marketing for Remodelers \u2013 I\u2019ll have to slave away at my computer 24\/7 to do this digital thing. I don\u2019t have enough time! <\/strong><\/h2>

You\u2019ve got more than your fair share to do working your \u2018day-job.\u2019 Sales calls to run. Materials to order. Jobs to manage. People (to try) to hire. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

How can you find time to \u2018play around\u2019 on Facebook, Twitter, Houzz and LinkedIn promoting your products, your articles and jobs you\u2019ve completed?

\"Social<\/p>

I would contend you do have the time\u2026. IF (and only if) you embrace one big word. That word is\u2026<\/p>

AUTOMATION<\/strong><\/h3>

Smart digital marketers (whether they\u2019re 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\u2019ve got. THE way to do this time-effectively is with automation tools (think of these as digital power tools).<\/p>

For example, Michelle at our company uses tools like Meet Edgar<\/a>, Tailwind<\/a> and Buffer<\/a> 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?<\/p>

Effective digital marketing requires digital marketing power tools (i.e. automated scheduling programs). \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

Myth #4 about Digital Marketing for Remodelers \u2013 You think you can DIY ALL your digital marketing <\/strong><\/h2>

I like to call myself a D.M.G. (a D<\/strong>igital M<\/strong>arketing G<\/strong>eek), and I\u2019m sure there may be a few people who call me some less-flattering names behind my back!<\/p>

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 \u2013 ha! Ha! And I do this digital marketing geeks stuff AND my day job (leading a local remodeling and nationwide bathroom products<\/a> wholesale business).<\/p>

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\u2019ve got Michelle (my Marketing Manager) and John (from Flyte New Media<\/a>, our digital marketing agency).

\"\"<\/a><\/p>

In addition, Take Flyte works with 2 other consultants on our behalf (Alisa Meredith Consulting<\/a> for our Pinterest account, Mark Collins from OnWebLocal<\/a> to improve our local SEO). Lastly, we have a smart (and talented) web design guy in David Gardner from Kinopicz<\/a>.\u00a0

\"Needing<\/p>

It\u2019s good (and important) to participate and guide our digital marketing initiatives (after all it\u2019s over 50% of our marketing budget). However, this digital world is far too complex to \u2018go it alone\u2019 and \u2018pretend\u2019 we\u2019re an expert in all this stuff.<\/p>

Simply put, be smart. Get help.<\/p>

Myth #5 about Digital Marketing for Remodelers \u2013 \u201cThe Field of Dreams\u201d <\/em>Myth– <\/em>If I build it (my web site, blog, videos), they will come (my prospects) <\/em><\/strong><\/h2>

It\u2019s been a while since I\u2019ve watched the movie Field of Dreams. <\/em>However, it\u2019s not hard to remember the line, \u2018build it and then they will come.\u2019 <\/em><\/p>

Oh, how I wish this was true with our \u2018owned\u2019 digital marketing properties (our \u2018owned\u2019 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\u2019t work that way.<\/p>

Maybe you\u2019ve 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\u2019d hoped.<\/p>

Sure, your Mom, your Dad and your spouse all loved it. Did you expect anything less?<\/p>

However, you need qualified prospects (\u2018er this would be future paying customers) to come to your owned digital properties. You need to create \u2018street-cred\u2019 with \u2018the big-boy (that\u2019s Mr. Google \u2013 hope I\u2019m not being too sexist here) to show up in searches. You need to promote your \u2018owned properties\u2019 (web site, blog, videos) to let the right people know they exists. The $10 million question is, how?<\/p>

While I\u2019ll 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, <\/em>here\u2019s 3 tools you need to use (and\/or create) to get rolling:<\/p>