Top 15 Branding and Marketing Tips for Home Service Businesses

Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing (SMM) is the use of social media networks, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, TikTok and Twitter, to interact and connect with your audience to build brand awareness, drive traffic to your website to hopefully increase sales. Did you know that in 2021, there were over 4.26 billion people using social media? People use social media for interacting with their friends and family, to follow their favourite brands, and also for research and inspiration. Social media marketing should be part of your overall marketing strategy. Your home service business can build relationships with followers when you interact with them on posts, make comments or respond to questions.  Post things like great pictures of your work, such as before and after reveals and customer testimonials or inspirational quotes that are relevant to your business and industry that appeal to your target audience.

Google Business Profile

As soon as your website is launched, make sure you setup a Google Business Profile which is a free platform where you can list key information about your business on Google Search and Google Maps! Having a thorough Google Business Profile is a great way to boost your website rankings and get you on the map in your local area.  You can add contact information, business hours, your company’s branding and photos, service information and post updates. Not only that but your clients can provide a star rating reviews which helps build trust.

Engage with Nextdoor

Nextdoor is another great local business social media platform where people can connect with their neighbours, post items for sale, ask for recommendations for different service professionals!  You can setup a personal and business listing and post updates and engage with others in your community! I’ts free so why not?

Direct and Unaddressed Mail

Another tried and true marketing tactic we endorse for home service companies is direct mail and Neighbourhood Mail through Canada Post. Anyone that says traditional mail for marketing campaigns is dead, is simply not doing it right or they are not looking at the data. At least in our experience, flyers and postcards can be highly effective. Although response and closing rates can be low (less than 1%) – we have had some very successful campaigns clock in at almost 10%. It all depends on the lure of the graphic design and the strength of the offer. You also need to consider the potential pay-off. If your average job or product sale nets you only $100 in profit, this may not be the right tactic for you. But, if your profit per customer comes in at several hundred or potentially thousands of dollars, the ROI is definitely worth your while. Just remember to build in a tracking mechanism for responses so you can decipher what works for your business and what doesn’t.

Billboards

If you are a business offering a unique service offering that someone wouldn’t search for online, since they don’t know it exists, then billboards are effective ways to get the word out and build brand awareness.  Billboards are a bit pricey but they can be very effective for medium to larger size businesses.  Most billboards are placed in busy traffic areas and attract a lot more impressions and views when compared to other marketing tactics. Well designed billboards with a clear simple message are a must since people are driving past it, so they need to be able to read and understand the offer. Note that outdoor advertising such as billboards and transit ads are harder to track customer engagement and action, unlike search engine marketing but should still be considered as a good tactic when developing a fully integrated marketing plan.

Vehicle Wrap

Vehicle wraps are another great form of outdoor advertising especially for home service businesses who are driving around town, think of it as a moving billboard!  The great thing about vehicle wraps is that its one upfront fixed cost and constant exposure. What a great way to build your brand to a broad audience.

       

Door Hangers

From a local reach perspective, door hangers are a very effective forms of direct marketing to build your brand and generate leads in a specific neighbourhood. Homeowners will definitely notice them, unlike flyers in the mail.  Door hangers work very well for home service businesses that are ongoing service offerings and seasonal such as lawncare, landscaping, tree care and home maintenance. Definitely another tactic to include in your integrated marketing plan.

Lawn Signs

If delivering door hangers is too much work for you and your team, then placing a lawn sign on the properties your company is servicing is another great marketing tactic. Signs are a bit more expensive to print, but are highly effective for home service businesses such as home renovation, painters, lawncare, windows and door companies. Lawn signs will increase brand awareness to those that drive by the home. If your client is happy with the service you provided and allows you to place a lawn sign on their front lawn, there is a very good chance you will get calls from other interested homeowners in the area that might need the same service. Lawn signs attract attention and should be added to your marketing strategy.

Radio Advertisements

Looking at more traditional advertising and marketing strategies, we still feel there are legitimate opportunities to pursue, specifically for home service businesses. Radio ads, if done correctly and are used to promote specific offers or contests, can be highly effective with a broad reach. This is especially true when they run on a.m. news and talk radio stations. Listeners tune into these stations for informational purposes and are typically homeowners in the 35-55 age range. That’s the perfect target market for most home service businesses. Getting your company name and tagline out to thousands of local consumers on a repetitive basis can also work wonders for brand awareness and recognition. Just make sure the ad copy is catchy and memorable so you get your money’s worth.

Customer Service

This has to be the most important ingredient to launching and maintaining a successful home service business. Not only do we work with home service businesses with our marketing and graphic design agency, but we are also consumers that have personal experiences – giving us a wealth of useful information. Crafting an awesome marketing campaign that draws in hundreds of new leads is great, but not having the right complement of staff to effectively service these leads is a disaster. Make sure you anticipate the increase in calls that a direct mail, search engine marketing or radio campaign can generate, and be ready to quickly and effectively service these new prospects.

Many home service businesses seem to fall into the “fat cat” syndrome. When business is going well, they are busy and may not return calls or follow up on quotes they provided. However, just because business is presently booming, things could change dramatically next month. Nothing spreads quicker than bad word of mouth – especially with the power, speed and ease of social media. All it takes is a few unsatisfied prospects to tell a few friends or family members about your crappy customer service or start posting negative comments online.

Customer Reviews

Conversely, a strong and positive customer testimonial is priceless. Encourage customers that are happy with your products or services to go online and provide a review. Or collect client testimonials to add to your website. While people may not generally wholeheartedly believe what companies have to say about themselves, they certainly listen to their peers. So don’t miss out on the opportunity to ensure a positive brand experience for both current customers and potential new ones.

Customer Appreciation

Another small touch that can have a big impact is a simple “thank you”. Whether that is through a thank you card, an email or even a special offer for existing clients, people like to feel appreciated and valued. Take the time to personally thank your client for trusting you with their home. This speaks volumes.