Changes in Marketing Technology

Just like contracting and construction itself, I think we can all agree that marketing technology has changed a lot over time. Think of all the various platforms businesses have used to promote themselves through history—

• City Forums
• City Gates
• Storefronts
• Carrier Pigeons
• Telegrams
• Newspaper Ads
• Radio Ads
• Direct Mail
• Brochures

Now, take all those mediums and think about the change that has taken place over the last ten years. From the beginning of the twenty-first century until now, each of those different aspects of marketing has been moved onto the Internet. For example… Instead of:

• Networking events like the city gate or the marketplace, we have social media.
• A storefront, we now display a website.
• The telegram, we have instant messaging on our phones.
• The newspaper, we write our news on blogs or have our own newspaper right on our websites.
• Yellow pages and directories, we have online directories employing search engines to find the information we need at lightning speed.
• Direct mail, we use email.
• Radio, we now listen to podcasts. There’s a mass movement of people switching from radio to podcasts in their cars.
• Billboards displaying ads to everyone, we target the exact people we want to see our ads.

With internet marketing, all the historic mediums for marketing your business are now available at your fingertips.

Marketing Principles Haven’t Changed

While the technology for marketing is constantly morphing and developing, the principles of marketing do not change. Build Trust. Build a Relationship. Tell the Truth. Sell your Work. However, you do not grow a twenty-first century business on the last century’s technology. You need to keep up with the changes that are taking place today.

What Does This Mean for Contractors in 2018?

Simply put, it means if you haven’t already…Get Online! Having an online presence is one of the pre-requisites for building trust in today’s business economy.

Your potential clients will be confused, frustrated, and suspicious if they cannot find you after a quick Google search; people today want to be in control of their own research—reading reviews, evaluating your online content, seeing photos of past work—each of these things are crucial to establishing a relationship between yourself and your potential customer. None can be accomplished without some type of online presence.

The BASICS of an Online Presence:

• Website
• Google Business Page
• Social Media Account

Any of these platforms gives searching potential customers something to research, learn from, and make a decision based on information provided. Make sure that your information online is accurate, trustworthy, and easy to understand.

Learn 5 Reasons To Build Your Online Presence Here

Marketing with Today’s Technology

Direct mail, telephone ads, advertisements in the Yellow Pages—those methods of advertising are seldom effective in today’s internet-centric society.

Today, it’s:

1. Ads on Facebook, Google, Instagram, Twitter, etc that will get seen by your potential customers.
2. Blog posts, providing value to your future clients.
3. YouTube videos of Do-It-Yourself Projects, helping your target audience solve their own problems until they need your help in the future.
4. A high quality Instagram feed full of high quality photos that whets their appetite for a sparkling kitchen remodel of their own.
5. The ability to send direct messages on any social media to answer any questions your future customers have about your business.

No Excuses

Today’s marketing technology is fast. It’s accessible on any smartphone and any computer. There’s no excuse to not be using it to the advantage of your contracting company in some way. Just because it’s fast and accessible, doesn’t mean that marketing is always easy.

Of course, it’s not.

Successful online marketing requires planning, studying algorithms and target audiences, and taking time to edit photos, write up text, and respond to messages.

Summary

If you already have an online presence and developed marketing technology to fit today’s economy—kudos to you. Take this blog post as a pat on the back and an inspiration to keep up the good work.

If you’re a contractor in 2018 with no significant online presence, take this blog post as a push in the right direction. Join the crowd of fellow contractors using the internet and modern technology to advance their businesses and get in front of their target audiences! Your company will thank you!

*****

Thank you for joining me today. If you have any further questions or comments, please join the conversation in the comments below.

*****

Follow me on Instagram for behind-the-scenes stuff. And if you want to go deeper with marketing your business, you may get a free copy of my new book, Contractor Marketing Simplified.

The post Contractors, Get Online Now! appeared first on Martin Holsinger.

Here are my 7 Email Marketing Tips that will get you awesome results immediately:

1. Captivating Subject Line

   Pay attention to your e-mail’s subject line and preview. About 69% of e-mail readers will decide whether to open your e-mail or delete it based on what is written in your subject line and the little email preview. The subject line should clearly summarize the e-mails content, making the reader want to know more and therefore open the e-mail.
   
   

2. Recognizable Name

   Always make sure to keep your sender name visible and easily recognizable. Avoid having your e-mail look like it was sent from a giant automated machine. The goal is to make your customers recognize your name so that they know who the e-mail is from. The more the reader trusts your company name the more likely they will open your e-mail.
   
   

3. Simple and Scannable

   Keep your emails easy to read and scannable. Colorful images can be very useful for enhancing the look and feel of your marketing emails, but alwaysmake sure your emails are easy to read even without the images. Never put images that must be downloaded from the web. Because most of your readers will be using their mobile device. Plus no one wants to click to see an image.
   
   

4. Stop All SPAM

   Ensure a high delivery rate by never sending spam. To do so you musttake precautions so that you do not end up labeled as a spammer. Always send emails within the expectations of your audience and you should be fine. 
   Also, avoid the common spam indicators in your headings and subject lines. (Such as the words “free”, “$$$$” and “You have won!!!!!”)
   
   

5. Personalize

   If possible, personalize your emails. There is mail merging software that allows you to place the customer’s name into a mass generated e-mail. Research shows that seeing their name in an e-mail creates a feeling of knowing and trust in the customer, which increases the chance that they will open the e-mail.
   
   

6. Automate

   Use an automated email marketing tool. Most have a free entry point, but any cost associated with these tools will be well worth what you get in return. I use Mailchimp.com 
   
   It is almost impossible to operate much of an email marketing campaign without these tools. Plus, you can track your results much better as well.
   
   

7. Be Real & Authentic

   Make your e-mail content more personal. People like to connect with the people behind the businesses they use. If you can develop a personal relationship with your clients then odds are you will receive their trust, loyalty and repeat business. 
   
   No one wants to read a computer generated e-mail, so put a little personality into it. Talk about your business’s goals, employees, and other personal stuff. Add in content about your family, hobbies and passions if you want to. Develop a connection with your customers through your e-mail marketing campaign.

There you have it.
My 7 Email Marketing Tips in 2015 That Always Gets Results. Now it’s time for you to go and put these best practices to work for you.

3 FAST & EASY Ways To Respond:

• Share this post. I publish an article like this every Monday. Let others know about them.
• Confused about this? Ask a question in the comments below.
• If you’re not on my list you should be! I publish how-to articles and videos like this on a regular basis. Get signed up in the box below…

Thanks,
Martin

The post 7 Email Marketing Tips That Always Gets Results appeared first on Martin Holsinger.