5 Things You'll Find on Every Successful Contractor Website
Your website is your 24/7 salesperson. It never eats, it never sleeps; it is always there to represent you and your business, but is it doing a good enough job? Users on the web are constantly inundated with advertising. They know when they are being sold and their guards are up because of it.
So how can you cut through what your competitors have to say and fight to earn yourself a new customer. Let's talk about 5 things you'll find on every successful website and what you can do to make sure your website is doing its best.
A Clear Path to Follow
There are two important things to understand about your customer and your business interaction online:
- Know what the customer wants from you.
- Know what you want from your customer.
If a customer is coming to your website, they either have an immediate need for service or they are starting basic research, to learn more about the process of completing their project. If a customer is coming to your website, you want to capture the lead so that you can follow up with them and close the sale.
With these things in mind, you can lay out the trail of breadcrumbs – so to speak. By establishing a path filled with the information your client needs and ending with your sales pitch or call to action, your potential customer will be rewarded with the content they desire while still achieving your end. Your pages should provide good quality resource material to educate the customer, and it should close with a way for the potential client to use your services to get the job done.
A Strong Call to Action
Your website needs a pitch. If a user finds your website, they need to be reassured that you can help with their specific concerns. "Asking for the sale" is an oldie, but a goodie – and it still works. If you are in the service industry, your client likely has a repair or installation need – so have a clear call to action to address those needs. If you are in the remodeling side of things, the client may not be immediately itching to buy, so offer a consultation or a way to get more industry appropriate information to assist their decision-making process. No matter what, be direct and clear with your call to action message.
The Right Pictures
Your pictures need to accurately represent you, your staff, and your business. Stock photography does not do that well. Stock photography is a crutch to get you going – and should serve as a placeholder for your own content. Considering that your website is about what you do and where you do your daily work – and considering that you very likely own a smartphone – there is no excuse for have zero pictures of your work anymore.
Feel like you don't have any good ideas for what to snap a picture of? Or don't feel comfortable behind the camera? Here are some resources to get you started off:
- Project Photos That Should NEVER Be Used
- Taking Pictures of Your Work - Capitalizing on Contracting Jobs
- The Handy Guide to the Contractor Selfie
A Unique Personality
This one is less tangible but it still easy to explain. Your website needs to be very... you. In its most basic form, all marketing tells a story. How you tell your story – the voice you use to tell that story – is important in differentiating you from the rest of the field.
The branding of your company has a lot to do with your developing your website and marketing personality. How you present yourself, your images, and your content determines your marketing's personality.
A Reason to Choose Your Business
Your business needs a mission statement of sorts. A specific reason for someone to select your company from all of the others. Sometimes it is called features & benefits, but in the end your business needs a Unique Selling Proposition. It's more than just what you do, it's how you do it. If people talk about your business with friends or family, it's what they are REALLY talking about. The reason why someone should choose your business is the "big picture" of what you and your company represent. With enough training, anyone can clear a clogged condensate line, re-wiring a house, or patch a roof. You've likely yourself hired a company to do work – and they could have done decent quality work – but you don't remember their name. Find a way to express to your potential client why you are different, why you aren't a vendor of services, why you and your business stands for quality.
About Chris Lonergan
Chris Lonergan has over 12 years of contractor marketing experience with Footbridge Media. With a background in web design, print design, content creation, and online marketing, Chris is focused on providing quality marketing and business solutions in the construction and service industries - helping small business owners to more efficiently manage their companies and grow their operations.
Chris Lonergan has previously contributed to and/or been featured in PM Magazine (Plumbing & Mechanical | Contractors x Engineers), theNEWS (ACHR - Air Conditioning | Heating | Refrigeration), Service Roundtable's blog, inPAINT Magazine, the SMB Marketing Agency Show, and the Green Industry Podcast. Chris is also a past SGI/CertainPath breakout session presenter.
