5 Ways a Contractor Company Can Beat the Holiday Marketing Rush

Typically, when I see stores decorating for Christmas in September, I'm conflicted. As a super fan of fall holidays, my mind screams, "let Halloween and Thanksgiving have their moments!" On the flip side, the marketer in me acknowledges their wisdom in preparation. This year, my internal struggle seems lessened as the marketing half of my brain quickly wins the debate – it's time to start preparing for Q4, which includes holiday marketing.

If you're also considering how to tackle the rest of the year, here are 5 ways to market your contracting business like a major retailer.

1) Clean Your Customer Lists (And Check Them Twice!)

You should be talking with your customers (former and current) on a regular basis. Like we've said before, customer retention saves you money – so it makes sense to stay in contact with your entire contact base.

Use the last few weeks of Q3 to ensure your list is still valuable, especially if you are in a home improvement industry that tends to struggle during the colder months. If you're not sure where to start ask yourself this, Have you collected that information in an easily sortable way?

If your list is not currently segmented, start your cleaning project here. For example, you can group contacts by neighborhood, or by last service date. Think of what's important to your company when creating offers and use that criteria as a guide for grouping.

Ensuring list integrity is important – when you communicate more frequently with your customer base, you know when people move or when their needs change. If your contact list is gathering dust, you'll likely waste some of your marketing efforts via attrition.

By spending time organizing your mailing list, your messages are more likely to generate results.

2) Custom Greeting Cards Make an Impression

Holiday postcards and greeting cards are simple ways to win the attention of clients. Instead of generic cards from big box stores, consider branded thank you cards and/or on-brand holiday cards.

It sounds like a hefty investment, but you'd be surprised how little custom greeting cards can cost. For example, you could get 2500 greeting cards and envelopes (including design and shipping to your office) for $550 or $0.22 per piece. While snail mail may include more steps, the personal touch of a signed and stamped card will delight many.

Pro tip – if you order early enough, you can start signing and stuffing a few cards a day now and have them ready to mail by the the end of November.

3) Plan Your Holiday Specials Now

Don't wait until the last minute to think about your holiday promotions. By working ahead, you can craft a cohesive, effective marketing plan – with your direct mail, social media, and website graphics all delivering the same message.

Plumbers know that they need maximum top-of-mind awareness in time for Thanksgiving – so plan your EDDM cards accordingly. HVACs know that heating tune-up cards should be going out early-to-mid Fall. Try to fill your calendar early and generate a longer busy season.

You could even create some sales with a "Black Friday" home services promotion, regardless of your industry.

4) Consider How You Will Portray Your Company During the Holidays

While most of you don't have a storefront window that you can decorate for the holiday season, it is still important to take some time to plan how you will portray your business during the holidays.

What does holiday spirit mean to your brand? People love working with someone they feel they know. This is an easy time of year to show off your company's culture. While this year may be different when it comes to office parties, that doesn't mean you can't share memories of years past! Or you could have employees send in pictures of how they've decorated their at-home work space. Give your customers a peek into how you celebrate! Using social media, email newsletters, and website updates can be great ways to share that content.

You can also update your website's banner images or your social media profiles and covers with holiday-centric imagery for the winter if you wish. For best results, think about what you share and what it says about your company to your public.

5) Join in the Spirit of Giving

T'is the season for giving! The holidays are a season where many share their time and resources to help others who are not as fortunate. Doing good deeds helps fellow members of your community; but as a bonus you'll be getting your company's name associated with good works and you can even earn some extra business out of it.

There are a variety of ways to give back to the community without writing a check. You can have employees provide volunteer work on a specific day while on the clock with you – be it a soup kitchen, a food bank, or any other local charitable events.

By partnering with a non-profit organization, you can tie donations to activity with your organization. We've previously talked about how a plumbing company utilized social media and joined forces with a non-profit partnership. Through their social media campaign, they were able to raise $1500 for a local animal shelter. In the process, the plumbing company's costs were $120 in Facebook ads to promote the good cause in addition to the $1500 they donated to the animal shelter – but the social media campaign yielded them over 1500 new Facebook likes and over $3000 in revenue from leads directly related to the exposure from the campaign.

Getting Ready for Holiday Marketing Begins Yesterday

Your company is always fighting the calendar and the ticking clock. Don't be frozen by the pressure. By preparing for your holiday marketing now, you position yourself to get the job done effectively. Don't let poor planning and last minute emergencies force you to miss a good opportunity to communicate with your clients and create additional chances to promote your company and earn more jobs. Talk to your marketing consultant about what's on your wish list.

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Since 2004, Footbridge Media has worked exclusively with contractors just like you to help them achieve their goals. Your success is our business.