I Don't Want To Do Your Marketing: Why Collaborative Marketing Is Required
If you think that signing up with a marketing agency means you are done marketing - you're wrong. You're just plain wrong.
If that's what you're looking for, I don't want to do your marketing.
But! If you're serious about wanting to make more money, if you're serious about wanting what is best for your business, if you're serious about expanding your company and growing and thriving - then we should talk.
Building Your Business Success Requires Collaboration
Footbridge Media has helped contractors improve their businesses for over 20 years. But we haven't done it alone.
Collaboration is key when it comes to marketing.
Long gone are the days when we could launch a website on a Tuesday, it would be indexed overnight, and you'd be live and ranking number one for key terms by Wednesday afternoon.
Collaboration, working together with an expert contractor marketing team, is the only way to get things done now.
Let's spend some time talking about what things your marketing agency should really be on top of versus what things you, on the business end of things, should be taking care of.
What Your Contractor Marketing Agency Should Be Handling
Overall Website Management
So, as far as what your marketing agency should be taking point on, your overall website management should be number one.
It is one of the most popular pieces of digital marketing, and it is an absolute time-suck for most contractors. That includes the design, content creation, ongoing content addition - the core of that heavy lifting should be done by your marketing company.
Organic & Local Search Engine Optimization
Organic and local search engine optimization is another thing that your contractor marketing team should be in charge of. From local citation management to understanding how to create pages that appeal to people and search engines alike is 100% in the realm of what a marketing agency should be doing.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is another thing that some people like to DIY, but that really needs to be done by a professional. Using a pro saves you tons of time and gives you more polished results. Using a marketing service to manage your email newsletters to your clients is still an incredibly cheap way to stay in contact with your entire customer list.
When you've got a decent-sized email list, it can cost you just pennies per customer to maintain top-of-mind awareness and generate recommendations. If you aren't doing it already, email marketing is just one of the many services offered by Footbridge Media - so you should check that out.
Google Ads and Facebook Ads Management
Google Ads and Facebook Ads management is another big potential time and money pit for people who don't have the industry knowledge necessary to make the right decisions. If you're going to experiment, I would recommend starting with Google Local Service Ads. LSAs can really work well for some contractors - that's a program that is really meant to be managed from the ground, by contractors directly.
Otherwise, with Google Ads and Facebook Ads - you can blow through a big ad budget quickly if you're not tweaking and optimizing your ad placement or audience details.
A Marketing Plan - Processes & Structure For Your Business
And finally, when you work with a marketing agency, you should get a plan to follow. A structure. Processes for success. For Footbridge Media clients, for example, our marketing consultants educate their contractors on using our review management system, how to contribute their recent work images and project content, and how to format business standards for referral programs.
Often, contractors are experts at their craft but not at business management, so having a team that can help to do some education and bridge that skills gap helps make sure no one is wasting their time.
What Your Construction Or Home Services Business Should Take Care Of
Initial Marketing Time Investment
As we talked about above, your marketing company should take care of the heavy lifting when it comes to a lot of implementation. But that doesn't mean they don't need your help in the information and resource-gathering phases.
You still need to make an initial marketing time investment, even when you're working with a marketing agency. That could look like…
- Onboarding calls so that everyone is on the same page regarding your design preferences and the voice of your website
- Obtaining and sharing Google Business Profile access so that updates can be made and management services can be rendered
- Sharing email lists and customer lists so that your marketing messages can go out to the right people and your most recent customers
- Providing feedback to help shape the priorities of paid advertising campaigns
Timely Sales & Customer Communication
Timely sales and customer communication is a commonly dropped ball. All the marketing efforts and advertising dollars in the world mean nothing if you don't answer customer phone calls or fail to return email or text messages in a timely manner. And by timely manner, we mean as close to immediately as possible.
Local Networking & Making Local Connections
Whether your marketing team is local to your town or remote, it doesn't matter. Local networking and making local connections will always fall on the business owners and key company players for your business.
Finding work for your business isn't just done online - fostering human relationships with other contractors, real estate agents, and small businesses in your community can lead to substantial, repeat work opportunities.
Your marketing, in this instance, helps to support your business when someone looks you up - but it still comes down to your interpersonal skills in making those connections to people.
Defining Your Business Goals
While a marketing agency can help point you in the right direction and influence you, defining your business goals is done by the business.
Business goal development takes into account the marketing, operations, and financial situations of your company in combination.
Make sure you're developing goals that are realistic for what you can do but also optimistic so that you can push yourself to strive for something better.
Feeding Your Marketing Machine
And while a marketing agency's job is to help with the format, structure, and processes of your business - it is your job to feed your marketing machine.
Use the structures you now have in place to better yourself and your business opportunities.
That can look like properly utilizing your review management system, keeping your website fresh with recent project photos, and using the right customer service and marketing tactics to grow your referral and repeat business.
About The Whole "I Don't Want To Do Your Marketing" Thing
So, about what I said earlier.
It's not exactly that "I Don't Want To Do Your Marketing"... it's that "I don't want to do your marketing alone."
We've seen from our 20+ years of experience here that those businesses that work with us and collaborate yield the best results.
You don't have to do it all, but you do have to contribute where it is important to give your business the best shot at success.
If you need a marketing partner in your corner, the pros at Footbridge Media are here to help. Learn more about how we help contractors with the marketing needs.
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.
