How Waiting For Marketing Is Killing Your Business
Everyone wants to make it to the top of the mountain. We love to dream big and aim for the stars. Businesses are started up every day because people want better for themselves and their families.
And that’s great - but only if you’re going to do something about it.
Too often, people get stuck in specific phases of the business cycle. When it comes to building a business, waiting for contractor marketing or waiting to make a move can be a killer.
Let’s talk about what you can actively do to make sure you’re not stuck waiting around for something to happen to grow your business.
Common Reasons Why People Wait To Develop Business
Cold hard cash is a popular reason why people wait to do something to build and develop their business. While you definitely need capital to start a business - to get marketing rolling and to get your products, service training, and supplies in line - make sure you are being practical and not using cash as an excuse to do nothing at all.
Planning and preparation are great - but don’t prepare and plan to death. Set goals and have a solid framework, but ultimately, you need to move toward your goal to start getting there. Plans are meant to change, grow, and evolve over time - so make active business development a priority in your plan and allow yourself the chance to revise and update your plan as you go.
Perhaps the most common reason that many business owners/operators don’t make changes is a combination of inexperience and fear. Those feelings can be scary, even to the toughest and burliest of contractors, and that’s okay. Don’t let fear freeze you - let it be a motivator.
Fortune Favors The Bold: First Mover Advantage
The business term is “first mover advantage,” - which is just a fancy way to say the first person to act is better off than the next to try.
So, taking the first step in your business development plans quickly and thoughtfully is key. You don’t want to jump without any planning whatsoever, because that can lead to your first step being tripping over your own two feet and landing on your face.
Planning is great, but don’t let it lead to paralysis. Take aim at your business target and move swiftly to take advantage of the opportunities ahead.
The Trouble With Waiting For Marketing To Work
Marketing takes time to work. The longer you wait, the less benefit you get from the value of the time you have.
Websites are a great example of this. A newly launched website will not immediately outrank competing business websites that have been established in the marketplace for longer.
I’ve talked to many a contractor who launched their website on a Tuesday and then called on Wednesday to ask why they haven’t received any phone calls yet.
Search engine results pages don’t have that much day-to-day volatility; SEO and website visibility gains come over time. So, the longer you wait to start, the longer you wait to catch up and outpace the competition.
The same is true with any virtually marketing effort you do. Whether it is your website or trying your hand at recording video for your marketing or contributing project posts – the longer you take to start, the longer you’ll want to get results and feedback.
The Takeaway - Start Your First Steps Now
Dream big, work practically.
Here are some concrete steps you can take - Things you can do right now to proactively take steps to build your business success.
Launch Your Website Yesterday
The best time to launch your website was yesterday. If you don’t have a website presence - specifically one that has organic and local search engine optimization built-in - you need to start with that first and foremost. If you can at all swing it, avoid the temptation to use DIY web builders or web pages that don’t have SEO value.
Take More Pictures Of Your Work Even If You’re Bad At It
The only way to develop your phone photography skills is to work at it. Your first project post picture may be rough, but they are absolutely better than zero pictures. Just like any other muscle, keep working on your photo-taking skills, and with practice and a few pointers, your work photos will look better and better as you progress.
Ask For Reviews Even If It's Hard To Talk To People
Will you stumble over your words or flub a line or two? Sure, that can (and perhaps will) happen from time to time. But does that mean you shouldn’t try to improve your business and spread the good word about your company? Of course not! The more you ask, the easier it will become.
You can also pair your “ask for the review” script with our automated review management system to maximize your efforts while reducing how much you need to manually follow up with customers.
Beat The Street For Extra Eyeballs
Finishing a job doesn’t mean you’re done with that house. Maximize your local impact by walking up and down the blog with door hangers or flyers for the neighborhood. Yard signs can also help to extend your visibility on the block beyond your original stay.
Try Something New To Expand Your Marketing Reach
Push yourself out of your comfort zone and into unfamiliar territory. By doing something new with your marketing - be it recording video marketing content, starting email marketing, or posting on social media - you can expand your marketing reach in a new way. Maybe you’ll find the next best thing to help introduce new customers to your business.
Consider Paid Ads To Shortcut Traditional Marketing
If you’re short on time but have some operating cash for your business, paid ads on Google and Facebook can be a great way to shortcut the timeline of traditional marketing.
Instead of paying with days, weeks, and months, you’ll be paying with hard-earned cash to make up the difference. If it works for your business and your cost per client, then by all means, it should be part of your business operations.
Climbing To The Top Of The Mountain Requires A Solid First Step
In short, you’ve got to grind and work at your business to make it work for you.
Hiring a contractor marketing agency like Footbridge Media certainly helps in providing the tools and tactics to simplify your part in the marketing process – but they aren’t a replacement for your own effort.
The clients that perform the best with Footbridge Media are the ones that listen and actively contribute to collaborate in their own business success.
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.
