Home improvement may be one of the most difficult realms in which to define a specific target audience for, let alone reach it. The problem is that, for individual home improvement businesses, home improvement is a sector, not a target. Lead generation for home improvement services should target specific homeowners – not all homeowners.
Targets are finite. Sectors are broad. They contain many targets. Targets can be hit by a single shot. Sectors require an all-out attack – sometimes many of them. If a small home improvement business tries to target all homeowners, the business owner is going to get very tired, if not frustrated. It’s one thing to let homeowners know that your business exists. It’s quite another to pursue a target audience.
Think Like a Doctor
It’s hard to find a general practitioner today. It seems that every doctor now has a specialty, including internal medicine. If you have muscular-skeletal problems, you see an orthopedist. If you have thyroid problems, you see an endocrinologist. If you have heart problems, you see a cardiologist. If you have dementia, you have no idea who you are seeing.
Doctors advertise the specialties that they practice. Home improvement business should practice advertising their individual areas of expertise.
Reduce the Size of the Target
Near the end of World War II, the island of Okinawa became a strategic target for the Allies. Taking that target cost tens of thousands more lives on both sides than either had intended. The next target was Japan itself, the main island of which was much larger than Okinawa. Neither side wanted to fathom what would be proportionate losses that were certain in a conventional attack. The solution was to select a much smaller target. Putting aside the realities, the lesson learned is that reducing the size of the target was far less costly and far more effective.
Ways to Target for Better Lead Generation
Online. The key is to maximize your SEO and keywords to attract the reduced target. Here are three ways to effectively do that.
- Make your keywords specific to your specialty.
- Create content that answers target customer questions. Many consumer searches begin with, “How do I?” Make a list of the possible questions that may be asked about your specialty, then include those questions as titles of posts on your website. It’s not necessary to explain everything. Offer a few tips, but, where appropriate, suggest calling a professional. That would be you.
- Use your city or zip code in your keyword phrases.
Offline. (Or as people over the age of 40 call it, “the old-fashioned way.)” Here are a couple of ideas.
- If you do exterior repairs, drive through local neighborhoods and look for obvious work that needs to be done. Don’t pass out flyers to every home.
- Create handouts or packets that specifically address the visible issues that need your expertise.
- Try to speak directly to the homeowner, if possible.
- Hang your material on the front door handle. Do NOT put it in the mailbox. It will be discarded as junk mail.
- Follow up.
- “Deputize” current customers.
- Take advantage of Keyword Connects.
Our business is finding targets, converting them to qualified leads, exclusively for your home improvement business.
Our objective is not to be a substitute for lead generation. It is to enhance your efforts. We generate leads for with you by coming alongside and helping to do part of the job.
Our purpose is to make your lead generation load lighter so that you can focus on your area of home improvement expertise. Contact us today and find out why we have so many satisfied customers.
