As construction professionals, you don’t need us to explain to you how and why construction slows down in the winter, especially here in the Midwest. You know all about the roadblocks the cold weather presents, but we often hear from our home improvement partners that they need help promoting the services and projects that are cold-weather friendly. Here are some ways you can keep customers engaged on home construction all winter long.
Education
Many people don’t know what home improvement projects are suited for winter. A good way to drum up new business during the winter months is to put that information out in front of consumers. A blog is a great place to share this kind of information because it can be used in multiple ways. Once you have a good blog, you can share it on social media, in email marketing and on your website. It not only will publicize your services, but it will also enhance your thought leadership. Thought leadership materials prove your company to be an expert in your field and will build trust among current and potential customers.
Additionally, you can create graphics or videos about winter construction projects to accompany your blog. These assets are great for achieving social media interaction and helping to enrich your thought leadership by giving readers alternative ways to retain the information.
Another way to educate people about winter home improvement projects is to highlight the work you’re doing on other people’s homes. By showing before-and-after pictures and talking about why the project makes sense to do in the winter verses other seasons, you will persuade other customers to consider doing similar projects.
Free Estimates/Evaluations
Many construction companies offer free estimates, evaluations or consultations for projects. If this is something you aren’t already doing, you can offer this during slow seasons to find potential customers or to help sell services to people who have shown past interest. If you are already offering free estimates, advertise it. People love free stuff. Seeing that a company is extending a complimentary estimate and is willing to talk more about pricing options is a good motivator for people who need projects done to give you a call.
Spring Sign Up
In the event that some projects can’t be completed in the winter, there is no reason you can’t get customers on the books for spring. You can offer free estimates for spring projects and even offer discounts for signing up for spring service now. This will help you not only secure and build up your customer base, but also will allow you to plan for the number of employees, equipment, permits and other things you need well in advance.
Promotions
As the saying goes, “you have to spend money to make money.” Advertisements are extremely effective in bringing in new customers and showcasing certain service offerings. You can use digital ads like geofencing, retargeting or Google Ads to capture people who are in your area or are already looking for contracting companies. Another way to attract customers in the winter is through social media ads. Millions of people are on popular platforms like Facebook and Instagram. You can advertise products for as low as a dollar a day and reach a number of viable customers. Additionally, these platforms allow you to target people by age, gender, location and job, and you can adjust the budget or copy at any time. Finally, you can place traditional ads. Traditional advertising comes in the form of billboards, television, magazines, newspapers, etc. Traditional ads are typically more expensive than digital or social media ads, but they are another way to reach your audience and increase sales.
Coupons
People love coupons. Research shows that coupons can encourage potential customers to give your company a chance, boost sales, increase spending per transaction and even get people to buy your services faster than they normally would have. In a previous blog, we talked about how coupon marketing can bolster a company’s business plan and help it reach sales goals, as well as discussed how to get started in coupon marketing.
At SaveOn, we connect contractors to thousands of local savers through our monthly coupon magazine and online presence. For decades, we’ve helped home improvement companies find the best ways to advertise their products, come up with coupons that will turn into sales and build a loyal customer base. To learn more about how we can help you bring in business in the upcoming winter months, visit saveon.com/business.
