Many contractors are wary of the Internet, preferring to rely on traditional marketing techniques.  However, customer behavior is constantly shifting, with more and more individuals turning online. Failing to acknowledge and understand this behavior may harm your business in the long run. With the large, potential audience waiting to be reached, contractors would be wise to take advantage of the tools available.

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In this Internet-centric age, it is likely that your business has a website. But unless you take some measures, it is likely to get lost in the endless sea of websites. Therefore, taking steps to optimize your website is the first step in increasing the visibility of your site. Search engine optimization is the process of improving your site’s ability to appear in search engine rankings, and can be enhanced through a number of techniques. Obtaining backlinks to your site, focusing on a niche, making your site search-engine friendly – these are all great ways to increasing your site’s ranking.


Once you have a dedicated website for your business, the next step is to start generating content. Fresh, content is a great technique to keep your site updated, and blogging is one of the best ways to do so.  By filling blogs with interesting anecdotes or useful information, contractors can attract visitors and build up an audience. Not only will contractors be able to draw a dedicated following, they will also be able to build a steady stream of traffic to their site.


Your site may have a fair amount of traffic, but without a means of collecting data on those visitors, your readers will simply come and go. Therefore, contractors would do well to use techniques that will allow them to capture those leads. Call-to-actions are a button or banner that prompts visitors to click on it and fill out a form. Therefore, placing call-to-actions are a valuable means of converting your readers into leads. Once you have a fair amount of leads in your system, you can follow up with them, increasing the chances of turning them into customers.


Now that you have a list of leads, what are you going to do with them? One way to market directly to those leads is to start an email marketing campaign. Let them know that you have a new service or an offer specifically for customers. One well placed email after another can keep leads aware of your business, eventually turning to you in their time of need. However, make sure that you stay away from spamming your leads, as this is the quickest way to turn potential customers away from your business.


Another viable marketing tactic is to go straight to the customer. There are a number of forums that fall within your businesses’ niche, whether it is home improvement or small business marketing. Joining these sites can allow you to establish relationships with other users.  By answering questions and addressing concerns, you can appear as an authority on these sites, possibly drawing customers to your business.


Sara Fletcher is interested in emotional intelligence and understanding the results of her eq test. She loves to explore psychology, business, and sports in relation to emotional intelligence training.