Heidi Ellsworth, HJE
For those of us who are active every day in one form of marketing or another, it is hard to separate the forest from the trees. One of the areas where I find ongoing good marketing information is on LinkedIn. By simply spending a small amount of time every day, I collect items of interest that I believe will help my clients with their marketing along with my own professional development.
By following several posts and influencers, I have found a couple of lists talking about 2016 marketing trends. I have added in key points for roofing or construction, but usually these trends can be applied or researched to not only grow business today but help you stay ahead of the competition tomorrow.
Google is constantly changing and with several upgrades and new software launches, mobile optimization is more important than ever. In fact, for sites that are not mobile friendly they are losing SEO. Be sure to talk to your provider or web designer about optimizing your website for mobile. It is not just about making it easy for your customers to use your site but it is also about making it easy for them to find you.
Sitting with my daughter the other day, we were looking for services and she insisted that we check the reviews. Almost all of them were bad and I asked her if she ever puts up a good review. “I only do a review if it is a bad experience,” she replied. It is going to be an uphill battle to get the good word out and minimize the bad, but it is important. Reviews are a resource to today’s customers but reviews will become even more critical with the millennials. Now is the time to put practices and procedures in place to gather strong and positive testimonials, reviews and referrals so you are ahead of the market. Determine how to use and share them to help build a positive brand.
I learned in my college communications class that a good communicator knows their audience. It is even more essential in marketing. Today’s technology allows us to fine tune our messaging for the right audience. If you are providing both residential and commercial roofing services, don’t try to use the same content or messaging for both customers; they are different. Take the time using customer relationship management (CRM) software to know who your audience is, what they want to buy and what they want to receive in order to gather the right leads and close sales.
Storytelling is a strong marketing trend. It is about creating an image of your company and telling a good story that intrigues customers and potential customers. By separating your business away from the rest of the market with strong imagery and information, you begin to create a lasting impression and strong branding for your company. For example, the market may know
you are the family-based company that can be trusted or maybe the technically advanced solution for their roofing needs, but you need to continue to tell that story every day. Determine your strengths and share them through social media, web and in every day conversations. This will keep your brand alive for your employees, customers and prospects.
Besides lead generation, the major benefit coming from marketing automation is organization. By using technology and marketing automation, it allows companies to start coordinating marketing efforts from the lead to the close. It is also a major benefit for ongoing communications that fit a predefined plan. It is going to be obvious by the marketing itself who is using marketing automation. By creating, scheduling and tracking consistent emails, content, audience segments and social media posting, management is able to make informed and scalable decisions for future marketing.
Social media continues to take a lead in engagement marketing. Understanding the social media that your customer base uses can save a lot of time and effort and also works with the earlier trend of targeting. In roofing, residential tends to use Facebook and commercial uses LinkedIn and Twitter, but this continues to evolve. Sites like Instagram and Pinterest may be the next hot spot for residential marketing. LinkedIn and Twitter are finding new ways of promoting business and helping with your marketing efforts. This is one trend that you need to be constantly researching. It is all about engagement so you need to know that your audience is listening.
Heidi J. Ellsworth has worked in the roofing industry for over twenty years. Previously leading sales and marketing initiatives for EagleView Technologies and Carlisle, Ellsworth launched HJE Consulting Group in 2015. This sales and marketing consulting firm focuses on supporting overall marketing strategies and implementation along with providing consulting to build strong collaboration between sales and marketing teams for business profitability and success. Ellsworth leads advertising sales for Florida Roofing Magazine along with participating in FRSA board meetings. She also provides sales and marketing consultation for NRCA contractors, along with consulting for the NRCA and The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress. She recently helped found the National Women in Roofing (NWIR) association where she serves as chairperson for the organization.
Previous Article