There are many great reasons to own a Restoration business, one of the most significant being the astonishing $210 billion annual market.
The $210 billion includes natural disasters such as hurricanes, storms and wildfires, water damage, fire damage, flooding, carpet cleaning, etc. The market is expected to expand in the next several years due to climate changes that will increase the average temperatures and create extreme weather events.
The influx of weather change will create an environment where restoration companies will be busier than ever with more business opportunities. The revenue potential is the sweet spot. The not so sweet part is the abundance of competition. This blog will help you understand how to market your restoration business.
It’s true what they say: Industries with the greatest income potential have the largest amount of competition.
It’s great to get excited about new business opportunities but it is extremely important to focus on keeping that new business and expanding.
With so many restoration franchises and small businesses popping up over the country, it’s important to embrace the components that can be controlled in your busines. Sales, Marketing and Customer Service.
Whether you specialize in the restore of fire or water damage, roofing or mold remediation, carpet cleaning or contents or remodeling it is important to represent yourself in a way that’s better than your competition. That requires authenticity and a value proposition.
Keep in mind, building and expanding your brand takes time.
There is no quick solution to building a brand. The opportunity cost of not understanding branding can be very expensive, so please do not overlook this step. In every aspect of your business, you should ask the question “how does “x” impact my brand”. Read more about branding here.
The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends spending 7-8% of your gross revenue for marketing and advertising, if you’re doing less than $5 million a year.
Once you have branding covered, you are ready to move into the development stage of business growth, which is to have a strategic marketing plan. Having a marketing plan in place that you modify year after year (assuming you are following the steps outlined in your plan) is crucial to elevating your business from one level to the next.
While outlining goals for your business you will also gain the ability to determine how many team members, software systems and budget requirements would fit your business mantra.
Let’s say, you want to increase annual revenue by $1million dollars for mold services. What infrastructure will you need to have in place to accomplish that? Read more about marketing planning here.
The specific actions to include in your organic marketing strategy are what we will cover here. This information is based on the success that our agency clients are seeing to push the needle forward in their marketing strategy. We will not cover system cost here, to get a price comparison on the various platforms, a simple Google search will get you what you need.
To master marketing of your restoration business, you must THINK MOBILE, DIGITAL and CUSTOMER CENTRIC.
Consumers want personalized and simplified ways to do business. 89% of consumers say they prefer texting with businesses over any other mode of communication.
79% of smartphone users have made a purchase online using their mobile device in the last 6 months. – (source outerboxdesign.com)
The marketing tips noted here should be used as a guide only. All new marketing campaigns should be reviewed and aligned to a business goal. Since every business is set up differently its important to account for the team, resources and time when setting up marketing plan. Some aspects outlined here require monitoring and management, which may require hiring a new team member either part time or full time. It’s very important to analyze the insights from your marketing efforts to determine if the impact is worth the overall cost. Never start and quickly stop any marketing. Consistency is what will drive results for your restoration business.
“Marketing is an ongoing process. Improve it, change it, pause it. But never stop it.” – Nia Pearson
TIP 01: Automate Marketing:
Keep your customer interactions running smoothly with an intelligent approach to business.
- Save time
- Increase productivity
- Improve lead nurturing and sales
Today, there are many software systems that can help you save time & increase productivity, which will lead to better leads and sales. This helps to increase revenue by being able to see all marketing efforts in one place, including social activity. Choose a system that is easy to use with all the features that you need. If you purchase a robust system with many bells and whistles, you’ll likely not maximize all the features. Pay only for what you need and add more automation as your business grows.
TIP 02: Build a Referral Program:
Encourage existing customers to advocate on behalf of your business by recommending your company to their friends, family, and colleagues.
Note: Having a review program in place (Google or Yelp) will help, as well as becoming an Approved Vendor with Insurance Companies.
- Reduce sales budget
- Higher conversion rates
- Increased revenue
- Better marketing ROI
Building a consistent customer base is crucial to the development of your brand. As an owner, you want consumers to think of your brand when they need your service. You also want them to recommend you to their friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues. Start with incentives for participation. The expansion of referrals is an excellent revenue stream for restoration businesses.
TIP 03: Social Media Marketing:
Connect authentically with your audience on a personal level, by humanizing your brand. Share project videos and images. Create cost effective advertising with Facebook and Instagram.
- Build your brand
- Reach a large audience
- Drive traffic to your website
Social Media is a great way to give your customers personal insight on the authenticity and philosophy of your brand. The branding aspect of your business is what is your personal differentiator.
Instagram – 1billion monthly active users
Facebook – 2.89 billion monthly active users
LinkedIn – 722 million active users
Over 70% of people have a social media platform. (In theory, your business can reach 70% of the world…that is a lot of exposure!). Since restoration services generally focus on a more “local” service need, spreading the word consistently is a great idea. Recommended: Facebook and Instagram cost-effective lead generation advertising campaigns.
Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter. All social channels help spread the word about your business.
Incorporating hashtags will boost your search engine optimization ranking and further expand exposure across the internet and on social media. I.E. (#losangeleswaterdamage #losangelesrestorationservices #losangelesfloodservice #losangeleshurricaneservices).
Social media is also a great way to interact with your customers and respond to questions. Recommended: Link FAQ’s to your social media accounts. Gaining feedback on the positive and negatives aspects of your business is the best way to grow.
Social media provides a quick method of improvement that can drive new business. This process can be considered an extension of your business resume that gives prospects insight on what to expect from your service.
TIP 04: Design a responsive, mobile-friendly website that is ADA compliant.
Ensure your website is discoverable and readable via mobile devices to all people including those with disabilities.
NOTE: There is a big difference in the design and layout between desktop and smartphone visibility.
More than half of the people worldwide access the internet using mobile devices. (Source: Stat Counter)
- Credibility
- Marketing Expansion
- Valuable Information Exchange
There is nothing more frustrating than trying to go to a website on your phone in the state of an emergency and the website is inaccessible.
A study displayed that 96% of consumers have come across a website on their mobile device that was not user-friendly. (*source-ThinkwithGoogle)
Of the 96%, 48% reported feeling frustrated. Don’t let this happen to your business. Be sure to take the time to make sure your website is accessible on all outlets. Recommended: Add a page for frequently asked questions. Read more about website accessibility here.
TIP 05: Incorporate Text Marketing
(67% of people would rather text a business about an appointment or invoice, than email or call. – Hubspot)
- Cost-effective
- Easy integration with other marketing platforms like CRM
- Reach prospects at their preferred channel
Texting has become a very popular way of communicating. Having this feature for your business will make appointments, reminders and paying invoices a lot easier. Finding ways to make transactions & communication user friendly is a great way to get invoices paid faster and increase the chances of a positive online review or referral. If you are not getting referrals, there is a reason why. Recommended: Customer Survey.
Following these 5 tips to learn how to promote your restoration business. We recommend a marketing audit at the end of every year to continue with the marketing that is working and discontinue the marketing that is not working.
Send us your restoration marketing questions here https://m4rr.com/contact/.
