Wherever you actively promote your disaster restoration business, be sure to alter your wording and graphics to focus on winter disaster restoration. Do this on your website home page, in advertisements, in your social-media posts, etc. Try to make your messaging and visuals consistent across all of these channels.
TIP: Effective social-media marketing is not just about posting. It also involves connecting and interacting with your audience and building positive relationships. If someone comments on – or asks a question about – your disaster restoration services, be sure to follow up promptly with a friendly, informative response. If you don’t have time to do this yourself, you can assign an employee to monitor and maintain your social-media accounts.
Let homeowners know exactly how you can help them deal with wintertime disasters. Explain winter-specific services in detail on your website – and wherever else it seems appropriate. (An e-newsletter is a great method for distributing detailed information.)
READ MORE: Common Winter-Time Disasters That Require Restoration
“Winterize” your content marketing by creating and posting season-appropriate articles. Providing valuable and relevant content will increase awareness of your expertise, build relationships with readers, and hopefully turn readers into customers. What if you don’t have a blog? No worries. Work with your web developer to add a blog page to your website. Then start drafting and posting short, interesting articles. You can write those yourself, or delegate that task to someone else.
Do you have a list of happy customers you serviced during previous winters? Create a compelling little write-up about each one. Explain the problem you were hired to solve, the solution you provided, and the final result that won over the homeowner. Include a testimonial if you can. And get the homeowner’s approval before you share the story online.
Then work on getting these mini stories in front of more eyeballs: Post them on your website under a tab titled CASE STUDIES or some similar name. After that’s done, highlight and link to each story with a brief social-media post.
When disaster strikes, homeowners want expert help and they want it now. So, if you employ technology during assessments, don’t hesitate to promote it.
Do you use the latest moisture meters and thermal-imaging cameras?
Do you use a floor plan app to quickly diagram damages, log notes, and create detailed reports for insurance claims?
Then, be sure to feature these and other high-tech tools in your promotional messaging. And explain how those tools enhance the disaster-response process. These sorts of details can impress prospective customers, and may sway them to call you instead of one of your competitors.
Your phone number should always be highly visible: At the top of the home page on your website. In your masthead on every social media account. Within every business listing. Essentially, plaster it everywhere. Oh, and consider including a clear call to action with your number as well. (Examples: “Call Any Day, At Any Hour” or “Get Help Now“)
If you want more seasonal business this winter, try using Google Local Services Ads (LSAs). These types of ads may help you attract more calls and capture more business. That’s because LSAs can be tailored to make your business more visible to local homeowners searching for disaster restoration services.
Your company can gain a lot by partnering with other businesses that market to homeowners. Pick a few that may be willing to work with you during the winter disaster-restoration season. Then begin networking:
These efforts can help you reach a larger pool of potential customers.
TIP: Target businesses that are in a prime position to refer your company – such as roofers, plumbers, property managers, and material suppliers.
If you want to build greater awareness of your business, local TV is an often-overlooked opportunity to get the word out. So, how do you get featured on the local news? Here are some tips to help you:
Disaster restoration is a highly competitive industry. If you want to stand out from your competition this winter, tweak your promotion efforts to better fit the season. You can do this by implementing some of the tactics listed above. And be sure to document everything you do along the way. That way, you’ll have a promotion plan on record to inform what you do for the following winter!
Continue reading our guide on winter-weather tips for your business.
Or read our 12 marketing tips for your residential contractor business