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Is Your Wonderful Website Suppressing Leads?
Have you noticed the website you spent so much time developing doesn’t seem to be drawing leads the way it used to? Believe it or not, what was a great website only a year ago could actually be turning away qualified homeowners now. Let’s explore why:
  When the market was good, people at the higher end were looking for the very best in quality and service. They sought all the bells and whistles because they figured their houses would only appreciate, investments were booming and loans were easy to get. Chances are your website showed photos of your best high-end projects and your webcopy highlighted high-end craftsmanship, high quality of materials, and attentive and personalized service. Your copy might have included “while we might be a bit more expensive, we are worth every penny,” or “you get what you pay for,” or some similar message. In a good market, this was a good strategy. If you were a bit more expensive, you wanted to suppress price shoppers from calling and wasting your time. Your website was successful.
Well now, for the most part, everyone is more price-conscious. And for most people, including the wealthy, conspicuous consumption is no longer in. Constraint, value, frugality, and getting a good deal are the new badges of honor and status symbols. Even for those who still want the best of everything, they know they are in a buyer’s market and expect to find a great remodeler at a better price.
So now’s the time to evaluate your website to determine if it is out of step with the new marketplace. Examine your tone and message, recraft your website copy, and consider whether your photos put you in sync with today's market and position you for the coming market.
Note that “recrafting” does not necessarily mean totally redoing your website. It may just require minor changes to copy and project work. It might require adding some new sections on your website to address the concerns homeowners didn't have before or introduce new services you are offering. You will likely want to target the same types of people you have always sold to, but the site should reflect what they are looking for today. You may want/need to expand your target market as well.
And as you adapt to the new market, make sure you keep close to your past clients because they remember you as you were, not as you are now. You want them to still come back to you and refer business to you. Newsletters and e-newsletters are good ways to keep close to your past clients over time and a great way to communicate the new you to those who know your company.
So don’t let your once-great website suppress leads in this market. Find out how Continuum Marketing Group can help you evaluate and update your website to maximize the leads you need.
A Remodeler Asked:
Q: Is Direct Mail dead as a marketing tool for full-service remodeling firms?
A: Yes and no. In this market, larger scale, non-jobsite mailings, even to carefully qualified lists are not generating the types of returns needed to justify the cost. In the past they worked and in the future they will probably work again. For now we have stopped recommending these types of mailings.
The good news is that small-scale, 100-400 piece mailings targeted to qualified homeowners around jobsites are still productive for the most part. This is not to say jobsite mailings will always generate leads, but so far we have found them to be worthwhile.
In fact, we have developed a system that lowers the cost of jobsite mailings, makes them more effective and easier to do. If you would like more information, please contact us at info@continuum-mg.com.
Comments & Questions
If you have questions or topics you would like us to address in future issues of Marketing Matters, please let us know. Send them to editor@continuum-mg.com.
Sincerely,
David Alpert
President, Continuum Marketing Group, LLC
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