Using the internet to promote your contracting business is an essential tool for attracting and winning new customers.

But running your own business means that you’re managing projects, clients, and a crew. How can a busy contractor stay ahead of the game, especially when there are so many different aspects of a business to run?

Building a solid online presence for your company doesn’t have to be a headache, but there are some best practices to follow so that you’ll attract the right customers online and keep your current clients happy.

1. Identify Your Audience

Before your business can successfully connect with people online, it’s important to identify the type of people that you need to appeal to.

One great way to figure out your audience is to talk to your existing customers. Ask them how they found you, and (in the case of couples and families) who was the driving force behind choosing your business. Sometimes, the answer may be surprising.

See if you can spot a pattern in the type of person who has sought out your services. Pay attention to factors such as age, location, gender, and interests. What are their needs and concerns? What websites do they visit to find answers? These are the people you should be trying to reach, and your online strategy should account for their common characteristics.

2. Define Your Company Identity

Use the discoveries you made about your typical customer to make smart choices about your business’ identity or brand. For instance, if you’ve determined that your typical customer is looking for high-end, luxury services, then you should design your brand to have an upscale presentation and quality.

Conversely, if it’s become clear that you’re not attracting the type of customer you want, you should reevaluate your branding. Do your prospective clients understand what services you offer and your quality of work? Look for ways that your company may be projecting an image that doesn’t match up with your goals, and be sure to send the right message when you update or set up your website.

When you do determine your brand’s identity, be sure to carry it out through any of your printed materials, too. Brochures, business cards, and company signage should include how to reach you, where to find you online, and reflect your company’s look and brand.

3. Get Listed and Reviewed on Popular Home Improvement Directories

With directories like Houzz, Archilovers, HomeAdvisor, and Remodelista becoming increasingly popular, it’s well worth your time to get listed in their pool of professionals. Such sites can have many millions of users actively searching their directories for contractors, giving you a thriving source of business. These types of sites often allow contractors to post photos and information about their own projects, which can serve as easy advertising. Keep your listings here up to date with contact details and a thorough description of the types of services you offer.

In addition to the industry-specific sites mentioned above, general business directories like Yelp and Angie’s List can be hugely beneficial to contractors because they too allow for customers to leave and read reviews. If customers found you through a certain site or online directory, look into setting up ads or running a promotion through those sites.

A company’s reputation is one of the major things that customers consider when choosing a contractor. Having your business listed on these directories with positive reviews can help new customers feel confident about hiring you. After the completion of every successful project, encourage your satisfied customers to leave reviews about their experience.

4. Be Active on Social Media

Being active on social media can help your contracting business reach people on a daily basis, increasing awareness of your business and interest in your services.

Social media sites like Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook are particularly useful for those in the field of construction and design. Posting nice photos from your most recent projects or sharing your company’s blog posts are effective ways to engage with your audience and build your brand’s presence.

It’s important to note here that posting blurry photos from your phone may not be the best idea. Look at some leaders in your industry and note how they use photography. While you don’t have to hire (or be) a professional photographer, practicing with a quality smart phone can produce great results on social media.

If photography and technology really aren’t your thing, look for talent somewhere on your crew. Chances are you’re already employing someone who has an artistic eye and is a savvy social media navigator. Appoint them as your social media manager and chances are you’ll both be happy.

5. Build a Website

Having a polished, professional website can help solidify your firm’s credibility with customers. Additionally, it gives them the opportunity to learn more about your company and why you are the best candidate to handle their next home improvement project.

Even if you’re not technically skilled, you can still easily set up a website with the help of free or low-cost services. Examples include Wordpress, Squarespace, and Wix. These services allow you to build your website and update it without any coding experience. They also offer a variety of ready-to-use templates to quickly give your site a professional, polished look.

The good news is that using these services is far less expensive than hiring someone to build a site from scratch.

There are a few things that every contractor’s website must have if it’s going to be effective at attracting customers and presenting your company as a professional service:

• Easy-to-find contact information (phone, address & e-mail)
• Information about the services you provide and your service area
• A statement about how long you’ve been in business and what professional certifications/affiliations you have
• A gallery of high-quality photos of your best work
• Testimonials from customers who’ve been delighted by your services
• Well-written text that is free of grammar and spelling errors on all pages

Having these elements on your website is necessary to project a professional, trustworthy image to potential customers.

6. Don’t Ignore SEO

SEO is short for “search engine optimization,” which is simply the task of improving your website to rank more highly in relevant online searches. For example, when someone uses Google to search for “home renovation contractors in Minneapolis,” a Minnesota contractor’s website should ideally come up as one of the top results.

There are some basic techniques to get your site to rank higher. By naturally incorporating specially-selected keywords into your site’s text, you can improve your rankings and create more opportunities for customers to find your website. Moz.com offers a few free tools to help you find and prioritize the best keywords for your site.

If you have determined that your brand is a luxury brand, make sure to include messaging that communicates this on your site. That way when someone is searching “Luxury home contractors in Minneapolis,” your site is the first to appear.

It’s also important to think through other words people may use when searching for your site. If you’re trying to reach a luxury audience, they may also be searching for terms like “designer home remodeler” or “custom home contractor.” Putting some thought into how your customers may be searching for you can make sure your site is easy for your target audience to find.

7. Create Helpful, Shareable Content

One of the best ways to increase your company’s online visibility is to create content people find useful and want to share with their friends and family. This could be interesting infographics, helpful blog posts, beautiful photos, and many other types of content. When people are naturally interested in viewing and sharing your content, it allows your brand to reach even more potential customers.

A great way to get started would be to think of questions your customers frequently ask. If they’re asking, there’s a good chance others like them are searching online for answers to the same question.

For example: maybe a recent heat wave in your area has caused an increase in air conditioning units icing up and shutting down. A simple blog post or video on your website or social pages on how to fix this could be huge help for potential customers. This subconsciously makes you a helpful authority in their minds, meaning they’ll reach out when they have an issue they can’t fix themselves.

8. Reach Out with E-mail Marketing

E-mail marketing gives you a chance to personally reach out to people who have already shown interest in your business. With the right strategy, you can convert these leads into customers. If you’ve gathered e-mail addresses from people who have requested quotes or been your customers in the past, you can send them periodic messages offering useful information, updates about your company, and even exclusive deals on your services.

Fortunately, there are a number of services that make it easy for businesses to automatically send e-mails to entire lists of people. Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and GetResponse are just a few of the most popular ones today. These services are inexpensive, and cut out a lot of the time and tedium that is otherwise required for sending e-mails in bulk.

By pulling from these 8 tips, you’ll be well on your way to building an online presence that attracts the right customers, builds their trust, and gives your contracting business a competitive edge.