Successful online marketing is not just getting lucky. Instead, successful Internet marketing is about making a plan based on the tools that have already proven successful and working that plan until they prove successful for you as well. Though your Footbridge marketing consultant manages 95% of your online marketing, it is good to be aware of what you can do to help and increase your online marketing.

The following tips for Internet marketing should help you get started and be successful as well.

Online Marketing Tip #1 Well Designed Site
A well designed site from the font to the colors used as well as the layout is critical for success. Once you get people to your website you want them to stay there and in order for this to happen your site needs to look professional, be user friendly, informative, and have all the information easily accessible to visitors. Your website reflects your business, and actually the work you perform. If there are problems with your website, then it reflects on your business.

If you cannot design a site yourself then hire someone to do it for you. This expense really is worthwhile because a professional site reflects professional products and services whereas an amateur looking site reflects an amateur business that is not to be taken seriously.

Online Marketing Tip #2 Links
Links are very important to your online marketing campaign simply because they will help you in the search rankings. I am not saying go out and swap links with anyone who will do it. You need to be specific and cautious. Your own marketing consultant does this for you, but you may have dealers, partners, and even family websites, that your consultant cannot access. Compile a list of these types of sites and contact them to see if you can get a link back to your site. If you belong to any forums, make sure that there is a link in your signature tag to your website. This helps out as well. Be careful: Do not submit your website to any link farms, or overloaded directories. This will hurt your site as well.

Online Marketing Tip #3 Keywords
This is what your consultant focuses on the most. Your keywords and you should be aware of what those keywords are. Your consultant most likely focuses on your main service and then takes the most populated area, i.e. “Los Angeles replacement windows”. But there can be multiple types of keywords that you can come up on. You should review your website and see if you come up for what you want to come up for. If there are keywords that are not on your website, then contact your marketing consultant immediately.

Online Marketing Tip #4 Things to Avoid
Your online marketing can be perfect and bring in lots of visitors, however if your site uses frames, flash, JavaScript, and things of that nature that make it difficult to load your site then you will lose your visitors no matter how low your prices or great your products or services. So, when you are designing your site be sure you are aware of the different design methods that could make your site look really good, but take too long to open and turn visitors away. Also be aware of graphics and photos. In order to maximize your visitor’s experience, please do not put graphics on your website that are too large. There are plenty of free program out there that you can use to condense your photos.

Online Marketing Tip #5 Emails
Though I do not believe you need an email address on your website. If you have some type of online submission form, then the email address is mute. Having an email address on your website is only going to be picked up by spammers. But, if you plan on using an email address, please make sure that you use one that manages the domain name of your website. Having a YAHOO, MSN, AOL, or any free email service is just unprofessional.

If you have any questions about your website, please contact us today.
We offer free website analysis for contractors and want to help all contractors with their online marketing, regardless if they are a client or not.

Unfortunately, that’s not the norm in our industry. In fact, the norm is to make a lot of promises and then under-deliver. To do “just enough”. To cut corners. To be satisfied with “good enough”.

By doing the “little things”, you help to distinguish yourself from the rest of your competitors that can’t or won’t take those extra steps. What you are trying to do is exceed expectations.

Here are some ways you can do that:

After you’ve sold the job and included everything that’s going to be done on the signed contract, look for something extra you can do while you’re there (then tell the client that you did it). It doesn’t have to be big. Does their lamppost need painting? Something minor need to be repaired? You get the idea. Don’t however, be so concerned about doing something extra that you don’t do the best possible job on what you’re contracted to do. It’s not enough to be good at what you do. To get tons of happy clients and tons of referrals, you have to absolutely blow them away!

Here is a checklist of some possible things that you can do:

1. Show up the day the work was promised at the exact specified time. If impossible, then call the minute you know it’s impossible and tell the truth. Communication is key.

2. Complete the job exactly to the contract specifications. No short cuts.

3. Look for something extra and do it. Give them More than they Expect!

4. Dress to convey the image you want to send. Whether it be in a coat and tie or casual shirt and paints, be aware of the image you’re sending to your clients.

5. Keep a clean work site! Nobody likes having their house or property cluttered up with dust, discarded materials, tools, etc. Clean up after yourself everyday! Some contractors where booties, which adds a little more to the client experience.

6. Bring muffins or doughnuts for the homeowners on the first and last day of the job. Remember this is there home and having any type of project or work can be stressful.

7. Personally drop in on your client a couple days after the work has been completed, and after you’ve been paid. Bring out a small surprise gift of appreciation. A tin of cookies, a plant, whatever. You can personalize your thank you gift to your clients. For example, if you had a client who likes fine wine, bring out a nice bottle of wine as a token of your appreciation. I’ve seen contractors give photo albums of before and after shots, which have worked very well.

8. A personal written thank you note.

Remember, the underlying premise in receiving a ton of repeat and referral business is to “WOW” your client.

Anytime you send a direct mail letter, you must mail to the same prospect at least three times. Each of the three letters will be a little bit different than the first and must refer to the previous mailings. Most contractors who attempt to use direct mail make a huge mistake. They get a list of names and mail their message to the list once. When they get little response they quit. To get maximum response, you have to send out your message at least three times to the same prospects! According to the Direct Mail Association, a consumer needs to be hit up to 9 times before they make a buying decision. So the more you market to your list, the better your response rate will be.

Sending your message out three times will generally double your response. For example, if you get a 5% response on your first mailing, you’ll get a 10% response from all 3 letters. If you don’t mail your second and third letters, you are leaving half of your profits behind – just walking away from them.

Most homeowners aren’t inclined to respond (or buy) until they have had at least 3 contacts with a particular business. A contact can be receiving a letter, a follow up telephone call, a copy of a newsletter, etc. Many people intend to respond to your offers, advertisements, or letters but “never get around to it”. By sending multiple mailings you provide a gentle reminder.

It is just plain naïve to think that just because you’ve mailed a prospect once, they’ve read your letter. People are busy and are easily distracted. The kids, the TV, the job – they’ve got a lot going on. You must provide a “gentle reminder”.

Here is how sequencing works:

1) Prepare your direct mail piece, albeit a postcard, sales letter, etc. and send it out to your mailing list.

2) Fifteen days after you delivered the first letter, deliver the second letter to everyone who did NOT respond to the first letter.

3) Then fifteen days later, deliver the third letter to everyone who did not respond to the first and second letters.

For example, your second letter in the sequence will have a big, bold…

“SECOND NOTICE”

typed at the top. Your third letter, when it arrives says…

“THIRD & FINAL NOTICE”

This sequenced mailing approach works like magic even if you just put a simple post-it on the second mailing that says, “You may have missed this the first time when we sent it three weeks ago.”

This method can work for any type of contractor. Sending a sequenced letter (i.e., First Notice, Second Notice, Final Notice, can increase results by as much as 100%!) So please, promise me you won’t even consider mailing a direct mail piece unless you intend to mail to those prospects at least three times!

We have launched another new client, Suburban Windows and Siding, a Hartford County Replacement windows contractor. Suburban Windows & Siding is family owned and operated and employs only experienced professional craftsmen. The company provides quality workmanship at a reasonable price and guarantees all work. The company is fully licensed and insured and is a Connecticut registered contractor.

A new site launched today, and though it is in a different industry, we beleive we will be able to assist Maids On Time, Inc. with generating online leads. This Chicagoland Maid service provides cleaning solutions and maid services for homeowners in the Chicagoland area.