Contractor Marketing Basics

Debra Murphy

debra@masterful-marketing.com

508.303.0766

Workshop Agenda & Goals

What is marketing?

Why does my contractor business need to market?

Why should I create a marketing plan?

What simple marketing activities work?

What is Marketing?

Marketing is: Educating your customer about why they want to do

business with you

Helping the customer envision the outcome you provide

Showing how you provide value while eliminating their problems

Good marketing: Attracts new customers

Retains existing customers

Encourages referrals from happy customers

Helps you avoid price wars

What is Marketing?

Marketing is NOT: Advertising

Sales

PR

These are marketing activities (or tactics)

Marketing is NOT: A Web site

A brochure

A business card

These are marketing tools

What is a Marketing Plan?

Gives you direction and clarity

Helps you measure your results

Defines:

What you do

Who needs it

How to attract their attention

How much will it cost

90% of small businesses don’t have a marketing plan but those that do increase their sales by 25 – 30%

Key parts of your Marketing Plan

Where do you want to take your business?Who do you want to work with?Why should they work with you?What do you stand for?How will you reach your target market?What are the activities?What tools will you use?How do you know if you are successful?

What are your goals?

Put a stake in the ground for where you want to be at the end of the year:

Income?

Revenue?

Reputation?

Define the long term vision of your business

Large firm with multiple crews?

Sole proprietor with subcontractors available as needed?

Somewhere in between?

Who is your customer?

Marketing should be directed at customers who will benefit from purchasing your product.

Each customer has his own set of priorities

Not all customers will be ideal for your product

See your product through your customer’s eyes to identify priorities.

Pinpoint those who were satisfied with quality and price

What was the criteria they used to pick you?

Focus marketing efforts on other potential customers with similar needs.

Why should they do business with you?

Messages:

Develop your messages that tells them what’s the benefit to them

Speak to your prospects about outcomes, not process

Always keep coming back to why you provide the most value to them

Brand image and identity:

Develop a professional look

Use it consistently on everything – trucks, business cards, web site, shirts, etc.

How will you reach your customers?

What types of marketing activities will you use?

Categories of marketing – not all are appropriate for every business

Advertising

Public relations

Internet marketing

Direct marketing

Events

Word of mouth

Marketing Toolbox

Sales Tools

Brochure

Business card

Customer testimonials

Competitive piece

Web site

Customer Database

Every name you collect

Every customer you have

Every prospect

Buy lists from InfoUSA

Marketing Activities

Direct mail:

Letters or postcards to targeted neighborhoods

Quarterly postcards to your database

Thank you cards to customers with two business cards asking for a referral to friends or family

Thank you cards to those you give estimates but don’t get the job with two business cards

Newsletter

Contests / Sweepstakes

Gift certificates

Marketing Activities

Advertising:

Door hangers for when “you’re in the neighborhood”

Site signs / Building signs / Vehicle signs

Newspapers / magazines / classified

Card decks / Coupon books

Billboards

Yellow pages

Take-one box

Testimonial mailers

Marketing Activities

Word of mouth marketing

Client referrals

BNI or referral groups

Chamber events

Network

Testimonials

Ask customers for referrals

What’s your budget?

Marketing Tools:

Business cards

Promotional items

Door hangers

Site signs

Vehicle lettering

Logo clothing

Web site design

Activities:

Membership (BNI, Chamber)

Networking events

Letters

Postcards

Postage

Thank you cards

Web hosting

Marketing does not have to be expensive

Questions?