Marketing is a tricky thing because you have to be an expert in it and also understand your field as far as how to market your type of business. Construction is a great example of this as you need to make sure that you know where people look for your services. There are two types of marketing, passive and aggressive. Passive focuses on being found by the consumer while aggressive focuses on sending content out to an audience and hope that they engage. Each method and platform vary depending on your business and type of audience. Smart companies utilize a combination of options because they can all work together. Here are the top 10 ways contractors should market themselves:

  1. Apparel & Signs: It seems simple, but people will walk by your jobs, see your employees around town and having apparel and signs for your company can get you some business.
  2. Google Business Listings: If people go to Google to find a contractor, they are going to see the ones who are in their area first. Business listings are free and allow you to be found by people within your region.
  3. LinkedIn Networking: This may be something you are not that familiar with but LinkedIn allows you to connect with architects, realtors, builders and manufacturers in your area. Developing a relationship with them organically can help as they can refer business to you.
  4. SEO: Search engine optimization not only gets you ranked on Google for valuable keywords, but it improves the information that’s found online about your brand. This is important because people will check out your company before contacting you.
  5. Directories: There are dozens of directory sites that get plenty of traffic and offer you a chance to compete for business. Signing up with them in any capacity is smart but do not rush to pay for more than that until you know it can generate business.
  6. YouTube: Some DIY videos and other types of content may not get you dozens of jobs, but it will improve your brands online presence and is free content to use on social media.
  7. Facebook: The same thing goes with using Facebook as it gives people more ways to research your brand. Some companies in the industry also run specials that can get people to contact you to find out more.
  8. Google AdWords: A bit expensive but very effective as far as getting quality traffic in the door immediately.
  9. Email: If you are running a promotion this is a great way to reach thousands of people in your area.
  10. Connecting With Subcontractors: It’s possible that subcontractors are in need of a contractor to assist them with an upcoming project. In some cases, it might just be they were offered a job that asks them to do something they are not capable of handling and would rely on your help to accomplish that.

These tips need to be considered individually as you cannot forget the value they can offer. However, there’s a way to utilize these options in a cost-effective way that will help you improve your online presence and be found by consumers interested in your services or reach out to people who they work with.