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Do you consider yourself a local expert in the construction industry? You may not realize it, but you have everything you need to develop a lucrative content marketing strategy to complement your SEO.
Although online advertising may seem impersonal when compared to the old way of doing things, content marketing allows you to truly connect with your target demographic, earning trust, authority, and a solid reputation along the way.
Ready to learn more? Let’s examine why content marketing is a must for general contractors looking to expand their reach and attract new clients.
Table of Contents
Content marketing is a strategic approach to creating, distributing, and promoting content for your business with the goal of attracting and retaining a clearly defined audience—ultimately driving profitable customer action.
This strategy goes beyond mere advertising. Content marketing involves creating blogs, videos, social media posts, and other media to establish expertise, promote brand awareness, and engage your target audience.
If you’re a small business owner, you can significantly benefit from this approach, as it enables you to connect directly with clients in a way that fosters loyalty and builds relationships.
More and more consumers are turning to the internet when they need to find local businesses, and this represents a valuable opportunity for general contractors to build brand awareness through content marketing.
It should come as no surprise that 81% of shoppers conduct online research before making a purchase, but an increasing number of these shoppers are also turning to social media platforms and online blogs to find the information they seek. According to a BrightLocal survey, 34% of consumers use Instagram to find local businesses, in addition to 23% for TikTok and 19% for local blogs.
Your audience is smart. They don’t want to be explicitly advertised to and would much rather be informed and entertained by a likable brand before engaging with it. For general contracting businesses, engaging blog posts, videos, and social media updates serve as powerful tools to communicate your skills and reliability—what will ultimately convince people to hire you. In fact, website conversion rates are nearly 6x higher for content marketing adopters.
Once you build trust and a sense of familiarity with your target audience, you’ll ensure that you’re top-of-mind when they’re ready to initiate their projects.
If connecting with your target audience wasn’t enough to convince you to kickstart your content marketing campaign, cost-effectiveness is another compelling benefit.
High-quality content marketing represents one of the most cost-effective methods of boosting your online visibility. Pay-per-click advertising requires a continuous flow of money and stops producing results once the payments stop. On the other hand, content marketing is an evergreen investment that can provide you with a permanent, loyal customer base.
Put plainly, content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing while simultaneously generating 3x the leads.
After saving on your marketing budget, you’ll also be happy to hear that content marketing can provide a significant boost to your overall SEO. We won’t get too deep into the technical aspects of search engine optimization in this post, but it’s worth noting that content marketing provides more keyword opportunities, keeps users on your pages longer, and helps you earn organic backlinks—all things that can contribute to a higher ranking on Google.
Finding success with content marketing is rarely as simple as posting a few times on social media and then going viral. Rather, you’ll need to develop a measured, deliberate approach to your content.
By understanding your target audience, aligning your objectives with your business goals, and refining your strategy as necessary, you’ll be well on your way to creating great content that takes your online presence to the next level.
Let’s take a closer look!
Before you start to create your content, take some time to reflect on what you’re hoping to achieve. What does success look like for your business? As a general contractor, your goals might include increasing brand awareness, generating new leads, or establishing a reputation as a thought leader in your industry.
Once you have an idea of where you want to improve, you can then start determining the right metrics to track your progress. Some of the stats that contractors tend to focus on include website traffic, social media engagement, and the number of new consultations booked via online platforms.
Having clear goals is one thing, but you’ll then need to make sure you create great content that integrates with these goals. The types of content you post shouldn’t be chosen randomly—instead, make sure that your content complements the objectives you’re striving toward.
For example, if you want to increase website traffic, you could develop how-to guides or detailed blog posts with home renovation tips. These resources can attract potential clients searching for practical information and will position your business as a helpful and authoritative leader in the field.
After you start publishing your content, make sure to track your progress and update your approach as needed. Reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and how you can iterate for future improvement.
Some great tools for monitoring your content include Google Analytics and the insights provided by your social media platforms.
The possibilities are virtually endless when it comes to creating content for your contracting business. This may sound like a good thing, but it can feel overwhelming when you’re trying to decide where to focus your content marketing efforts and avoid making any common mistakes.
Start with a few of the most popular content marketing channels among general contractors, including:
Your blog where you can provide valuable insight on topics such as DIY tips, renovation ideas, and maintenance advice. This type of content establishes expertise and helps boost search engine rankings through relevant keywords and fresh updates.
Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn allow you to show off your work and connect with potential clients. Regular posts can keep followers engaged and help build a community around your brand.
Videos, whether tutorials, project showcases, or customer testimonials, are one of the best ways to engage your audience. Video content is currently one of the most popular among users, making it a valuable resource for making your business stand out.
By highlighting specific projects from start to finish, you can provide concrete examples of your skills as a contractor and problem-solving capabilities.
For an example, check out one of LinkNow’s case studies on a paid ads client success story.
Infographics can effectively communicate complex information or processes (like construction timelines or renovation tips) in an easily digestible format. This format tends to be highly shareable, which is great for spreading awareness of your brand.
Using memes can humanize the brand and connect with a broader audience by tapping into current trends and humor. While they should be used carefully, memes can make a brand seem more relatable and accessible.
As you continue to build upon your content marketing strategy and expand your reach, you’ll discover that it’s crucial to cater to all stages of the customer journey. For instance, if you dedicate all your effort into getting eyes on your business but don’t work on converting leads, you’ll be left with a lot of interest but not many actual customers.
The stages of the buyer’s journey.
With that in mind, let’s examine how to accommodate all your potential customers throughout the buyer’s journey stages: awareness, consideration, and decision.
This is when potential clients are just beginning to recognize their needs. As a contractor, you can seize this opportunity by creating content that highlights common home renovation challenges or introduces recent trends in home design.
Deepen engagement with potential clients who are just starting to learn about general contracting by sharing detailed content, such as in-depth guides on selecting materials or comparing different types of home additions.
As prospects move into the consideration stage, they start to evaluate their options and look for trustworthy experts.
Your blogs for buyers at this stage could feature case studies of past projects, emphasizing problems faced and the innovative solutions provided. Videos demonstrating the transformation process not only capture attention but also showcase your expertise as a contractor.
Your goal here is to earn the trust of your audience and confirm that they’re making the right choice to start a construction or remodeling project.
Now, your prospects are finally ready to choose a contractor. Content here should facilitate this final step, offering clear, compelling calls to action.
Testimonials, detailed service breakdowns, and before-and-after galleries can play a vital role in this stage. You can also provide exclusive offers through your content, like free initial consultations or limited-time discounts when they subscribe to your newsletter, to incentivize prospects to take the leap and initiate a project.
You may have heard that the only way to succeed with digital marketing is through costly paid advertisements and boosting but take it from the online experts at LinkNow: we’ve witnessed firsthand the power of excellent content marketing.
That said, there are still benefits to investing in paid ads if your budget permits. Allow us to elaborate.
Content marketing represents the most cost-effective method of attracting a loyal audience over time. With minimal financial investment, you can boost visibility and establish your brand as an authority in your industry. Although creating high-quality content does require continuous effort, the trust you foster with this type of content will become a permanent part of your reputation.
On the flip side, paid advertisements offer immediate visibility and can quickly generate leads. Platforms like Google Ads or social media ads allow you to target specific demographics, such as homeowners in a particular area. The advantage here is speed and reach, but it comes at a cost. Ad budgets can escalate, and without careful management, the return on investment may diminish over time.
Paid results can get you traffic quickly but require a higher level of investment.
We recommend using both strategies to harness the unique strengths they provide. Content marketing builds a long-term brand presence by nurturing customer relationships and establishing trust, while paid ads provide quick, scalable marketing wins that can support short-term goals and complement the steady growth from content marketing.
For contractors, integrating both these methods can create a well-rounded marketing strategy that drives both immediate and sustained growth. That’s why we offer an integrated solution of paid ads management and organic traffic solutions for our clients, targeting organic search results with high-quality content while gaining traction with carefully managed paid ads campaigns.
Don’t worry if you’re feeling inundated by all the information provided in this blog post. Effective content marketing is all about continual improvement, so don’t be afraid to start small and build up your proficiency over time.
To get you started, here are a few tools and resources that will assist you on the path to content marketing greatness:
We encourage you to start implementing some of these content marketing ideas right away—there’s no time like the present to start engaging your audience!
Intimidated by the prospect of keyword research? Running low on time for content creation? Whether you need someone to run your blog, create social media posts, or manage paid ads on social media, we have everything you need to build a strong foundation of on-page and off-page SEO.
Get started on your content marketing by requesting a free consultation with one of our specialists. They’ll go over what solutions best fit your goals and budget, providing you with a tangible plan of action for your online marketing success.