Home improvement contractor marketing can be tough, whether you’re just starting out, or trying to maintain your market share and expand your business. Fortunately, the internet has created a range of cost effective, locally focused tools that can help contractors of any size and business stage to reach more people.

All four of the ideas that follow are part of the larger strategy of inbound marketing, but they can all be effective on their own too.

#1: Content Marketing

These days, consumers turn to the internet for information on everything, and home remodelling is no different. Whether it’s inspiration or ideas, how to videos or information about pricing and processes, consumers are probably going to search online before they ever pick up the phone and call for a quotation.

Content marketing is a method of home improvement contractor marketing that ensures that when those consumers are looking for information in your field of expertise, in your area, they find you instead of your competition. After all, if you’re the company who answers their initial online questions about remodeling or home improvement, you’re also likely to be one that they contact when they’re ready to take the next step.

Maintaining an up-to-date, comprehensive company blog, and offering tips, advice, insider information and even tutorials all help to establish your expert status, and that will result in more leads.

#2: Google AdWords

Google AdWords has been around for a while, and it’s one of the most popular paid promotion strategies. It’s a great tool to get guaranteed traffic to your website, but it can take time and a little more in costs to find the right combinations of keywords, geographical targeting and advertisement wording to get the results you want. If you are new to AdWords, it might also make sense to hire a professional to create and manage your campaigns, for those reasons.

#3: Social Media Ads

If you’re considering PPC for your home improvement contractor marketing, then social media ads might be way to go. AdWords is great for targeting specific keywords in your area, but because sites like Facebook and Twitter let you target geographical regions, ages, gender, interests and online behaviour, they can be a great way to reach exactly the type of people you want to reach. And because you can set them up for likes or follows, conversions or clicks to your website, you have more control over what actions you pay for.

#4: Email Marketing

If your website is set up to capture leads and you’ve been building a list of prospects, then you already have a method of reaching a large number of people by email marketing. People who have opted into your list are already interested in the products and services you offer, so sending them news, tips and information every once in a while (or a special limited time offer) is a great way to nudge them closer towards making a purchase. Since it can cost five to ten times as much to find new leads as it can to nurture existing ones, it makes sense to spend some of your budget on your existing list.

If you’re looking for new clients for your home contracting services, online marketing using these methods is the most cost-effective way you can find.