1 Simple Way Contractors Can Get More Direct Leads
Read time – 4 minutes
Every business needs leads. Duh.
A % of leads turn into customers, and customers then turn into reviews, referrals, and repeat business.
What is a direct lead?
A direct lead is an inbound lead that contacts a business directly through call, text, email, website contact form, or DM.
This is opposed to a lead that contacts a business through a platform like Thumbtack, Yelp, Angi’s etc.
Why aren’t more contractors getting direct leads?
One of the main reasons is that most contractors are not spending the time and money to create the content and the systems inside their business to pull in direct leads continuously.
So what do most contractors do?
They spend most of their marketing budget on pay-per-lead services
The problem with with third party leads
Third-Party Lead platforms (Yelp, Angi’s, Thumbtack etc.) control everything.
- They control the cost per lead and which 3-4 contractors it sends the lead to.
- They can change the terms at any time.
- This results in contractors feeling overworked trying to respond to leads as fast as possible day and night.
- Once a contractor stops spending with that lead platform, the leads stop.
- Like renting, once you stop paying rent, you lose your space.
- If you don’t own other spaces to acquire leads, you are in a tough spot.
So what can a contractor do?
Invest in organic content.
BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??
Look online, and this is a constant theme for all businesses.
Make content. SEO content. Social media content etc.
It is a lot. It is overwhelming. It is vague.
You’re a contractor, not an influencer. Or maybe you are or want to be. Either way, setting aside time to market your business can be challenging.
Let’s make it simple.
3 simple steps to start making content that will pull in leads.
- Write down 10 questions (at minimum) that your customers ask constantly.
- Search through your emails and texts.
- Ask your employees
- call and ask your past customers:
- What problem did you have when you called us?
- What terms did you search for online?
- Answer the 10 questions as deeply as possible.
- Not 1-2 sentences. Think 6-10 sentences per question.
- In detail. Act like you know what you’re talking about.
- Not a writer? Use talk to text or create a voice memo that can be written up later.
- Post the question and answer on your website blog.
- Don’t have a blog? Set one up. Today. No excuse. Don’t know how – call your website guy or FEC
Example educational blog post ideas: Roofing contractor in Phoenix:
- What are the most common roofing materials in Phoenix, Arizona? What are the pros and cons of each material?
- What is the process of dealing with insurance companies for roof replacements?
- How much does it cost to replace a clay tile roof?
Start with the foundation and build out from there, answering more complex questions.
Result: You now have 10 blog posts educating people about your industry and your company. One great piece of content on your website can bring leads for years to come.
Yes, but what’s the point of blog posts?
Glad you asked.
- Get traffic to your website: Helps you get found online (SEO) when someone searches for questions you have answered.
- Convert more traffic to leads: You earn people’s trust by giving them answers and information upfront. Increasing the chance they contact you.
- Increase Sales: General or technical questions can be answered before they contact you, which can speed up your sales process.
- Handle objections: You have more detailed explanations to handle objections.
Extra credit: Upcycle the blog posts
Now that you have 10 blog posts as your foundation, you can reuse the information in other ways:
- Reuse the blog posts in shorter forms for social media
- Turn the blog posts into short helpful videos. Post on YouTube and social media.
- Send the blog/video links over email or text to handle objections and help close deals.
Bottom Line
Getting direct leads is the highest profitable return on investment in marketing history. One great blog or piece of content could generate thousands of dollars of business for years to come.
A great place for contractors to start making content is by answering the most basic questions in written and video form. Make the answers as simple and clear as possible.
Further reading: They Ask You Answer book
Whenever you’re ready, there are 2 ways we can help you:
- Download our marketing playbook: A detailed 16-step guide for getting home service businesses from 0 to $2 million+/year in revenue
- Book a call to discuss a partnership to help you grow your business.
