Why Marketing Agencies Should Dedicate Time to Learn About Contractors and Their Field
One of the top complaints contractors have with marketing agencies (they have many) is that the agency doesn’t know their business or their industry.
How could they?
The agency salesperson may spend 2 hours setting appointments and pitching the contractor on some marketing program just to pass them off to an “account manager” who may know nothing about the industry or the region the contractor works in.
To make up for that, the account manager should spend 20 hours learning to ensure the marketing program succeeds. But if the account manager has 100 clients, how could they possibly do that?
To make matters worse, the sales rep may have passed little to no business information to the account manager. So the account manager asks the same questions, trying to learn about their 101st client.
Is it obvious yet why contractors (and small businesses in general) have a general dislike for big marketing agencies?
What A Marketing Agency Should Be Doing For Home Service Contractors
10 hours all about you
The first 10 hours should be dedicated to the client. Getting to know the business inside and out. Knowing the numbers of the contractor, their story, who they target, what the goals are, and what has worked and hasn’t worked for them in the past.
Next is setting up the systems to measure and improve the marketing.
Followed by setting up communication systems and expectations so the contractor doesn’t feel left in the wind.
Finally, the agency would gather pictures, videos, testimonials, and company branding, identify niches, and outline a marketing strategy.
This should be done before any marketing launches.
Imagine you are about to go white water rafting.
You choose a guide (the marketing agency), and with them, you choose a river that leads to where you want to go (revenue/leads goals).
The guide (marketing agency) will then choose a raft (tactics) and devise a plan to get there.
You don’t just put a raft in any body of water without a plan or a map and hope for the best.
The next 10 hours
If the agency is unfamiliar with the industry or the region the contractor works in, they better prepare.
10 focused hours of study on the industry and region should get them started, but the learning should never stop.
Marketing a flooring contractor in New York vs Texas is very different.
The common flooring materials are different, the terms used are different, the people are different, etc.
The top 3 things your marketing agency should know:
- your industry jargon
- your process: i.e.: How you install carpet in houses
- the keywords people use in your targeted area to find contractors in your industry
Bottom Line
If the marketing agency has no experience in your field or region, make sure they show you proof of how they will overcome that to make you successful. Give them resources to learn from so they can market your business effectively.
After a couple of weeks, test them.
Ask them to explain your industry and the work you want to focus on. Ask them to explain your process back to you.
Be wary of marketing agencies who only meet you 1 time before they launch your campaign.
