Why Documenting Projects Can Bring Contractors More Clients

Read time – 3 minutes

Simple answer – trust and expectations.

Before someone contacts you, they have to have some level of trust you can solve their problem, whether it’s cleaning their carpets or replacing their roof.

One of the best ways to build trust and set expectations on how your team handles a project is by documenting and showing each phase of a project with pictures and videos.

With advances in AI, people are becoming more skeptical of images and videos than ever before.

If they only see a perfect finish shot, some may wonder if this is a stock photo or an AI-generated photo.

Showing pictures of before, during, and after can help the lead feel more secure that your contracting business is legit and knows how to execute the work.

The second benefit of documenting your projects is using it for marketing to increase online traffic.

Documenting + sharing = Build trust with prospective clients

If this is the first time a person contacts you or goes to your website, your number 1 priority is building trust.

Some studies have shown that people have made 70% of their decision Before they contact a contractor.

What are they making that 70% on?

It is likely a combination of word-of-mouth referrals from friends/family, online reviews, pictures/videos of the work, content, and words on the company’s website.

Your goal is to give them the best proof that your team can solve their problem before the lead contacts you.

2 step process to turn your projects into proof

Document

Take pictures and videos of everything before the project starts. No matter the industry.
Make a photo album (or use an app like CompanyCam) on your phone for this specific project and continue to add process pictures/videos until the project is complete.
Example: repairing a damaged floor:
- document the damage, the repair process, and the clean finish result.

Post

Tag – tag your photos when you add them to your website or website’s blog.
Categorize – choose 2-4 categories this project would fall under and apply that to the blog.
Write – write a few sentences explaining the project and how you helped the client.
Post – post the project as a blog on your website, use it as an example on your service page (like on a floor repair service page), and post on social media.

More projects documented and posted = more specific niches covered = more chances to get in front of people in your area looking for this type of help.

Real-life case study

Paintworks & Decorating steady investment in documenting projects and turning them into blog posts and service pages:

Graph above shows website visitors from 2018-2021. A steady increase.

2018: 2,108 visitors found the site organically through search

2021: 13,221 visitors found the site organically through search

2023: 19,954 visitors found the site organically through a search. Plus, an additional 3,200 from social media channels and 737 referrals from other websites.

Examples: Before and After to Build Trust

Before/After Paintworks project – wallpaper vestibule on Instagram:

Blog post on Paintworks & Decorating website showing before and after:

Bottom Line

If you have projects already happening, this is an easy process to build out and execute. The pictures and details of a project can be used on your website and across all social media.

One of the main challenges contractors run into is consistently documenting and posting.

Here is a little motivation for you:

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.