Home is where the heart is — and where the money goes. As a home services professional, your skills are in high demand, but today’s homeowners also have many choices for who to hire for their remodeling needs. A well-crafted home improvement marketing plan can help you connect with customers, stand out in a crowded marketplace, and boost your revenue.
Whether you’re just starting a home renovation business and need to establish a local presence or simply seeking fresh ideas for your home improvement ads, we can help. Below is a step-by-step guide to making your business more visible, credible, and profitable.
After a slight dip, homeowner spending on renovations and repairs is expected to rise in early 2025, with only a small 0.5% decline by mid-year. Homeowner expenditures for improvements and repairs are expected to surpass $465 billion, suggesting there’s never been a better time to invest in home improvement marketing and advertising. Are you ready to tap into this demand?
To stay top of mind, you’ll need to spend some money marketing your home services. But don’t worry; the ROI is there. Here are a few reasons why building a home remodeling marketing strategy should be a top priority this year:
The foundation of any successful marketing strategy is a solid omnichannel plan. Here’s a step-by-step guide to crafting a home improvement marketing plan:
One often overlooked home remodeling marketing strategy is nurturing potential and current customers with personalized customer service. Increasing your customer retention rate can generate new revenue, so it’s important to find ways to build trust and loyalty from the start. Quality craftsmanship only goes so far.
Here are a few ways to leverage service principles in your home improvement marketing to encourage repeat business and glowing reviews.
Homeowners may have different communication preferences, so do your best to accommodate everyone. Let them choose how they’d like to receive updates by mail, phone, or text. For more extensive renovations, consider providing weekly or bi-weekly progress reports. When in-person visits aren’t feasible, use video calls to discuss ideas. Meeting clients on their preferred platforms shows respect for their time, which is always appreciated.
A dedicated support team can be your secret weapon in maintaining strong client relationships. Train your team to be well-versed in your services, pricing, and project timelines. Once the project is over, make a quick check-in call to confirm satisfaction and uncover opportunities for future work or referrals.
If you’re in the repair business, try to offer same-day appointments or emergency hotlines to accommodate urgent requests. Have on-call technicians ready during peak seasons, and use scheduling software to quickly assign incoming requests so no lead slips through the cracks.
Did you know that a five-minute response time can lead to eight times more conversions? Let prospects know how quickly you typically respond on all your contact forms.
If you can’t be available 24/7, use an autoresponder that promises a follow-up within a few hours or an SMS service that allows you to communicate via text after hours. Website chatbots can help you answer quick questions as customers browse.
Busy homeowners value contractors who can accommodate their calendars and unique schedules. For those who work standard business hours, offer evening or weekend consultations, including video consultations. To simplify appointment booking, implement a scheduling tool like Calendly or an online booking system like ServiceTitan so clients can book appointments faster.
Transparency in business builds trust and helps reduce disputes later on. Publish general price ranges for common projects on your website or GBP so customers can approximate the costs during the research phase.
Unclear quotes or hidden fees can quickly erode trust. Therefore, your prices should break down the cost of materials, labor, and additional fees so that homeowners know what they’re paying for.
For larger jobs or multi-visit projects, consider offering your customers renovation and remodeling financing options. It can broaden your customer base and make your services more accessible.
As you grow, you can leverage your existing customers to reach new audiences. Encourage past clients to refer to others looking for your services, and incentivize their loyalty with small discounts or bonuses. Word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful marketing tools, and these simple gestures can turn your existing customers into brand ambassadors and increase your revenues.
Collecting feedback at various stages of a project, rather than waiting until the end, helps you spot and address concerns early. Send brief post-project surveys or follow-up emails inviting both praise and constructive criticism. When an issue arises, acknowledge it quickly and propose a clear plan for resolution. Then, follow up to ensure the customer feels heard.
Finally, investing in ongoing training, from hands-on workshops to webinars, keeps your team up-to-date on new materials, tools, and design trends. Also, be sure to keep your home renovation licensing and certifications current, adding reminders to your calendar when these credentials are up for renewal.
Review project outcomes regularly to identify stumbling blocks, then refine your processes for efficiency and customer satisfaction. Even minor adjustments, like updating your project management software or clarifying roles within your crew, can result in smoother operations and happier clients.
Even in the digital age, tried-and-tested methods of reaching homeowners can still be effective. Traditional home improvement marketing adds a personal touch that can help your business stand out in the local community. Here are some ideas you can consider:
Timing is everything in home improvement marketing, and leveraging the changing seasons can give your marketing a powerful edge year-round. Here are a few ways you can align specific offers with homeowners’ shifting needs to stay top-of-mind and encourage bookings:
One key way to generate more home improvement leads is to build a strong digital presence. With most customers relying on the internet to find and evaluate local services, you should consider some of the following home services digital marketing ideas that attract customers.
Homeowners looking for renovation ideas or solutions to problems often head to Google first. Blogs paired with SEO research can increase your website’s search engine visibility and position you as an industry expert.
Write about common problems homeowners may face, such as “five tips to increase your home’s curb appeal” or “step-by-step guide to planning a remodel.” Search engines rank websites higher in search results when they write original content, link to reputable sources, and incorporate the right keywords, all of which drive more organic traffic your way.
For keyword research, use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest to find the exact phrases people type into search engines. For instance, if you notice that people frequently search “cost of kitchen remodel in Buffalo,” create a blog post explaining typical price ranges and factors affecting cost. (More on leveraging local SEO strategies for better exposure below.)
Video marketing is one of the most impactful ways to showcase your home improvement expertise and drive business. About 87% of people have been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a video.
Here are some ideas for creating videos you can share on social media:
These real-time clips help homeowners envision what it’s like to work with you. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok can expose your business to new audiences, especially younger homeowners.
Research shows that email marketing boasts an average ROI of $36 for every $1 spent. It’s a cost-effective way to keep in touch with your potential customers and encourage repeat business from your current ones.
To yield substantial results, use customer segmentation by separating prospects from existing clients and tailoring your messages accordingly. Send emails that each customer segment may be most interested in, such as seasonal maintenance checklists to existing customers and discount offers to potential prospects. Use an email service provider like Mailchimp or Constant Contact to automate and monitor your email campaigns, saving you time and energy.
Social proof can make or break a homeowner’s decision to hire you. A whopping 74% of customers check at least two review sites before making decisions, most commonly on Google. Using an email marketing tool, send a review request to customers a few days after project completion (make it easy by linking to your preferred review site in the message). To get those reviews, send a polite request to customers to leave a review on Google, Yelp, Facebook, and other directories.
Don’t be shy about sharing good reviews on your website and social media. Feedback is a great way to showcase to potential clients that you have an army of satisfied customers, reply to them promptly, and work tirelessly to resolve issues.
Learn more about attracting leads in our home improvement lead generation article.
As a small home improvement business, most of your clientele will come from your immediate service area. Therefore, local marketing should be a separate strategy that focuses on optimizing your online presence for local searches and participating in community events.
Local search engine optimization (SEO) is about helping your website rank higher on Google and other search engines. When your website is optimized for SEO, it can help you appear in more searches and make it easier for people to find you and click on your website.
While general SEO focuses on broader keywords and nationwide search, local SEO zeroes in on your immediate service areas down to the exact ZIP codes. This helps increase your online visibility when people search for location-specific keywords, like “kitchen remodeler near me.”
Here’s how you can implement local SEO successfully:
A Google Business Profile (GBP) is one of the most powerful tools for local visibility because it determines how you appear on Google Maps and local searches. Businesses with a GBP are eligible to appear in the local “3-Pack” (the top map listings).
In fact, Google estimates that customers are 70% more likely to visit and 50% more likely to consider purchasing from businesses with a complete GBP.
Google’s support library has countless ways you can optimize your profile. To start, claim your listing and pass all verification steps. Choose your respective categories and enrich your profile with photos and text. Keep your hours, website links, and contact information updated and consistent with other platforms. Encourage customers to leave feedback on Google, which can influence your performance.
Beyond Google, homeowners also search for contractors on directories like Yelp, Angi, Houzz, and Thumbtack that showcase businesses by service category and location. Creating profiles on these sites helps you build your online exposure and gives customers more ways to learn about you. It’s also a great lead generation tactic.
Create profiles on these sites and upload photos and detailed descriptions of your specialties. Like your website, directory listings should include location-specific terms, such as “affordable home remodeling in Seattle.”
Note that some directories may charge pay-per-lead fees ranging from $15 to $60.
Geotargeting allows you to show home improvement ads only to people within certain ZIP codes, cities, or specified radius. For instance, you can show creative renovation ads for an upcoming roofing special only to homeowners in particular neighborhoods prone to storm damage. You can run them on:
Each platform has its own tools to create these campaigns as well as ways to monitor and compare performance over time.
Becoming an active presence in your local area can be good PR. High school football teams, Little League, and community 5Ks often look for small-business sponsors. Displaying your logo on uniforms, banners, or programs can reinforce your presence in the neighborhood.
Additionally, you can partner with real estate agents, interior designers, or hardware stores for mutual referrals. Join your local chamber of commerce to access networking opportunities and promotions in their directories. Engaging in these community relationships helps potential clients see you as more than just another contractor and an active, community-focused business.
Position yourself as a trusted local resource by offering workshops, hosting educational sessions, or volunteering in community initiatives. For instance, you can partner with a local library or hardware store and host a “DIY Basics” class or a “Seasonal Maintenance Tips” seminar.
Moreover, you can offer a free talk at an HOA meeting and go live on Facebook or Instagram for a remodeling Q&A session. When residents see you as knowledgeable and approachable, they’ll be more likely to remember your name next time they need a home improvement specialist.
Finally, consistently measuring the impact of your campaigns is key to knowing where to invest your time and budget. Track metrics like lead sources, cost per lead, and conversion rates, then use that data to adjust your remodeler marketing tactics.
A CRM (Customer Relationship Management tool) is like a digital notebook that keeps track of who’s interested in your business and which ads they respond to. It can also make reports on what’s working best and connect with email programs so you can easily message customers. You can use Google Analytics to see how many people visit your website and what they do there. By looking at these reports, you’ll know which marketing ideas work well and where to spend more money to help your home improvement business grow.
Lean on your software to track key performance indicators, such as:
Many home improvement pros also find value in periodic customer surveys to gauge satisfaction and pinpoint areas of improvement. By staying proactive in your evaluations and refining tactics over time, you’ll maintain a steady flow of projects and build a reputation for continuous growth and success in the home improvement industry.
