Stuck inside for the time being? In many states, new construction is halted due to COVID-19 restrictions. A ton of hardwood floor contractors find themselves out of work right now as a result. Check out this list of states that have halted wood flooring projects put together by Wood Floor Business.
This is a troubling situation for everyone, and we hope that you are staying safe. Know that we will get through this. In the meantime, for those who are still working and need supplies for their jobs, we are still shipping nationwide and accepting call-ahead orders from local contractors. Find more details and read our statement about COVID-19 here.
While waiting for things to open back up and restrictions to loosen, now is a good time to put your extra time to use so your business can hit the ground running once it’s time. Marketing tasks often get pushed back on your calendar due to other, more pressing tasks––like adhering to strict job deadlines––but if you have some extra time on your hands, why not use it to plunge into marketing?
Use this time to brush up on your social media skills, update your social media profiles, or create new ones if you don’t have any yet. That way, your pipeline will be full of new leads once it’s time to start working again––and beyond.
While there are many different social media platforms out there, today we will be focusing on Houzz, Instagram, and your own website because we believe they offer the most benefit and impact for hardwood floor contractors looking to market themselves effectively.
Houzz
Houzz is a website where you can connect with homeowners and interior designers looking for inspiration for their next remodeling or new construction projects. There’s an entire section where people can search for local home improvement professionals by browsing their projects and profiles.
It’s completely free to create a Houzz profile and start uploading projects and photos. You can pay for ad placements so you’re prioritized over other professionals in your niche, but that’s optional and you can certainly start seeing great results with a free profile.
Houzz attracts millions of new and returning visitors each month, most of whom have a lot of disposable income and are planning a home improvement project within the next year. This gives you a huge advantage over your competitors who aren’t on the site!
An Instagram profile is a great place to showcase past projects and information about your company and compel potential clients to get in touch with you. Instagram is a visual-driven platform, so it’s the perfect place to showcase pictures of your beautiful hardwood floor projects!
Better yet––so many people are home now and spending extra time on their phones, and visiting social media sites like Instagram more frequently than normal. This is a huge opportunity to get your profile in front of people who have never heard of you before!
Another great thing about Instagram is that there’s a very active global community of hardwood floor contractors you can connect with. You can trade tips, tricks, photos, and information with fellow contractors from around the world. Accounts like @hardwoodhangout are great examples of contractors using the platform to connect with each other.
Your Own Website
If you haven’t had time to update your own website in a while, now is the perfect opportunity to do so. Write some blogs that will attract homeowners who are looking for a contractor to your website. A good starting point for a blog, if you can’t think of any ideas, is a compilation of frequently asked questions you get from homeowners along with the answers.
If you don’t have a website yet, why not take the time to set one up? You can use websites like Squarespace and Wix to build your own, and most of these build-your-own sites even have free plans.
Populate the website with pictures of past projects, information about your company, and any testimonials you might have to help convert your visitors into paying clients. Make sure you’ve signed up for a free Google My Business profile to make sure you’re maximizing the amount of space your website can take up in the search results.
