Contractor Marketing Pros.com

Beware: Google DKI

2007-11-28T13:18:00.001-08:00

As some of you probably know, Google Adwords has a function that allows you to have your ad title display the exact keyword search entered, as opposed to the static ad titles you've created. Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) does just that...dynamically creates your ad title according to the keyword search entered (assuming it will fit within the alloted number of characters).

So what's the point? It's no secret that the closer your ad title is to matching the keyword search entered, the more people are likely to click on your ad. So for Google, DKI is a cash cow. By rolling this out, Google was able to ensure more advertisers presented a message that was more likely to receive a click. More clicks means more money in Google's pockets.

So what's the problem? Just changing your ad titles to match the exact "needs" of the searcher doesn't ensure your site will actually answer those needs. In other words, by "hitting a home run" with their keyword search, you've created a higher level of expectation in the searcher's mind...that means you better deliver. What do we mean?

Let's just say you sell teddy bears...and let's say a diehard University of California Bears football fan wants to get a 'UC Berkeley Teddy Bear". If you've chosen to use DKI, your ad would display UC Berkeley Teddy Bear. So guess what? That person is not only expecting to see a UC Berkeley Teddy Bear, they're expecting to see it soon. In other words, your ad told them you had exactly what they needed...so you better deliver.

If not, you run the risk of getting a lot more visitors to your site that don't find what they're looking for...exactly what Google doesn't want to have happen.

Do You Instant Message?

2007-11-13T15:55:00.000-08:00

You've probably seen or even use instant messager. Like email and blogging, IM is simply another way people are communicating using the web. So why not allow potential customers to instant chat you if they're interested in your services or want to schedule an appointment. While this form of communicating might not be the most popular and certainly isn't going to take the place of picking up the phone and calling, for many, chat is a comfortable and easy way to interact. And with Userplane, it's now easier than ever to have chat enabled on your website. By simply installing one chunk of code, you can have an easy-to-use instant messenger built right into your site.

This is just one more EASY way potential customers can communicate with you, so why not give it a shot?

Trying to Get Your Blog Noticed?

2007-11-13T14:49:00.000-08:00

Previously we've discussed the importance of investing in new media, and one of the most popular is blogging. If you're a contractor that's trying to get your blog going, but you're not quite sure how to "spread the word", you should consider utilizing one of the many social bookmarking sites that allow users to search, exchange, and learn more about things people like them have found to be useful. This article discusses some of the sites out there that have a hungry user-base of web-savvy people...certainly your customer base is among them, so let them find your blog and spread the word for you!

$10 Million Challenge

2007-11-12T20:38:00.000-08:00

Well, it appears Google is serious about going mobile, as evidenced by their recent $10 million open challenge for developers willing to create platforms utilizing what Google hopes to be a revolutionary mobile platform. That means there's about to be countless companies solely devoted to providing mobile applications through Android. It also means mobile technology is about to become a whole lot more useful, and integrated into our lives. So what does this mean for contractors? Platforms will certainly be created that will allow people to learn more about you, communicate with you, etc. through their phones. It's just another medium which is only now opening up and that most contractors won't cash in on for years.

Web 2.0 For Businesses

2007-11-12T13:44:00.000-08:00

Here's another article discussing how businesses can capitalize on the power of the web and communicate/interact with potential customers. If the author sounds a bit vague, it's because this ability to engage people can mean some many different things to different companies. The possibilities are endless, and quite frankly, the ability to communicate more easily makes it nearly impossible to know where it will all go. A couple things are for sure...a) people will continue to find better and more useful ways to communicate, and b) companies that take the time to engage these people through whatever new means are available to them will reap the rewards.

Facebook Unveiling Ad Platform

2007-11-09T07:36:00.001-08:00

Well, you knew this was coming...and here it (almost) is. In this article, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg discusses their plans to launch an advertising platform designed to allow users to determine what types of ads they display and see. By customizing this function, their goal is to provide relevant, targeted ads driven by peoples' likes (and dislikes), location, etc. In the article, he also discusses how businesses can benefit from having a Facebook profile and interacting with potential customers. This is just another avenue that you can use to reach potential customers, establish a relationship with them, and build your brand.

The Rise of Social Media

2007-11-09T07:22:00.000-08:00

Over the past couple of years, more and more social media sites like Myspace, Facebook, etc. have been popping up. As we've mentioned before, these sites offer users countless ways to interact, communicate, and share their lives with others. While most of the traffic is younger people, statistics show that the user base for these sites is diversifying. And as these sites mature, more and more people are using them...in fact, in a recent study it was found that UK internet users use these networks more than email. How amazing is that? In such a short period of time, the way people choose to communicate has completely changed.

So what does this have to do with you? Well, these social networks aren't just for teens anymore. More and more people of all ages are joining these sites, and as such, there are more and more opportunities for business to befriend, communicate, and interact with potential customers. So if you want to stay ahead of the game, be social!

Rising Click Prices

2007-11-08T08:40:00.000-08:00

If you've been managing a pay-per-click campaign for a long time, you're painfully aware of the rise in cost to advertise on the major search engines. As more companies are introduced to the power of this advertising medium, the competition has increased, raising the cost you pay to garner a visitor to your website.

So what can you do to ensure this medium continues to be a viable source of new business for your company? Here's a couple of suggestions:

Optimize Your Paid Marketing Campaign

The days of throwing up a paid marketing campaign with little thought and even less strategy are over. If you're not managing your campaign smartly, you're not doing yourself any favors. Make sure you're analyzing your traffic, determining which clicks are more likely to turn into customers, and investing your energies in those people. Also make sure your campaign is targeting the right geographic territory, so that you're not spending money on people that reside outside your service area.

Invest In Organic Search Marketing

We've been screaming this to anyone who would listen for years! But it's finally becoming increasingly apparent to companies that practice search engine marketing that developing a long-term strategic vision that's rooted in organic search traffic is the smartest, and most effective way to reach more customers using the internet. While it's difficult, and sometimes costly to achieve, once you obtain high organic placement on the search engines, all of the targeted traffic you receive from that placement is FREE! So in a year, if you haven't spent money getting high organic placement, you'll still be dependent on paid search marketing...and if you think the prices are getting outrageous now, imagine what it's going to be like in a year.

If you'd like to discuss how best to ensure your company stays competitive in this ever-changing atmosphere, contact us today for a free consultation!

Tracking Site Conversions

2007-11-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

If you're a contractor, you've probably spent a considerable amount of time trying to track the performance of your various advertising methods. This could be as simple as asking people where they heard about you, or setting up different phone numbers for your different ads, or any other way of tracking your ROI.

With the internet, it's possible to accurately, and immediately, track how your website(s) and various ads are performing. What does this mean? It means you can see where your visitors are coming from, what they're doing when they get to your site, and how well you're capturing that traffic and turning them into leads.

By analyzing your site's performance, you can test different strategies to see what works best. For instance, by simply creating a new banner main image for your site, you might find a significant increase in the percentage of visitors that turn into leads. Or by adding a special seasonal coupon to a certain page and sending targeted visitors there, you might see the same results.

Google has a very robust, simple optimization tool that will allow to gather and analyze site data for your website, so if you haven't already, start tracking your site visitors and figuring out ways to improve your conversion rates!

Google Going Mobile

2007-11-06T12:08:00.000-08:00

After months of speculation, Google has announced its plan to expand into the cellular phone industry by offering an open platform called Android that will work with most devices and carriers. In this way, they hope to provide a universal platform that will allow developers to expand their talents (whatever they might be) to mobile devices. So why is this such a big deal? By expanding to mobile users, Google can reach even more users than they currently do through the internet. Here's is an interesting article discussing Google's move and the implications for advertisers and users.

Update Your Site

2007-10-28T17:10:00.000-07:00

If you have your own website, make sure you're updating it often. Not only are you providing more information for potential customers, but you're also telling the search engines that your site is becoming more useful. The search engine spiders see an active site and they see someone that's trying to be helpful to site visitors, and they'll reward that effort with higher search rankings. But one important thing to remember, make sure you're adding content that's related to your site. If you're a plumber and you add 3 pages talking about your dog or your favorite football team, you're only going to confuse the spiders. In everything you do, make it clear what your site is about, and why you've built it. In this way, you'll be certain to see higher rankings and more targeted site visitors...so if you haven't lately, update your site!

The Social Graph

2007-10-25T22:18:00.000-07:00

You've probably heard of Facebook before...here's an interview with the founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. In it he talks about their mission of finding new ways to allow people to communicate to other people, and that they haven't even scratched the surface in helping people communicate. Makes me wonder how else contractors could be communicating with potential customers. I don't think we've even scratched the surface either.

2007-10-05T11:41:00.001-07:00

If you are like us, you'd like to be 'ahead of the game' with your
search engine optimization efforts.

As quickly as things change online, we certainly expect search to
evolve in the next few years. But what do the experts think about
where search is going? Check out this article on search in 2010, which is a compilation of interviews from top
mgmt at google, ask, msn, etc.

How do you all think these trends affect us, in the home services
industries?

2007-10-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

Text Messaging Now Available!

As most of you are aware, we are constantly working to find new ways to help our partners get the best possible value out of our services. The latest advance we have made allows you to receive text messages on your cell phone as soon as an email lead is sent to your email account!

By using this free feature, you don't have to worry about being out of the office or not being in front of your computer at all times. Now, not only will have instant communication with those potential customers who call you directly after finding your information online, but you will also know instantly when a potential customer submits their contact information through the online form. That means that you will be able to get in touch with them right away!

If you are interested in receiving these text messages, please let us know. You can just send us an email with the cell phone number where you would like the texts to be sent, and we'll take care of the rest!

2007-09-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

Do You 'Do' CRM?

So, we have been wondering lately what you (our clients) 'do' with the leads that find you through our website marketing service. What I mean is this: after a lead comes through to you, either through a phone call inquiry or an email form submission inquiry, where does it 'go'?

Or, if you're not already a client of ours, you still get leads...so I'm wondering what, on average, happens to your new customer inquiries. I could imagine that a lot of times, the potential customer's contact info gets typed into a spreadsheet somewhere, or maybe it's sent via email to the dispatcher. I could even imagine, in some cases, the caller's information gets jotted down on a post-it note, and stuck to someone's computer monitor. In the worst cases, the information might not be written down at all - if you're busy with something else or just hoping to call the person back after checking their Caller ID.

These are the things we have started really thinking about...now that our network of contractor marketing sites delivers 4-digit lead volumes per month. We are working hard to identify tools that we could develop and provide to you for free, as part of our pay-for-performance service, that would help you to more conveniently track your leads, follow up on them, deliver the information to your service team, or calculate your ROI on those leads.

We've got a lot of ideas for things we can do, but it would be most helpful if you could give us some information about what systems you currently use, and what you might like from us. As you may already know, we're working day and night, literally, to build a platform that gives you easy access to lead reports and many other tools to manage your online account with us. For example, we are going to set up your lead tracking interface in our platform so that you can input your own information about the leads that we've delivered to you, such as 'Notes about the caller' or 'Callback number and time of day', and even 'appointment time', if relevant. In addition, a simple 'Email This Lead' button might help you - so that you could forward the customer's information, along with their address and appointment information, directly to the dispatcher...without copying and pasting the information into a spreadsheet or an email. What would you think about that?

So as we build out different functions for this platform, we have a lot of decent ideas, but we really wanted to stop and ask you...what sort of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools do you use? Perhaps you've tried SalesForce.com or some other CRM tool that works especially well for home service providers? Or do you have some other method of tracking customer lead status and following up with them? Another one of the things we have thought about working to develop is an easy method of exporting your lead data from our system and importing those leads into a service like SalesForce.com. What would you think of that? We're thinking of that in the same way as 'Quickbooks and TurboTax' - those two services are so useful because of the interoperability of the data - once you've finished putting your your financial records in Quickbooks, the data can easily be imported into TurboTax for calculating your taxes. It's this 'network effect' that makes both services infinitely more useful.

In the same way, we would like to make the lead data we provide to you equally useful and transport-able to your CRM...or just deploy the most important CRM-type features into the platform we're building. So if you're up for it, leave us a comment to let us know what you do...what systems do you use, if any, for managing customer lead data. If you currently use some in-house method, then what would be the most useful tools for us to provide you with? If the person answering your phones could type the lead information directly into the lead tracking platform we provide for you, could that possibly make it easier to record information on the lead, and ultimately close more jobs? Give us some feedback and tell us what we can do to help you keep track of leads and make the most of them. After all, these leads are exclusive and service-ready, so the better our system helps you to close more business, then the happier we will all be!

2007-09-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

Print Classifieds, a History Lesson
Remember when home services companies had no other option but to dump thousands of dollars into classifieds ads every month for the hope of getting customers? We've created a mural to memorialize their tyranny.

:) Sorry about the grainy camera photo...but the image is just too funny to resist. How about some creative slogans for this campaign? Any ideas?

"Bringing classified ads online, where they should be..."

"We've studied the history of classified advertising, so you don't have to..."

What do you think? Any other ideas?

2007-07-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

New Release - Free 'ExcluSites' Interface Coming Soon! Sign up for a test drive.

As many of you know, Over the past year and half, we've gotten to know you, we have learned from you, and we have tweaked, automated, improved, and otherwise added facets and offerings to our system in order to get more customers for you, using the Internet. We have developed websites and lead tracking systems, transparent invoices and enhanced customization for your online profile. With your help and feedback, we have built a system for helping home service contractors like you to develop a more robust online presence. At the same time, we have always said, "we are working on new systems and features", but you might be thinking, 'well sure, everybody says they're working hard and making things better.'

Well, we are getting close to rolling out a great tool: one that will make our service more convenient than ever, and it's a platform that will give you more control over your entire experience with us! In this way, we won't have to mess with faxing docs back and forth, emailing you excel spreadsheets, and the like. All this information will be handled in one easy-to-use interface, with versatility built in that enables you to manage your own online campaign through us.

And, the new platform will be free! In other words, if you are one of the many contractors who markets your company through one of our Exclusive Websites (ExcluSites), then your experience with us will be powered by this new and easy interface!

Basically, you will be able to login to a website interface we have built, like an email account, a MySpace profile, and an AdWords account, all rolled into one. There, you will be able create your personalized profile online, track your lead volumes, adjust your account settings, and do many other exciting things.

As we gear up for the pre-release, then the live beta version, then the ultimate rollout of this platform, we hope to get your help. You could give us ideas for things you'd love for the platform to do, help us identify bugs in the code, etc. We're building a system for you, and so we are really interested in getting your input, if you're interested. So if you want to get a 'sneak peak' into this new interface, just send us an email to at support@sagaxmedia.com, with the words 'ExcluSites Platform' somewhere in the subject line and your contact info in the body. We'll see about setting you up with a test account, and go from there!

2007-07-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

How to Land a Job Even If You Are Underbid

We all know that you get what you pay for, and that low bids for a job often equal low value. As this article points out, sometimes people are actually scared off by really low prices, fearing that they may be an indicator of poor quality.

On the other hand, many customers are certainly looking for the best bargain. Landing a job if you aren't the lowest bidder can be a tough task, especially since many contractors I have spoken to would rather focus on their own positive qualities rather than talking bad about a competitor when trying to make the sale. Do you have any tips on how to convince your potential customer to use your services even if you aren't the lowest bidder or any helpful bidding strategies generally?

2007-05-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

Tips For Making Your New Potential Customers Feel At Ease

We all know that creating a strong online presence is a great way to find new customers and grow your business. However, along with new customer inquires comes the need to focus on putting their main concerns and fears of hiring a new contractor at ease. After all, they don't know you from Adam!

Many customers are hesitant to trust home improvement contractors due to some negative publicity in the news and due to the actions of a few untrustworthy con-men. So, here's some simple advice I've gathered from some of our most successful partners on how to ease customer's fears and thus be able to get the most out of your leads.

First, don't give them any reason to not trust you right off the bat! It almost goes without saying that first impressions go a long way. Our partners tell us that showing up time and responding to their customer's emails and calls in a timely manner goes a long way in developing trust.

Secondly, many customers fear that their contractor will constantly try to up sell them and that their contractor won't be focused upon what the customer really wants. Our partners tell us that when they listen to the customer carefully, and ask the right questions in your initial meetings, they will have a much better chance to get the job. Later, after they have begun work and trust has been established, opportunities to up sell present themselves naturally.

Fianlly, most customers are concerned about the price of their job getting out of hand. Many of our partners say one of the most important things they have learned through their years of experience is to never avoid talking about money before you get started! Most future problems can be avoided if you know how much they are looking to spend from the get go. A customer is much more likely to hire a contractor who has asked them about hteir budget, and politely explained their options before wanting to jump into the work. Also, if you set a reasonable budget with your customer upfront, explaining the various costs, the customer will be less likely to hassle you about price as the job progresses and can't complain upon completion if you come in at your budget. This makes for a better experience for both you and your customer.

If you have any other tips on how to close your leads by putting customer fears at ease during your initial conversations and meetings, please leave a comment!

2007-05-08T14:36:00.000-07:00

The Power Of Video

Hello everybody. One of the things we have discovered throughout our many experiences with online marketing is that videos can be a very powerful and effective tool. Putting a video on your website helps you make a more personal connection with potential customers.

As soon as someone visits your site, you could have a video that shows your potential customers right away that you are friendly, experienced, and willing to help. Making a video for your website is not as hard as you might think! This website has some really great tips on how to do it - http://www.selfseo.com/story-17252.php. They are focused on selling products, but their advice is just as applicable for contractors looking to provide service.

If you are one of our partners and you have a video on your website, we would be happy to place it on our website to help promote your business as well. Also, feel free to comment on your experiences with making advertising or promotional videos or to ask for advice.

2007-04-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

A Simple Tip To Help Get The Most Out Of Your Customer Inquiries

Through working with home service providers across the country we are always on the lookout for best practices on how our service providers can get the most out of a customer lead. While the number one way to get the most out of a customer inquiry is to always answer the phone, nobody is going to be able to answer 100% of their phone inquiries. One contractor told me of a great way to insure that the potential customer leaves a message, which he says greatly increases his close rates. His voice message identifies their company, apologizes that nobody was able to get to the customer's call, and then offers a small percentage discount off any services they end up performing if the caller is a first time customer and if they leave a message. He said almost every single new customer leaves a message, and that his close rate is great with these customers because they want to take advantage of the discount! Please feel free to leave a comment if you have any other ideas on best practices that you have found to increase your close rates.

2007-03-25T21:57:00.000-07:00

New Google tool to track online advertising.

Check out this new Google beta test on Pay-Per-Action. By integrating this function with your Google Adwords & Analytics Conversion Tracking, advertisers can pay for every action converted, such as a completed lead, a signup, or an online purchase.

This might offer a nice opportunity for contractors to determine ROI on your advertising campaigns in a new way...paying for actual customer leads your site is generating. Our company will certainly test this functionality for our own campaigns and if you're interested in signing up for the Google beta, there's a one-page form at the link provided above.

2007-03-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

Sagax Media Unveils Free Marketing for Remodeling Contractors, Challenges Traditional Classified Advertising, Catapults RemodelingInTown.com into Remodeling Scene

Sagax Media is pleased to announce the development and unveiling of RemodelingInTown.com, a premier, free Web location for homeowners and remodeling contractors to find each other. After several successful web development efforts, the engineering team at Sagax Media has rolled out an effective, and powerful portal for homeowners to find and learn about local remodeling contractors.

Driven by the goal of overcoming the tyranny of expensive print classifieds and obsolete traditional advertising, RemodelingInTown.com is the culmination of several years of research and planning. It offers remodeling contractors nationwide an opportunity for free advertising. Moreover, it is easy for contractors to list their services, describe their strengths, and present themselves effectively to interested homeowners.

Gone are the days when a contractor is limited to listing their company name, phone number and slogan, crammed into a small column in an expensive phone book. This system was expensive for advertisers and inadequate for prospective customers who wanted to compare their options. RemodelingInTown.com combines attractive design, easy navigation and the opportunity for rapid growth to create an effective directory for online marketing.

Since its inception on January 1, 2007, Sagax Media has made it incredibly easy for contractors to submit their company information to this directory. The result? Over 50 contractors have already signed up and new advertisers are joining this network on a daily basis. The rewards for these advertisers are remarkable as well. With hundreds of interested customers reaching this site every day, RemodelingInTown.com is resulting in several customer inquiries each day, meaning more homeowners are finding the right contractors and the entire system is free for everyone.

With several development projects in the pipeline, RemodelingInTown.com is definitely a site to keep an eye on. Soon, it will include a Myspace-like network of individual profiles for each remodeling company, rating systems, and many other valuable additions to the already valuable website. In 2007, the site will increase in quality, rise in the search rankings, and deliver remarkable results for those advertisers who arrived early. Visit http://www.RemodelingInTown.com to learn more.

The full release here.

2007-03-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

To our clients:

Our vision is to create an elite network - one that conveys credibility and trust in the mind of consumers. We want potential customers to see that your website is part of this exclusive network and immediately trust the quality of services you’ll provide.

Also, we continue developing the our Remodeling Contractors directory, at www.RemodelingInTown.com, with excerpts from our press release located here:

We also want to help you, the members of our network, build relationships with one another. While we are busily promoting your website, seeking out new elite partners, and building out this network, we want you all to be able to communicate with each other. We hope that you can share experiences, collaborate on best practices, and collectively offer us feedback on how we can continue to improve our service to you.

We are pleased to announce that February was our most successful month ever; in terms of the total number of leads we generated, as well as the number of new partners who joined our network, fifteen! We are constantly facing challenges as the Internet landscape is rapidly evolving, but our operations and technology teams are efficient and forward-looking. With this growth and all the positive feedback you have given us, we remain dedicated to our mission of creating an elite network of nationwide home service providers.

As we have built this relationship with our newest clients, one of the most powerful lessons we have learned is that we cannot truly succeed without your feedback and involvement. Our data has consistently shown that our websites perform best when you are actively involved with them, so thank you for your contributions to this project. Just like any team, we succeed when your company and ours collaborate on this website project together. We are pleased to be moving forward with you.

2007-01-29T21:55:00.000-08:00

We're working to Democratize Marketing for mid-sized businesses, especially Home Service Contractors. Our goal is to lower the barrier to entry for small businesses to advertise online, making it (1) Easy and (2) Cost-Efficient for our clients to get customers online.

We've just released a video that discusses how we provide this service and shares how effective and inexpensive it is for our clients. To learn more about how easy it is to get customers online using our service, please watch this 8-minute video.