Homeowners have been working hard to improve their houses, between a roaring real estate market and more time spent at home. That has caused significant growth in the last couple of years for the Home Improvement industry. Household spending on home improvement projects jumped from $9,081 in 2019 to $13,138 in 2020.
National spending on repairs and remodeling was at an incredible $339 billion in 2020 and will likely reach $352 billion within the following year. Home improvement companies must adapt to the ongoing shifts as the situation solidifies to benefit from this growth.
Marketing your home improvement business with the latest techniques and best practices helps you find the best success. Here's what you need to know to get ahead of the competition in the post-pandemic world.
Know Your Target Audience and Segment
Home improvement companies have traditionally relied on geographic areas to conduct their business. Taking that further and learning your customer's demographics, income levels, and attitude will allow you to specialize services and your marketing moving forward.
Standing out is imperative to success in a saturated market such as home improvement. The best way to stand out is through personalization. A whopping 80% of customers want more personalization from brands, with another 36% saying companies need more personalization in their marketing and customer experiences.
What's more, consumers are even willing to give you the information you need in exchange for these customized experiences (if you ask for their consent, that is!). One study reported that 65% say they'd share personal information with brands for customized shopping experiences.
So how can you source this information with consumer consent? Easy! Ask for feedback and reviews after every customer touchpoint and send out surveys whenever possible. Note that offering incentives will encourage answers if you can.
Build Your Online Presence
Today, consumers like to research most things online before buying. Developing your digital presence allows you to be found online by potential customers while adding more authenticity to your brand and business. At least 65% of consumers view online search as one of their most trusted forms of information on people and companies.
Building an online presence involves many aspects of digital marketing, including:
- Building a website
- Developing an SEO presence
- Filming quick how-to videos (video marketing)
- Running a digital ad campaign with display and search engine ads, and more.
Another significant benefit of an online presence is local marketing. Before visiting a location, 97% of people use the internet to learn more about local companies.
Make a TV Commercial
The benefit of TV commercials in the post-pandemic world is they help you convey a lot of information about your business and values while introducing it to people in your segment and putting a face to your business. People connect with brands by associating them with real-life faces, emotions, stories, and connections.
They essentially humanize your home improvement brand through these experiences. TV commercials have a reach of 90% among U.S. adults. That will allow you to build connections with a substantial part of your audience through solid commercial development.
What's more, commercials can be launched on both TV and over-the-top (OTT) services, letting you reach a broad mix of homeowners in your area.
As if that wasn't enough, the digital capabilities of OTT will also allow you to hyper-target and retarget audiences without causing ad annoyance by sending the same ad too many times to one target.
Be Flexible and Communicate Clearly
Supply chain and staffing issues are likely to persist, which poses many challenges for home improvement businesses to work around. Unfortunately, these challenges will likely continue into the coming years.
A shocking 94% of Fortune 1000 companies experienced supply chain issues that disrupted production since the beginning of the pandemic. That's not even including the disruption smaller businesses suffered.
So, what can you do to get ahead of this?
You must adjust the tone of your marketing materials regularly to keep consumers in the loop. That includes being open and upfront with customers about the issues you're facing, keeping them in the loop with supply issues, and alerting them in the case of potential delays. Consumers know what's happening — even expect it. They want to know that you'll be open and honest about the entire situation as it pertains to them.
Let a Media Partner Prepare Your Home Improvement Business for What's to Come
There's a lot to tap into in the home improvement market as it continues to grow. Your brand has an opportunity of a lifetime to resonate with loyal customers who will be more than happy to refer you to whoever will listen and make repeat purchases. You need the proper techniques and methods for connecting with the right people at the right time.
And we can help.
A media partner like FOX12 can help you establish your online presence, leaving you to focus on other important matters like running your business. Our team is already experienced and specialized in lifting home improvement brands and breaking through the clutter. Let us get your brand not only through this pandemic but ahead of the competition.
