Content is everything
It’s all about the content! But what is content anymore? Some say that the true definition of this term must be a gathering of written words in the form of some type of blog, article, press release, or informational web page. Do emails constitute as content? How about Facebook posts? Tweets can’t be considered content, right? Our version of content is anything that will get your viewers excited, whether it’s a picture, a video, a slideshow presentation, engaging text, or a combination of those things.
Unfortunately, content can be quite boring and not speak to the type of people you are looking to sell. As a Plumbing or HVAC contractor you can’t just give potential customers a rendition of how toilets flush or what a new air conditioner can do for them, they either already know or simply don’t care. However, you can spin this into things that they do want to digest. The core pages on your website will have to touch on the various services you offer, but you need to know how to present it in such a way that they can’t resist your company.
What are your customers looking for?
Conduct an actual survey with the typical customers that come to you for help…what are they looking for and what do they truly want to know? Once you have learned what the most commonly asked questions are you can start to develop more personalized content. But perhaps your customers are asking the wrong questions that are not leading them to the answers they are looking for.
You will need to determine what to give them based on key characteristics about their personality, such as their wants, needs, fears, and interests. Even if you decide to intertwine another topic within your content, you still need to placate to what the client wants to see first. And what they want is not necessarily what they need, which is why it is up to you to show them.
Carefully examine both your Facebook posts as well as theirs. What has sparked the most attention on your page and what do you see as recurring themes on your customers’ accounts. A simple tweet or Facebook post that has generated a lot of likes and shares may do quite well as a blog topic on your website. And these entries need to be consistent; you must provide a reliable source of information when your viewers expect it.
Pictures & videos
The attention span of today’s generation has shortened significantly, which is why visual stimulation is so important. You have probably all heard the phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words” and in many cases it is. A captivating photograph either by itself or paired with a short line of valuable text can pull prospective clients in very quickly.
Using several photographs and maybe some forward language to tell a story within a slide show is another great way to captivate your audience. Canva is an easy to use tool for creating an amazing presentation. You can then post it on your website, Facebook account, or upload it to SlideShare. SlideShare is a highly sought after site that gets roughly 60 million visitors per month. People come to this site to gain extensive knowledge on all different types of topics. Incorporating this free marketing medium into your content strategy will only help to generate more solid leads.
With each slide you can also put in links back to your blogs, social media platforms, or another significant page on your website. Once you send prospective customers in this direction you can then use some type of desirable opt-in, whether it’s a discount, cheat sheet, or some other enticing offer, to grab up their contact information.
Videos are all the rage these days because people are truly about immediacy, catering to that will help your Plumbing or HVAC business immensely. A short but useful clip or one that triggers a positive emotional or intellectual response will keep you on the forefront of your viewers’ minds.
Personalization is key for content marketing
Believe it or not customers want to know about your life as well. Interesting facts about you and your team will help them to relate to you as human beings and not just some company looking to sell them something. Create a digital dialogue between you and your viewers, make it so that they really want to hear what you have to say next. If you continue to give them what they want customers will keep coming back.
Presenting your information in various ways allows you to get your point across in a more proficient manner and it will also help you to gain a wider audience, as people may prefer one medium over the other such as tweets, posts, pictures, videos, or a constructive blog article. Even an e-newsletter or one that is printed and mailed out may give you more repeat and referral business because it shows that you have taken the time to accommodate each individual.
By utilizing various methods of calculated content advertising you will widen your fan base and capture those clients that otherwise would have been lost. With a well thought out marketing approach you can take your Plumbing or HVAC business to a whole new level.
If you would like to learn more about what Plumber & HVAC SEO can do for your business, just click here to schedule a time to talk with us or call 866-610-4647.
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