If you are reading this, you are probably struggling to attract enough customers to your water damage restoration business but that’s normal. In such a competitive industry, it can be challenging to stand out and attract customers. This is why water damage marketing comes into play.
Marketing is a crucial aspect of any business, and the water damage industry is no exception. In order to stand out from your competitors and attract more clients, you need to have a step-by-step marketing plan for your job getting strategies.
Water damage restoration is a specialized field that requires expertise and professional service providers. While offering high-quality services is a requirement to your success, it is not enough to ensure the success of your restoration business.
How do you market a restoration company?
Marketing a water damage restoration company is like a puzzle. Each water damage restoration marketing strategy, method and tactic is a piece that needs to fit together perfectly to create a cohesive, effective and lasting marketing plan, just like each puzzle piece contributes to the complete picture.
Marketing for a restoration company is crucial for a few reasons. Firstly, marketing helps to create awareness in the community for the company among potential customers. Restoration services are often needed in emergency situations such as floods or fires, and effective marketing ensures that the company is top of mind when these situations arise, and your local audience can count on your help.
Secondly, marketing helps to establish credibility and trust in the industry. By showcasing successful restoration projects and customer testimonials, the company can demonstrate its trustworthiness to potential customers.
Lastly, working with a digital marketing company helps generate leads or jobs and increase the revenue for the company. By having various digital marketing strategies such as Paid advertising (PPC), social media campaigns, SEO and targeted direct mail, the company can reach its target audience and convert them into paying customers. Overall, marketing is a no-brainer for a restoration company to build its reputation and attain long-term success.
Water Damage and Restoration Marketing Strategies
The water damage restoration industry is highly competitive, with numerous companies vying for customers’ attention. So, in order to succeed, restoration companies and contractors need proven digital marketing strategies to reach their target audience and dominate the competition.
1. Search Engine Marketing for Water Damage (PPC Ads)
Targeted Advertising: SEM allows water damage restoration businesses to target specific keywords and phrases related to their services. This ensures that their Google ads are shown to users who are actively searching for solutions to water damage problems, increasing the chances of attracting qualified leads.
Unlike organic SEO, SEM can provide immediate results. By bidding on relevant keywords and optimizing ad campaigns, water damage restoration businesses can quickly start driving traffic to their website and generating leads.
Pros:
- Drive targeted traffic to your website, resulting in more qualified leads and potential customers.
- Maximize your return on investment by targeting specific keywords and demographics relevant to your business.
- Targeted keywords and search ads can appear at the top of search engine results, increasing your chances of being contacted by leads.
Cons:
- First con of SEM is the level of competition. This can lead to higher costs per click and lower overall conversion rates.
- SEM (or PPC) requires ongoing monitoring and optimization. It’s not a one-time effort, but rather a continuous process of tweaking and refining campaigns to ensure they are effective.
2. Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing for water restoration can be challenging since water damage restoration services are typically needed during emergencies or after disasters, which means that the target audience may not look for these services on social media.
Additionally, the topic of water damage and restoration may not be as engaging or shareable as other types of content on social media. However, with the right strategies and tactics, social media marketing can still be effective for water restoration companies.
Focus on providing valuable and educational content that educates the audience about the importance of water restoration and the services offered, for example how they can be proactive and protect their property.
Pros:
- An additional channel that can be used to educate your audience, before turning them into paying customers.
Cons:
- In our case, social media would be more of a branding and reputation management strategy, to collect more positive reviews. So, it is a requirement, but we don’t want to spend too much time on it given the results are not measurable.
3. Email Marketing
Email marketing is best used as a value providing channel 80% of the time, with 20% of the sending potential customers offers, testimonials, and promotions.
This can include tips for preventing damage, testimonials from satisfied customers, and special offers or discounts. Email marketing allows for personalized communication with potential customers, allowing the damage restoration company to build trust and establish a relationship.
Additionally, email marketing is great and cost-effective way to stay in touch with customers and keep them informed about any updates or new services, so your company can become an authority to think of when damage restoration is need.
Pros
- Cost-effective tool to generate recurring jobs from the customers you have already acquired.
Cons:
- Not suitable for reaching out to new leads as your email can be flagged as spam if the recipient does not know your water restoration company.
4. Google My Business
Google My Business allows these businesses to create and manage their online presence on Google, making it easier for potential customers to find them. By creating a Google My Business listing, water damage restoration businesses can provide important information such as their contact details, hours of operation, and customer reviews. This improves your visibility in local search results. Additionally, Google My Business allows businesses to post updates, photos, and promotions.
Pros
- The best tool on the internet marketing area for water restoration businesses, Google does a good job of showing business for relevant keywords.
Cons
- No cons, however, GMB optimization needs to be done carefully or it can have negative effects.
5. SEO
When people experience water damage in their homes or businesses, first, they often search online for expert help. By doing effective SEO on your restoration website, you can start showing up for valuable keywords in your city and get more calls for jobs.
This is fairly challenging as the competition in the water damage industry is high, and search engine algorithms are constantly changing. But with the help of a marketing expert, or better, a digital marketing agency, correct SEO techniques and consistent effort, your company can improve ranking and drive more leads to its website.
Pros:
- Guaranteed success when your website is ranked in top 3 results.
- Leads are basically free once you start getting traffic.
- We tend to see high-quality clients come through SEO traffic.
- Most business benefit from SEO in local search, even if the competition is high.
Cons:
- Can take 3 to 6 months to see results.
- High competition can increase your expenses.
6. Insurance Agents
Insurance agents often have a large network of clients and are responsible for managing various types of claims. To secure water damage jobs, build relationships with insurance agents.
Furthermore, having proper certifications and licenses can help insurance agents feel confident in referring clients to your business. It is also important to stay up to date with industry trends and regulations, as insurance agents rely on knowledgeable professionals to handle water damage claims efficiently.
Overall, building strong relationships with insurance agents and consistently delivering high-quality work are key factors in getting water damage jobs through this channel.
Pros
- Great if you have connections with insurance agencies. Insurance agents will market your business easily.
Cons
- Harder to use this strategy if you are just starting out, as experience and trust are needed to get jobs this way.
7. Print Marketing
Print marketing is great for restoration contractors in a sense that it is tangible and visually appealing way of marketing. Print materials such as brochures, flyers, or direct mail campaigns, restoration contractors can effectively communicate their expertise and highlight the benefits of their services to potential clients.
Print marketing also allows for targeted advertising, as contractors can distribute their materials in specific neighborhoods or areas that have a higher demand for restoration services.
Print marketing can help establish credibility clients, as they can physically hold and review the contractor’s materials, which may make them more likely to choose their services over competitors.
Pros
- An amazing pattern interrupt that will get people genuinely interested in your business.
- Can be highly targeted, for example, you can only reach out to businesses for commercial jobs.
Cons
- Distribution can be time-consuming.
8. Community Marketing
A community for a local business is simply their local town. By actively engaging with the community and participating in local events, restoration companies can showcase their expertise and dedication to helping the community recover from such incidents.
Consistent community marketing can lead to increased referrals and customer loyalty. By actively participating in community initiatives and building relationships with local businesses and residents, restoration companies can become the go-to choice for restoration services in their area.
Pros
- Once you get it rolling, you start winning more and more, eventually causing a snowball effect, making your restoration company a dominant authority.
Cons
- No cons
Restoration Industry: Competitive but Profitable
The restoration industry is a highly competitive yet profitable one. Water damage is the second most common insurance claim made in the United States, and those looking to capitalize on this need to have a well-thought-out marketing strategy. With an effective water damage marketing campaign, businesses can capture a large portion of the market and increase their profits.
A normal ticket size for a water damage restoration job, depending on the severity of the damage can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000. The costs can vary based on a number of factors, such as location, extent of damage and necessary materials required for repair.
Summary: Digital Marketing Checklist for Restoration Companies
Restoration digital marketing is an essential tool for water damage restoration companies to reach new customers and build relationships with existing clients.
Taking advantage of marketing strategies such as search engine optimization (SEO), social media, Google My Business, community marketing, print marketing, building relationships with insurance agents and Paid ads can help a water damage business move up in the competition.
This digital marketing checklist for restoration companies, ensures that your company is focusing on marketing channels with the highest returns.
Schedule a free 15-minute strategy call with GBoosts, to make sure you are on the right track in getting more clients month after month.
FAQ
Why do you need a marketing strategy?
Having a road map for your marketing is essential for any business, especially those that specialize in water damage restoration services. Without a well-thought-out and comprehensive strategy in place, your business won’t be able to reach its full potential, and you might even end up losing money instead of getting new customers.
How can I start a restoration company?
Provided that you have the necessary experience and resources, starting a restoration company is relatively straightforward. We have created a guide on how to start a water damage restoration company that we recommend reading before going about your new venture.
