The COVID-19 crisis has affected essentially every business sector in the world. Predictions of a recession and future uncertainty are making customers nervous about their financial outlook, and many are opting to spend less money whenever possible. The good news for contractors is that your services are still in demand.

While there may be fewer projects in the immediate future, there is still plenty of work that needs to be done. You may just have to work a little more strategically to find it. Here are some tips on how to optimize your marketing strategy despite the current situation.

Paid Online Ads

People are home now more than ever, and there’s been a proportional increase in the amount of time they’re spending online. One of the basic rules of marketing is to go where your customers are, so one of your marketing strategies should be to optimize your online marketing dollars. Where you do this will depend on your specific business, but here are some of the facts about how online marketing has been responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Google recently released a thorough report of how pay-per-click (PPC) advertising has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. If you’re interested, you can find the full report here.

Since the pandemic started, the overall cost per click of an ad through Google has gone down for most advertisers. This is very good news for you, since it means that you are paying less each time someone clicks on one of your ads than you were before the pandemic started. According to the Google report, the home and garden industry (which includes home improvement) and the industrial sector (if you’re a business to business contractor) both saw a decent increase in the number of clicks that turned into a purchase after the pandemic started. No one can promise that this will continue, but it’s a good indication that PPC advertising is a good place to put your money, especially as long as the cost stays so low.

Facebook has also suffered a huge loss in advertising revenue, which means that it’s cheaper than ever to advertise on Facebook. There’s also less competition since many of the large advertisers have pulled back, meaning you’re paying less and getting more exposure to your customers.

In short, if you’ve got some money for marketing and you’re not sure where to put it, online ads may be the best place to start.

Market to Existing Customers

It may be difficult to find new customers right now, but there’s a good chance some of your previous customers are spending a lot more time in their homes and realizing the things they’d like to change to help them manage at home more effectively. Some ways to contact them may include:

● Send physical mail: Well done mail advertising can offer good returns for customers who have already worked with you. Send a postcard or large mailer but focus the text on the needs of your customer, being careful not to seem desperate for their business. You may offer a coupon, a free consultation, or specific suggestions of things your customers might need done in their homes.

● Email: Emails get lost more often than physical mail, but they are cheaper to send. Follow the same guidelines for focusing on your customers’ needs and letting them know how you can solve their problems.

Without a doubt, it’s going to be harder for many contractors to find steady business in the coming months, but by spending your marketing dollars wisely, you run the best chance of finding the customers who are looking for your services.

We’d love to hear from you. How are you marketing differently in light of the COVID-19 pandemic? Let us know in the comments!