The flooring industry is highly competitive. Most competitors have established their business footprint through traditional means. To stand out, it is essential to understand the current marketing challenges and trends in the flooring industry. Through our conversations with flooring clients and our experience providing them with effective marketing campaigns, we compiled a list of effective marketing strategies that will generate more flooring leads in 2024.
How To Get More Flooring Leads
Taking Local SEO Seriously
Local clients constitute the bulk of flooring sales. The following numbers shared by Ahrefs illustrate why local SEO is critical for flooring companies:
- Customers are 50% more likely to consider completing a purchase from a business with a complete Google Business Profile.
- 76% of people who use smartphones to search for businesses nearby will likely visit within the same day.
- 58% of businesses neglect local SEO, allowing your business to stand out.
- 28% of “near me” searches result in sales.
- Surveys agree that businesses are 2.7 times more reputable if they have complete Google Business Profiles.
Here are several ways flooring businesses can maximize the benefits of an effective local SEO campaign:
- Refining their Google Business Profile is essential
- Getting listed in local business directories is crucial for backlinks and improved online visibility
- Refining their website by focusing on local keywords
- Publishing content online that focuses on the needs of local customers
The possibilities for generating leads through local SEO are vast. To learn more about how WebPower can help you harness the power of local SEO for your flooring business, visit our marketing for flooring page.
Strike Partnerships with Local Interior Designers and Builders
Strategic partnerships with local interior designers and builders can help your business gain visibility in the broader market. Moreover, you can establish a referral system and work out recommendations to help you generate more inquiries, which translates to high-quality leads.
Establishing fruitful and symbiotic relationships with strategic partners is essential for companies seeking to tap potential markets, especially in areas not in their immediate vicinity. Your industry partners can also be a source of valuable backlinks, which can serve as effective ranking factors for your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and provide direct links where more people can find you online through your partners’ websites.
Join Industry-Specific Forums
Signing up and joining contractor forums, home improvement forums, and flooring chatrooms is one way to gain visibility where your potential clients hang out online. By engaging in discussions, answering questions, and providing free helpful information and tips, you can become a desired community member that potential clients will trust. However, please ensure you don’t plug in your business directly or sound too “salesy.” Another benefit of joining these forums is understanding your target market better, which will help you refine your marketing strategy.
Create a Virtual Showroom
With the online environment evolving quickly, texts and still photographs may not engage your target market like they used to. Having a virtual showroom provides an immersive experience for your site visitors, which can help keep them engaged and stay on your site longer. The increase in engagement can generate more interest, which will eventually manifest in calls, inquiries, and quotes.
Expand Your Network
A significant influence on the success of your business is who you know. That means your network has an unlimited potential for expansion. Since established flooring businesses started expanding their network through traditional means, it is essential for new players to tap into this timeless lead generation technique.
- Joining Rental/Apartment/Landlord Associations: These groups can help you tap into a vast market with a significant demand for flooring. For instance, 266,000 apartments are being built each year (MarketSharp).
- Attending Trade Shows: Investing in a booth at an industry trade show can reap dividends quickly. A thoughtfully designed booth that stands out can engage homeowners builders, interior designers, and other potential partners.
- Joining Local Business Associations: Though they are not as effective as in previous decades, local chambers of commerce are still a go-to option for people in the higher age bracket when looking for trustworthy businesses. Moreover, local chambers of commerce are a good place to look for potential partners with whom you can share leads.
Press Releases
Press releases, whether through traditional print or online, are effective ways of gaining visibility with readers of specific news platforms. Creating timely and relevant articles and giving interviews to industry-specific news sites or local community sites can generate interest and trust in your business. Moreover, high-authority sites that may publish your press releases can help build your backlink, which can further support your site’s ranking on relevant search platforms.
Manage Your Reviews
The following statistics from Ahrefs illustrate why managing reviews can’t be overstated for industries catering to local clients:
- Reviews Drive Decisions: Nearly two out of three potential customers check reviews on your Google Business profile before visiting, highlighting the power of your online reputation.
- Respond and Connect: 88% of consumers are more likely to select businesses that reply to all reviews, highlighting the importance of responsiveness in building trust.
Manage Your Social Media
76% of Americans are engaged in social media (Hootsuite). Ignoring social media will always be a missed opportunity for businesses. However, it is crucial to create straightforward posts and paid ads that address the needs of your potential clients or are relatable to them.
Use Targeted Mailing Campaigns
Mass mailing can provide your brand exposure to more people. Executing a well-targeted mailing campaign can provide more high-quality leads with fewer resources than other marketing methods. There are several ways you can conduct your mailing campaigns effectively through targeted mailing campaigns:
- Strike a deal with your strategic partners to feature your flooring business as a small ad or a brief mention in their emails.
- Scan websites, like Realtor.com or Zillow, or review local listings to search for recently purchased homes.
- Work with a real estate agent to get mailing or email addresses of newly purchased homes that may require remodeling.
Customer Referrals
Building trust through reviews is invaluable for businesses such as flooring contractors. However, getting direct customer referrals is an effective way to generate business. Aside from encouraging your customers to post reviews online, don’t forget to mention referring your business to friends. A happy customer is more than willing to oblige. Establishing a referral system for your customers will make it easier to get high-quality leads this way.
Here are several ways you can request referrals through a systematic approach:
- Share a “thank you” note after job completion with a referral request.
- Establish a friendly relationship with clients and make this an obligation for your employees on-site.
- Reach out through social media by posting work done.
- Reply to positive reviews and mention referring you to friends and family.
Grow Your Flooring Business with These Action Steps!
The flooring industry offers a wealth of strategies and opportunities to generate steady leads. From optimizing online presence through local SEO to building solid relationships with partners and customers, there are solutions for every budget and marketing preference. To learn more about how you can boost your flooring business through effective online strategies with our Online Growth Acceleration program, call us at (213) 317-7184 or talk to a digital marketing expert for a free online marketing consultation.