8 PROFESSIONAL VISIBILITY PRINCIPLES
While there is never a bad time to take inventory of your digital presence, the new year does seem like the most appropriate time to do so. New beginnings and fresh starts are synonymous with Jan. 1. Many homebuilders, remodelers, and industry suppliers are looking to kick Q1 off on a good note by revamping their online marketing efforts.
Because many different components make up a business’s online efforts, it can be difficult to know where to start. To keep it simple, at Hook Agency, we implement eight key professional visibility principles to improving your online presence. Essentially, professional visibility is making sure you’re getting in front of the right audience online and that your business looks good doing it.
To start 2021 on the right note, follow these eight professional visibility principles to review and optimize your digital presence.
Principle 1. Your website reflects the quality of work you do.
First and foremost, it’s time for a self-assessment. Instead of doing a deep dive audit on your website, just take a look at it from a glance. Do you believe that your website’s quality is in line with the quality of work you do? Answering this question honestly is a great starting point for improving your web presence.
Principle 2. Your customers can easily find you when searching for your services online.
If you’re a home remodeler in the Twin Cities area, then you want to show up on Google when someone searches “home remodeler Minneapolis.” There are many different ways you can improve your company’s standing on Google, with these three being the most crucial:
- Write content that focuses on the problems your ideal customers have—whether it’s blogs, landing pages, infographics, etc.
- Focus your efforts on acquiring links to your website from other reputable sources within your industry (vendors, partners, periodicals, etc.).
- Make technical improvements to your website—with meta titles and descriptions being an excellent place to start.
Principle 3. When customers search your company’s name, your company should dominate the first results page.
If a potential client is Googling your name, that means they are already highly interested in your service. A Google search for your name should yield a first page that is roughly 70% you. In addition to writing content, acquiring links, and making technical improvements, here are three other ways to dominate search queries for your company’s name:
- Get as many reviews as you can, whether on your website, Houzz, Google Business, etc.
- Create a fleshed-out Google My Business profile featuring reviews, images, and contact information.
- Write robust services pages and landing pages for cities and neighborhoods you tailor to.
Principle 4. Your social media followers see consistent, useful content.
Social media is a massive part of the homebuilding, remodeling, and contractor industry. Social platforms are a great opportunity to showcase your fantastic work and provide value with tips and tricks for home improvement, interior design, and more. To ensure you’re getting the most out of your social platforms, do the following:
- Post 3+ times per week; generally, the earlier in the day, the better.
- Don’t be overly self-promotional—provide value with helpful information, giveaways, etc.
- Engage with your followers by responding to questions and comments.
Principle 5. Interested customers are marketed to using remarketing ads.
Remarketing ads are an instrumental piece in a successful digital presence. They ensure that those interested in your services still consider you during their decision-making process. Also, it is a relatively inexpensive marketing expense. Here are some remarketing tips to make sure you get the most out of your efforts:
- Google Ads and Facebook Ads are fairly easy to use and are a great place to start.
- Try out different images, headlines, and call-to-actions to figure out the best combination for your customers (otherwise known as A/B testing).
Principle 6. Your website tells a powerful, emotional story and centers on the consumer, not you.
Perhaps the biggest mistake most businesses make with their website is creating a website that doesn’t speak to their consumers’ needs. Your website should be centered on your customers’ needs.
For example, instead of a headline on your front page reading, “Work With One of the Best Homebuilders in Minnesota,” it should instead say something that positions the homeowners as a hero (“Build a Home that Protects Your Family Today”). You are the guide on their journey to a new or improved home. You’re there to help, and your website should reflect that. Here are some tips to achieve this on your site:
- Read “Building a Storybrand” by Donald Miller.
- Brainstorm your customers’ biggest problems and how you help them solve them. Make sure your website copy addresses these issues.
- You can still talk about your credibility, expertise, and awards, but make sure they aren’t the focal point of your story.
Principle 7. You have embraced your niche, and it shows in your marketing.
Catering to every single homeowner can create a messy, muddled marketing message. Find out what your ideal customers look like in terms of where they live, what types of homes they have or want, their budget, what services they need, etc. Once you discover this information, use to your advantage by:
- Creating 3+ blog posts per month tailored to your ideal customers.
- Creating landing pages that cover your top locations and services (ex: “Edina Modern Home Remodelers”).
Principle 8. Your customers always know what the next steps are after an interaction.
Whether it’s a social media post, a blog, a landing page, an email, a Facebook ad, or any other digital medium, once a potential customer sees it, they should know what to do if they are interested in your services. This is known as the “Call-to-Action” (CTA). Regardless of the digital format, the potential customer is using, contacting your company should be easy. Here’s how to get your ideal customer to take action:
- Have a contact form at the top of your home page.
- Include CTAs in all your blogs and landing pages.
- Include contact info on all your social media platforms.
When it comes to achieving these principles, start with the most manageable ones for you and your team. Working with aprofessional digital marketing team is also a surefire way to create a web presence that embraces professional visibility to the fullest.
Written by Bryce Boyle Hoban, Hook Agency
As a content writer and strategist at Hook Agency, Bryce develops and delivers clear, relevant content that addresses customers’ pain points. Using keyword research supplied by Hook’s SEO team, Bryce is focused on creating compelling copy to draw in high-quality prospects for clients that will also improve their search rankings.
