How to Advertise Your Damage Restoration Company

When homeowners have damage to their homes, they are met with feelings of panic, stress, and frustration. Being the home restoration company that they can turn to and rely on can mean great things for your business. However, they need to know about your company and trust your reputation to call you for their restoration needs in the first place. 

So how do you get your name out there so your brand is one that customers are aware of? What can you do to ensure that you’re seen as reliable and reputable? The trick to being successful in the damage restoration industry is effective advertising. 

There are some key strategies that you can implement to market your business. Finding the right combination of these can help you grow your business and customer base. And you’ll be able to calm even more homeowners and help them restore their homes when damage occurs.

Creating a Brand for Your Damage Restoration Services

The first thing you need to establish when you start thinking about marketing your damage restoration company is your brand. If you are a new business, you can start with a blank slate. However, if you are an established business, you might want to take a hard look at your branding and consider a refresh if it’s needed. 

When you create a brand, you are creating a personality for your business. You want to make sure you are communicating in a voice that speaks to your customers. In an industry based on trust and reliability, it’s essential to create a brand and voice that conveys that you're dependable and noble.

Your brand is made up of several components. You’ll want a name and logo that are memorable and that stand out. Everything from the colors and fonts you choose to the slogan or tagline that you create will be used across your marketing materials.

Decide on an overall feel for your brand. Do you want to be fresh and exciting? Or maybe you want to convey a classic and traditional tone. 

You’ll also want to select some signature colors for your brand. These will influence everything from your logo to the theme on your website. Make sure they are complimentary and will look great together on your marketing materials both traditional and digital.

What’s in a Name?

When naming your business, stay true to your mission but be strategic. Remember that it’s the first impression that customers receive of your brand. You also need to make sure it’s easy to remember and share with others. 

Your name is an opportunity to tell a bit about your business in a few words. You can add adjectives to describe your services or where you are located. Or you can add words like “superior” or “elite” to let customers know that you are the best in the business.

Many home restoration businesses go with a family name. This can be a great way to identify your family-owned business and give it personality.

No matter what way you choose to go, make sure your name is easy to remember. You want to be the first company name that pops into a homeowner's mind when disaster strikes. And you want them to be able to rattle it off easily when others are looking for referrals.

A Logo that Pops

Next, you want to make sure to have a logo that your audience will notice and remember. You can enlist a graphic designer to help you create the perfect image to represent your business. It’s a good idea to have an idea of what you want to get started. 

Look at other home restoration companies and their logos for ideas and inspiration. You’ll also want to think about the feel you have chosen for your brand. Are you looking to be more formal and refined? Or are you wanting more of a casual, laid-back vibe?

Decide on a style that matches your brand identity. You can go with something sleek and modern. Or maybe you want something a little more nostalgic and retro. Let your designer know as well as the colors you would like used and they can come up with some options. 

Stay away from anything trendy to ensure your logo is timeless. You’ll also want to consider the size and shape to make sure it can be used on any marketing material you choose. Make sure your finished product is memorable, uncomplicated, and represents the voice you want to create for your brand.

Keep it Consistent

Once you have decided on your brand’s identity, you need to create a consistent voice. That means that no matter how your audience interacts with your brand, they get the same tone. Using cohesive colors, typography, and even tone can create this sense of uniformity. 

This is important because 81 percent of customers need to trust a brand to purchase goods or services from them. Creating a seamless advertising experience and showing that you are consistent allows them to build that trust. And as they have cohesive experiences with your marketing materials it makes your brand feel more authentic.

Timing is Everything When Marketing Your Damage Restoration Business

As with many things in business, the right timing is essential in marketing your damage restoration business. You want to make sure you reach customers before they need your services. There are also times that you might want to make an extra effort due to increased demand. 

Your specific location will guide you in finding the ideal times to focus your marketing efforts. Of course, property damage can occur at any time. However, there might be times and events that make it more likely to happen. 

Obviously, flood damage is often caused by heavy rain. Take note of the weather patterns in your area and make extra marketing efforts leading up to this time. It’s important that you maintain a keen awareness of upcoming weather events so you can bolster your advertising strategy at the most opportune times.

Frozen pipes can be another significant cause of property damage. Get the word out about your services before a deep freeze or period of significant cold temperatures. Educate your market on how to prevent frozen pipes in the first place to show that you care about their situation. Stress the importance of quick action in the event that a pipe still ends up bursting. 

Extended power outages can lead to both failed sump pumps and frozen pipes due to lack of heat. If you are aware of an area that is experiencing an electrical outage, advertise your services so they know who to call right away if either of these occurs. 

One of the key points in timing your advertising correctly is your messaging. You don’t want to seem like an unsympathetic opportunist. Instead, show homeowners that you are their partner in caring for their property. Give them the information to prevent and easily identify damaging events. Then, let them know that you are there to count on should an unfortunate event occur.

Identifying Your Audience

One of the biggest components of marketing is identifying your target audience. If you don’t have a clearly defined audience, your efforts will be inefficient and you’ll waste precious advertising spend. By marketing directly to those that your services are relevant for and available to will maximize your advertising dollars. 

The first consideration is deciding what types of properties you service. Do you only work on residential properties? Or maybe you can provide specialized services to multi-family units like apartment buildings. Your business might also have the tools and manpower to provide restoration to commercial properties. The scope of your business can guide you in targeting your audience. 

You’ll also want to set some geographical boundaries as well. You don’t want to advertise to an audience that’s outside your service area’s range. Fortunately, there are ways to target your geographical market whether you are using traditional advertising or digital strategies. 

Depending on your area, you might have a more clearly defined demographic that you are targeting. If you are focused on a newer area with younger families, you’ll know that a shift towards digital marketing can help you succeed. However, in established areas with an older population, you might need to rely on more traditional means. 

Many times, your market will vary greatly. This means that you’ll have to segment your market and come up with a comprehensive strategy. By meeting your potential customers where they are comfortable and tailoring your communications to their preferences, you’ll have more effective marketing that speaks directly to your audience.

Getting the Word Out About Your Damage Restoration Service Using Traditional Advertising

Traditional advertising strategies are tried and true ways to get the word out about your home restoration services. Many times, these can be a significant investment of money and manpower. However, for many customers, these might be the only way to reach them.

Mailers and Flyers Aren’t Obsolete

Sure, snail mail has taken a hit in the digital age. But it’s still a great way to target a very specific geographical area and get your name into the hands of homeowners. It can also be a good way to provide a concrete reminder of your services. 

Think about an area that you would like to grow your business in. Strategize a mailing campaign and send an attractive piece to each home. Make sure it has clean and crisp graphics, your name is clearly marked, and include a coupon or discount to entice new customers. 

Flyering homes can be seen as a nuisance but can be very effective if done correctly. This gives you and your team the opportunity to distribute information while interacting with the community. Make sure you are relaxed, friendly, and careful to avoid a sales-y vibe. Introduce yourself, offer to answer any questions, and let homeowners know that your service is there for them should they ever need it.

Alternatives to mailers and flyers can provide your audience with a more lasting impression of your brand. Depending on your demographical focus, an investment in a little swag can help earn you some business. Older audiences appreciate things like magnetic calendars or logoed letter openers. These put your company’s name front and center so they’ll remember it.

Rely on Referrals and Word of Mouth

Word of mouth remains one of the best ways to grow your business. Keep in mind that you first need to provide stellar service for it to work. But getting your customers to then recommend you to their friends and family can be a big win.

After you have done great work for a customer, simply ask that they recommend you to their neighbors. This can be done in person but it’s also a good idea to send a follow-up email or handwritten thank you letter. You can even offer a referral bonus to sweeten the deal. 

Another way to reach your target market is through other professionals in the area. Make partnerships with plumbers to refer each other when a burst pipe occurs. Talk to local insurance agents and show them why they should recommend your services to their clients. Work with a home inspector to fix mold issues that they discover in the homes of their customers. 

These referrals can end up being one of your most lucrative marketing strategies. One, they cost little to no money. Just make sure to follow the steps of providing excellent service, asking for the referral, and remembering to follow up and your process will work more successfully to gain future customers.

Create a Successful Damage Restoration Business with Online Marketing

It’s no secret that the digital revolution has and continues to take the marketing world by storm. In fact, most businesses are increasing their investment in online marketing by an average of 14.3 percent. So how and where do you invest your digital advertising budget? There are a number of strategies that, together, can form a well-rounded plan for your online presence.

Create a Website That’s User-Friendly and Informative

First, your website should be easy to use and contain all of the need-to-know info about your business. It’s where customers will likely go to learn about your services. Making sure it’s intuitive, organized, and informative are all essential.

Have All the Right Components

There are some basic components that should be included in your website. These ensure that it’s easy to navigate and provide your audience with any and all information that they are looking for. It also prevents the frustration that will lead to a higher bounce rate and refusal to return to your page. 

• A Menu Bar: Most internet users are most comfortable using a menu bar to navigate a website. Make sure yours is easy to find so they can quickly and easily find the information that they are looking for.

• An FAQ Page: For many of your customers, this might be the first encounter with a home restoration service and they have no idea what to expect. Give them the answers to calm them so they can proceed to book your services.

• An About Us Page: This gives you another chance to personify your brand. Who are you as a business? What are you all about? Make a connection with your audience by telling them about the “who” behind your business.

• Customer Reviews and Testimonials: Your potential customers want to hear about the experiences of your previous ones. Include reviews and testimonials from past customers as well as your Google reviews and Better Business Bureau Rating if applicable. 

• Service Pages: You’ll want to clearly state which services you provide. Each service should also have a page detailing the specific process for dealing with that particular type of damage. 

• A Blog or Updates Page: This is the ideal opportunity to provide your customers with relevant information and keep your website fresh and updated.

• Contact Us Page: Your potential customers are likely stressed and frantic. They don’t want to make an effort to figure out how to get in touch with you. Make sure your contact information is clearly marked and easy to access. If you offer 24/7 service, be sure to indicate that as it’s a huge benefit in many situations.

Having all of these things on your website ensures that your potential customers can self-service and get all of the information that they need. Making sure it’s organized can help ease their stress and help them make a decision about booking your services.

Keep it Consistent with Your Brand

Your website should be strategically and thoughtfully designed. It should also fit your brand and the specific components that you have landed on. You want your website to align with any other marketing material that they may have seen from your business. 

Your website should feature your logo prominently. Make sure your logo and name are on the top of each webpage. Complimentary typography that aligns with other marketing materials maintains the same vibe.

You should also follow your predetermined color scheme. Your users will likely be overwhelmed when visiting your page so including plenty of white space is a must. Photos of your teams and branded vehicles are great images to feature and reinforce your brand image.

Use Online Advertising to Boost Your Damage Restoration Business

Online advertising is a powerful tool that you’ll want to harness. It can give you a significant return on your advertising investment. Plus, online ad campaigns are efficient to implement and provide you with interpretable data to plan your adjustments and optimizations. 

Online Copy that Captures Customers

At the heart of any successful online ad campaign is effectively written copy. It’s vital that your copy is crafted in a way that is both engaging to your reader as well as directs them to the next step in the sales process. 

Copy is part of your landing pages, email promotions, and even your social media ads. Each of these is a chance to convey your message to your audience. So it's important to take advantage of this opportunity with the most effective copy possible. 

This content should be tailored not only to your brand but to your target audience as well. It should address their home restoration needs and how you are the best service to meet them. They should be engaged by your message and prompted to move forward with booking your services.

Creative Content That Gets Attention

Dynamic and creative content is essential to helping your brand stand out. Visual content marketing is an effective way to communicate the benefits of your services quickly and memorably. It’s also a great way to grab the attention of your audience and pull them deeper into your advertising. So how do you implement these creative tools?

• Display Ads: Most social media or search engine scrollers will notice images first. Well-designed display ads can capture their attention and encourage them to read more about your services. 

• Video Ads: Well-crafted videos are concise and informative, allowing your audience the chance to learn more about your brand effortlessly. 

A combination of visual ad strategies allows you to appeal to different target market segments. Making sure they align with your brand further deepens the experience that your audience will have. Plus, they are an additional chance to show your brand personality and authenticity.

Search Engine Advertising is an Essential Strategy

An astounding 90 percent of customers have used the internet to find a local business in the last year. When a homeowner finds themselves in a situation where they need damage restoration services, one of the most likely places they’ll head is their go-to search engine. Don’t you want to be one of the first businesses that they see in the results? 

Fortunately, with search engine advertising, you can make that happen. This strategy allows your business to have a prime spot in search results. This, combined with leading these searchers to a carefully crafted landing page, can make it more likely that you’ll win their business. Search engine advertising is an effective means to gain traffic to your page and a cost-efficient way to boost your company’s visibility.

Google is a go-to for many when it comes to search engines and is an awesome place to advertise. Utilizing alternative search engines can also be a big win. Many users use less popular search engines because they prefer them or are the default on their devices. Implementing ad campaigns on sites like Bing can help you tap into those alternative audiences in a really budget-friendly way.

Harness Social Media Tools

Social media has become a stand-out powerhouse within online marketing. With so many advertising tools at your fingertips, it’s essential to take advantage of them. Plus, with 9 out of 10 internet users using social media, you can tap into a huge audience. 

First, establishing a social media presence for your damage restoration business is a must. It’s simple to set up free profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and even Pinterest. YouTube is another great tool for communication and advertising. Then, use these platforms to reach larger audiences for a reasonable advertising budget. 

Social media advertising is an awesome way to promote your business with proven results. Each of these platforms has its own advertising opportunities. And each gives you the chance for measurable outcomes at a customizable budget. This data gives you insight into how well your campaigns are working so you can adjust and retest in real-time. 

One of the best features of social media advertising is the ability to target your audience with great detail. You can hone in on a geographical area for dynamic location-based marketing. You can also target certain demographics to maintain focus on your ideal audience. This allows for the most efficient advertising possible and increases your chances of reaching the users that your service is relevant to.

Another aspect of social media marketing that’s super effective is the ability to retarget users. This means that you can directly advertise to those that have visited your website in the past. Repeated interaction with your brand will create a stronger memory of your business and can make you more likely to come to mind when they happen to need damage restoration services.

Manage Your Online Reputation and Reviews

Another online tool that has been transforming the way users research companies is online reviewing. Nearly 90 percent of customers read reviews when making purchase decisions. Making sure you have reviews that are positive, accurate, and numerous is important to cementing your online reputation.

Managing your online reviews is important to maintaining their effectiveness. You’ll want to solicit reviews from customers after their services. Then, you will need to be prepared to address concerns that arise to avoid negative reviews. Responding to positive reviews shows that you are engaged and can earn you some repeat business.

Reviews from your past customers are an excellent marketing tool. Share them on your website and social media pages to reinforce your solid reputation. Potential customers are encouraged to see that your past ones have had their expectations exceeded. 

Growing Your Damage Restoration Business with Effective Advertising

Effective advertising can be the most powerful tool in growing your damage restoration business. A multi-faceted approach can help you reach new audiences and accurately target the ideal demographics. Leaning on tried and true methods and delving into digital strategies can give you the best chance for success.

Be true to your brand while finding the right combination of marketing tools. Commit to providing top-notch customer service and fostering skillful, knowledgeable employees. And you’ll cultivate a loyal and growing customer base well into the future.

Whether working with a web designer or going the DIY route, making sure your site is quick loading is something you should stay on top of. Test your load time during development and regularly after launch.

When 70 percent of customers take the load time of a site into account when making a purchase decision, it’s important that yours is fast. Otherwise, your audience will simply hit the back button and move on to your competitors. Plus, the loading time of your site also impacts where you land in search results, so you owe it to your business to ensure it's as quick as possible.

The other thing that’s a must is a site that’s optimized for mobile. Now, over 54.4 percent of web traffic occurs on mobile devices. Your site needs a mobile version that’s designed to fit these screens and is touchscreen friendly. Make sure your mobile site loads quickly and is easy to navigate as well.