Category: Lead Generation

Carpet Cleaning Lead Generation
Appliance Repair Leads, Business Website, digital marketing, Google Ads, How much is online marketing, Lead Generation, Lead Generation for Contractors, Lead Management, Nurturing, Online Appointment Booking, online marketing, online marketing costs, Pay Per Click Advertising, PPC, SEM, SEO, service contractor leads

2023 Digital Marketing Trends

Diane Lovine

Newest Practices that Accelerate Business Growth

by Devon Osborne

Adopting digital marketing trends has become increasingly critical as consumers utilize the internet more and more. Digital marketing encompasses many different strategies for lead generation from SEO and PPC to content marketing and email marketing campaigns. Utilizing different aspects of digital marketing together allows you to connect and communicate with your potential clients throughout all stages of the sales funnel. In 2023, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media Marketing (SMM), video content, lead nurturing, pay-per-click (PPC) and pay-per-lead (PPL) are all fundamental pieces of digital marketing.

SEO Is Still At the Core

The aspects of digital marketing intertwine and work with each other. Take SEO as an example. Gone are the days when you could create a website and listings with minimal content and start seeing results in a matter of weeks. Now, in order to see your website ranking organically, creating quality content is crucial. 

Social Media Marketing Builds Brands

Social media marketing is often used to build brands and does generate leads for businesses with a strong visual aspect or a longer sales cycle. Over 80% of adults use social media in one capacity or another which makes social selling another excellent way to connect with prospective customers. Social media is prime real estate for building brand awareness. You can connect with more potential leads just by keeping your business’s social media updated.

If Pictures Say 1000 Words, Videos Speak Volumes!

One of the most effective and popular methods of digital marketing is videos. Why say everything you want to in text form when there are so many more effective options? Videos are an excellent way to connect with your potential customers and inform them about your business and the services you provide. Some of the most popular video types include explainer videos, video testimonials, and “behind-the-scenes” videos. Each of these videos has its way of engaging potential customers and showing off more of your company for a more personalized feel.

Start Nurturing From The Moment of Contact

Missed calls will hurt you. If you’re not answering your phone when it rings, your potential customers will move on to the next business on the page. With advances in digital marketing, you can engage those customers instantly. Some businesses are sending instant texts when they miss a call. Some send an audio message to their callers. From here, businesses can craft a nurturing campaign to keep potentials engaged and stay on their minds. You’ll want to be careful to find a “just right” frequency of contact. If you’re annoying, customers will opt out.

Nurturing Builds Relationships

Email nurturing is one of the biggest trends in marketing. Meeting potential customers where they are in the buying stage and keeping up with them along their journey is an economical and productive way to grow a business. You want to keep your business at the forefront of potential buyers’ minds. This is accomplished through short-term nurturing. The prospect may already know what they need or they may still be weighing their options. Either way, sending them informative, targeted emails will help guide them further in the process. Sometimes it takes longer than a few weeks for they’re ready to take action and commit which is why having a long-term nurture sequence is also essential. Long-term nurturing allows you to keep in contact with potential customers and to continue building relationships with them. 

PPC/PPL Has Become Essential

With SEO competition higher than ever, securing a spot on the first page of search results is difficult for even the most experienced marketers. You know the saying “Don’t keep all of your eggs in one basket”? This applies to online marketing as well. SEO alone is no longer the most substantial option for generating a steady flow of leads each month. The organic real estate on the first page of Google has shrunk over the last several years making pay-per-click and/or pay-per-lead marketing a much-needed, additional method for lead generation. 

How Will You Utilize Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing has become an essential part of any business’s marketing strategy in 2023. By utilizing SEO, SMM, video content, lead nurturing, PPC, and PPL, businesses can effectively reach their target audience and build relationships with potential customers. The future of digital marketing is bright and businesses should strive to stay ahead of the curve by utilizing the latest trends. Not sure where to begin? Call the lead gen pros at 99Calls!

Business Website, Carpet Cleaning Leads, cleaning business leads, Commercial Cleaning Leads, digital marketing, Google Ads, How much is online marketing, Lead Generation, Lead Generation for Contractors, online marketing, online marketing costs, Pay Per Click Advertising, PPC, Roofing Advertising, Roofing Leads, SEM, SEO, service contractor leads

Optimizing Websites for Voice Search

Diane Lovine

by Diane Lovine

How to Rank on “Alexa” and “Hey, Google” Searches

We’re all looking for an advantage, a way to stand out, get noticed and get more leads. You may be surprised to know that the best practices for ranking on a desktop search are the very same that will get you ranked for voice search. This is the newest angle that telemarketers are using to convince businesses that if they don’t suddenly hire them to optimize their website for voice search, they will be left behind. 

Here’s the thing. We have been writing about voice search since 2019 and the strategies have not changed, but have become more understood. What’s more, if you are using best practices for ranking a website on the first page of Google, you are already optimized for voice search. Why? Because typing a query on your phone, iPad or computer is almost the SAME THING as speaking your query to Alexa, Google, or Siri. 

Example: You are having a dinner party this weekend and you just spilled red wine on your dining room carpet. What is your first action? Try to clean it up yourself. If that fails, you’ll go to your device and type or speak “Carpet cleaner near me” or “Carpet cleaning company in (your town)” or “spot removal contractor”. A well-positioned carpet cleaning company is going to come up in a search, regardless of whether you typed or spoke the keywords. And your query is the keywords. 

Companies try to make this concept sound complicated, but it really isn’t. I’ll do this experiment now, live and share my results: 

First, I’ll engage Siri. Speaking, “Carpet cleaner near me”, prompts Siri to produce the following suggestions on Apple Maps:

I personally prefer to use Chrome, even on my mobile phone. When I open the Chrome browser on my iPhone speak, “Carpet cleaner near me”. Here are Siri’s suggestions: 

From the suggestions offered on my iPhone above, I will click the top entry, “carpet cleaner near me”. Here is what comes up. I have placed the long thread side by side below: 

With the long screenshot placed side by side, you can see the way the page rolls. Above the images, I was first shown images of carpet cleaning machines. But Google recognized my intent (finding a contractor to remove the wine stain from my carpet) and made suggestions.

Looking at the results, you will first notice the two Google Guaranteed paid search results. Also known as LSA (Local Search Ads), Google Guaranteed services are offered by 99 Calls and are probably the most cost-effective paid ads available, as long as a business can pass the rigorous verification process.

Next, you’ll see the maps section, including a sponsored map placement in the top spot. Next on the page are the organic results (this is the section that requires great SEO practices to be found).  There are a couple of local carpet cleaning businesses found in this section as well as some directory entries like Angie’s and Yelp.

Now what if my search was done on my phone without asking Siri? What if I simply type the same keywords into my Chrome browser? Here are the results that come up:

Look familiar? It should! Yes, try this at home. You will find that voice search and typing your search into a browser will yield the same results. Paid ads will be found the same, whether the business is using Google Guaranteed or Google Ads.

Now I’ll conduct the same search on my desktop computer. 

Of course, the larger desktop monitor provides greater depth because of the larger screen. Still, the same companies are coming up on the first page of the search. 

Here’s the Question Businesses Should be Asking:

“So if the same practices for producing great SEO will yield results for voice search as they do with typing in questions and keywords, what are these practices and how can I rank my business when customers are searching for my services?”

The same advice that was given back in 2019 in this blog is still relevant today. I’ll add a couple more that are also important. Below are the best practices for getting found in any type of online search:

  • Format your content to be featured in snippets (use headers, lists, and short paragraphs)
  • Create content based on commonly asked questions in a conversational tone
  • Get more 5-star reviews! If you don’t have many dozens, make this your top priority
  • Make sure your site is designed for mobile-first indexing (they all should be by now)
  • Include relevant local information to show your viewers (and Google) that you’re local
  • Keep content simple and clean
  • Get built for speed. Landing pages should load within two seconds.

I’d like to add, “It’s that simple”, but the reality is, ranking in any form on searches is tough stuff. As you can see from the examples above, there are many more paid positions on the first page of search results. Google Guaranteed and Google Ads PPC are taking the most coveted positions. This is true no matter how you search. The truth is, trying SEO practices, even mastering them all, will not yield the same results (and by results, if you’re a contractor, I mean leads) as they did in recent years. In order to get found and get called with enough frequency to stay afloat, businesses need to utilize other strategies and a lot more of their marketing budget to paid ads. For more information on how the first page of Google has (evolved or devolved – you decide) over time, see this article, entitled The Incredible Shrinking First Page of Google. 

For more information on SEO, ranking with keywords and voice searches, and pay-per-click or pay-per-lead marketing, call the experts at 99 Calls!

Google Ads, How much is online marketing, Lead Generation, Lead Generation for Contractors, online marketing, online marketing costs, Pay Per Click Advertising, PPC, SEM, SEO, service contractor leads, Uncategorized

The Incredible Shrinking First Page of Google

Diane Lovine

Why is it So Hard to Rank Organically?

If you are a small business owner with an online presence for at least 5 years, you have seen the first page of Google searches change dramatically. The amount of space for SEO or organic search results is rapidly shrinking. What is causing this shift and how can small businesses generate leads on small budgets?

Background

When we opened our doors in 2010, it seemed as though there was plenty of room for anyone who wanted to establish a presence online. 99 Calls began as a team of 4 professionals. We built websites for service area businesses, and within days, our clients would start to receive leads. We earned our first 50 customers by offering a free 30-day trial. Once contractors saw the number of leads they were receiving from their organic presence, most were more than happy to sign on for ongoing services. 

It didn’t take much to get pages ranking back then. The main components were well-written content, stating the contractors’ service offerings and the areas served and building listings for online directories such as Google, Bing, Manta and Yelp. Almost all sites ranked highly within a month or two and often much more quickly. 

The First Page Begins to Shrink

Although Google claims that they never accept payment from customers to rank well organically, they have shrunk the available playing field, especially for small businesses. The natural, or organic section became less achievable for owner-operated businesses as they made way for large national chains and huge marketing firms.

Beginning in 2013, we began to see major national businesses claiming the first positions on searches. Companies like Yelp, Yellowpages.com, Home Advisor and Service Pro mysteriously showed up at the top of local organic searches all over the country, knocking small owner-operated local businesses down on the list. This marked the beginning of a trend where smaller businesses were struggling to achieve prominent placement on Google search. 

Google Ads – A Game Changer

Although Google introduced Adwords in October of 2000, there were very few early adopters. Adwords was their self-serve paid advertising platform, and their first solid step toward monetizing the first page of search. Between its inception and the end of 2012, the playing field on the first page of searche made a significant change.

The playing field was reduced by 30%. Instead of showcasing 10 companies in the organic section, the number shrunk to 7 to make room for 3 prominently placed paid Google Adwords results at the top of each page. An article from wordstream.com explains the changes seen during that time. 

Free Organic Placement is Threatened Again by the Emergence of LSA

In 2015, Google introduced its newest venture; Google Guaranteed, also called Google Local Service Ads (LSAs). LSAs were first tested in small markets for a select group of industries. By the end of 2019, many cities across the United States had access to paid Google Guaranteed campaigns in industries such as carpet cleaning, house cleaning, and handyman services.

The image below shows that Google Guaranteed/LSA paid ads are shown at the very top of local searches:

Google’s verification process is more stringent for those who run LSA campaigns than for those running Google Ads. It requires providing documents such as drivers licenses, business licenses (where applicable) and proof of insurance insurance. Background checks are also often run on the company owners and their employees. 

Those companies that are able to successfully complete the verification process often reap great rewards. LSA is a pay-per-lead service, as opposed to the pay-per-click platform of Ads. LSA has a bit of a ranking process that makes it more similar to organic than paid Ads as well.

Those companies that are well-established and have lots of 5-star reviews on their Google Business Profiles and/or their LSA Profiles benefit from being shown much more often than other companies. Although LSA has its benefits, it has also contributed to the shrinking space available for organic results.

The image below shows how one business trended downward in placement on the first page of a Google search through the years.

As The Giant Grows, What Happens to the Little Guys?

In 2020, more than 80% of Google’s worldwide revenue came from their Google Ads platform, and that number is still climbing, according to an article posted by CNBC.

The page layout is as follows. When you search for a service in your area, you’ll see three or more Google LSA advertisements, followed by three or more google Ads advertisements, followed by Google Maps with three entries (which they are also beginning to monetize), and finally, a small organic section with three or more results. This is followed by more paid ads.

Where there were 10 opportunities for a small business to be shown on the first page of a local search, there are now just three, and often the first one or two is a large national company. 

Although there are usually only up to three organic results showing on the first page of a search, there are also three Google Maps listings, and for now, these are still free. In order to claim a prominent spot with Google Maps, your Google Business Profile must be complete, follow Google’s best practices and have lots of 5-star reviews.

That and a little luck might make your business visible here (outlined in red):

Google has made it all but impossible to be found without investing in one of its paid services. That said, small businesses will no longer be able to build a site or pay for SEO services and expect to receive a sustainable number of inbound leads. You’ve got to pay to play. That isn’t in question.

The key now is to find a way to play with ROI in mind. Online marketing, when done right, isn’t an expense. It’s an investment in your business. Every dollar you invest will ideally result in at least $5 in return. The good news is that there is plenty of return to be had when you use Google’s services. However, if you are unfamiliar with bidding strategies and optimizing campaigns, you’ll want to invest in a business that can deliver profitable results. 

What to Look for In a Digital Marketing Company

Given that organic lead generation takes much, much longer to produce and delivers fewer results, and Facebook ADs are a good option for some businesses but not as effective for service contractors, the two best bets for lead generation are the paid lead platforms on search; Google Ads and Google LSA.

If the name of the game is getting found online and getting leads coming in at a cost that will generate revenue for your business, you’ll want to do your research.

Questions to ask potential lead companies so that you can do your due diligence include: 

  • What are your monthly service fees?
  • Do you charge a monthly fee plus each Google Ads or LSA lead I receive or are they included?
  • If the company is charging a flat fee for leads plus a management fee, ask, “What is your markup?”.
  • What is your conversion rate for my service offerings/industry? 
  • How many other companies do you work with like mine?
  • What kind of reporting do you provide so that I can measure my ROI?

Once you get your answers and compare them, a clear winner will hopefully emerge. Remember, sales reps get a commission when they sell you. If you feel you’ve made a good connection, that’s great, but the sales rep probably isn’t going to be the person who sets up your account or continues to support your business in the future. Try to stick to the facts. 

For questions or more information on how to win with Google’s LSA or PPC campaigns, call 800-717-4669.

digital marketing, SEO, Uncategorized

How to Utilize ChatGPT to Enhance Your SEO

Dipa Gandhi

by Dipa Gandhi

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence computer program created to provide instant responses for questions different users input. ChatGPT can even carry out a conversation if the auto-generated response isn’t satisfactory and the user wants a more in-depth response to something. 

For example, you want to write an approximately 100-word essay on how Covid-19 changed people’s lives. After entering this in ChatGPT, here’s your response:

Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted people’s lives globally. It has resulted in widespread job losses, a decline in the economy, and many businesses closing down. Remote work has become the new norm, and people have had to adapt to digital communication and learning. The pandemic has also changed people’s behavior, with more emphasis on personal hygiene and the importance of wearing masks. Social activities and gatherings have been limited, causing social isolation and loneliness. The pandemic has highlighted the significance of health systems and the importance of global cooperation in managing global health crises. Overall, Covid-19 has reshaped the way people live and interact with each other, leaving a lasting impact on the world.

Amazing right? So how can this be used to enhance your SEO? 

How to use ChatGPT to your advantage

Service / Product Pages

The key to successful SEO is writing compelling content using relevant keywords that answers the user’s search queries. Writing just one page of SEO-friendly content can easily take an hour, so imagine having to write multiple pages. You could spend hours and hours just writing content about your products or services.

For instance, you want to create an SEO-friendly website for a plumber, so popular keywords might include: Plumbing / Plumber, Clogged Drain, Emergency Plumbing Service, Kitchen Plumbing, Bathroom Plumbing, Faucet Repair, Drain Cleaning, and many more. Ideally, you’d want to include a service page on your website for each one of these services. Well instead of spending hours trying to write all of these pages, you can ask ChatGPT, which will, at the least, set up the foundation of the page for you. 

For example, after asking ChatGPT to write me an SEO friendly page on drain cleaning, here’s the response:

Drain Cleaning Services: Unclogging Your Pipes in No Time

Drain clogs are a common issue for homeowners and businesses alike, causing slow drains and water buildup. Fortunately, our drain cleaning services are here to help. With our state-of-the-art technology and years of experience, we can quickly and effectively clear any clogs in your pipes.

Why Choose Our Drain Cleaning Services?

  • Quick and efficient: Our drain cleaning services are designed to get your pipes flowing again as quickly as possible, without causing any damage to your pipes or fixtures.
  • Thorough and complete: We use powerful, yet safe and eco-friendly cleaning solutions to completely remove any clogs and buildup in your pipes, so you don’t have to worry about blockages coming back in the future.
  • Experienced professionals: Our team of experts has years of experience dealing with drain clogs of all kinds, and we have the skills and knowledge needed to tackle even the toughest clogs.

How Our Drain Cleaning Services Work

  1. Inspection: Our first step is to inspect your pipes and determine the cause of the clog.
  2. Cleaning: Depending on the type of clog, we may use a variety of cleaning methods, such as high-pressure water jetting, snaking, or hydro-scrubbing.
  3. Prevention: To help prevent future clogs, we can also provide recommendations for maintaining your pipes and drains, such as regular cleaning and avoiding items that can cause blockages.

If you’re tired of dealing with slow drains and water buildup, contact us today to schedule your drain cleaning services. Our experienced professionals are ready to help get your pipes flowing smoothly again in no time.

In seconds, you have the foundation for an SEO-friendly service page for drain cleaning services. Now it’s a matter of spending a few minutes elaborating on the key points of the page, making it sound a bit more human than AI, and making sure it is SEO friendly.

Blog Pages

In addition to writing pages on products or services, in order for your site to continue to rank well, adding high-quality, unique content periodically should be part of any website update schedule. What better way to accomplish this than blogs. 

Blogs are a great way to incorporate unique, high-quality, compelling content to a website, however, because it is time-consuming, not many businesses include this in their website update schedule. In fact, there are so many benefits to adding a blog to your website periodically. Some of these benefits are:

  • Increased Visibility
  • Easier to gain backlinks
  • Answers users questions 
  • Build authority
  • Additional ranked page 

Using ChatGPT as a foundation for your blog could be a game changer for your business. It would allow you to create more authoritative content which could help your website gain more traffic. 

Using our drain cleaning example, let’s create a blog about clogged drains. The input in ChatGPT is:

Create an SEO-friendly blog about what to do if you’re faced with a clogged drain. 

The result from ChatGPT:

“Dealing with Clogged Drains: What to Do and How to Prevent It”

Clogged drains are a common problem faced by homeowners. A clogged drain can cause a lot of inconveniences and can even lead to water damage if not dealt with promptly. If you’re faced with a clogged drain, don’t worry. Here are some simple steps you can take to unclog your drain and prevent future clogs.

  1. Boil water: Boiling water is one of the simplest ways to unclog a drain. Pour boiling water down the drain slowly, wait a few minutes, and then run cold water to see if the clog has been cleared.
  2. Use a plunger: A plunger can be an effective tool for unclogging drains. Make sure there is enough water in the sink or bathtub to cover the plunger’s cup. Place the plunger over the drain and pump it up and down several times.
  3. Use baking soda and vinegar: Mix 1/3 cup of baking soda with 1/3 cup of vinegar. Pour the mixture down the drain and let it sit for an hour. Then, flush the drain with boiling water.
  4. Use a drain snake: A drain snake is a long, flexible rod that can be used to remove blockages from the drain. Insert the snake into the drain, twisting it until you feel resistance. Continue to twist the snake until the blockage is cleared.
  5. Call a plumber: If none of the above methods work, it’s best to call a professional plumber. They have the tools and expertise to safely and effectively unclog your drain.

Prevention is the best cure for clogged drains. To prevent clogs from happening, you can:

  1. Avoid flushing anything down the drain other than water, human waste, and toilet paper.
  2. Use a drain strainer to catch hair and food particles before they reach the drain.
  3. Pour boiling water down the drain regularly to keep it clear.
  4. Avoid pouring grease down the drain. Let it cool and solidify, then dispose of it in the trash.

In conclusion, clogged drains can be a real hassle, but they don’t have to be. Follow these simple steps to unclog your drain and keep it flowing freely. If all else fails, don’t hesitate to call a professional plumber.

Imagine the traffic your website would generate if you published blogs like this every month. 

Unfortunately, even with all these great advantages of ChatGPT, there are some disadvantages.

Disadvantages of ChatGPT

Though ChatGPT is a fantastic tool to use as a foundational start for your writing, it can’t be used to replace your “human” content writers. 

Here are some flaws we’ve noticed in the ChatGPT-generated content:

Not readily accessible

If you’ve tried to get onto the system, you have likely encountered this error message: “ChatGPT is at capacity right now”. It’s often at capacity, but there is a paid version if you want more consistent access.

Lack of “human-like” characteristics in the writing

Each writer has their own style of writing, with their own tone and their own voice. By using ChatGPT, not only is the writing lacking someone’s “tone” and “voice”, it’s also losing the way the message is conveyed.

Not always trust-worthy

If your writing has a lot of facts within it, you might want to fact-check all the information ChatGPT generates. It might not always be “spot on”, and sometimes seems to fill in knowledge gaps with inaccurate information.

Limited information

ChatGPT only has knowledge on information from the year 2021 and before, not after.

Duplicate content

Anyone working in the SEO space knows duplicate content doesn’t rank. Unfortunately, because ChatGPT is AI-generated content, there’s always a possibility of duplicate content, unless you modify the content enough to make it your own.

Takeaway

ChatGPT is a fantastic tool to use as a foundation and supplement for your writing, but in no way can it, or should it, replace your “human” content writers, who are skilled in creating SEO-friendly, unique content. The advantages and disadvantages should be kept in mind when using the tool so that it can be used properly and efficiently.

Appliance Repair Leads, Carpet Cleaning Leads, cleaning business leads, Contractor Leads for Winter, digital marketing, Google Ads, How much is online marketing, Lead Generation, Lead Generation for Contractors, Off season marketing, online marketing, online marketing costs, painting leads, Pay Per Click Advertising, PPC, Roofing Advertising, Roofing Leads, service contractor leads

Don’t Freeze Your Leads This Winter:

Diane Lovine

4 Marketing Tips To Implement this Winter

3 Mistakes Contractors Should Avoid as the Slower Season Begins

4 Strategies to Implement in 2023

As colder weather rolls in, many contractors begin to pull back on their marketing efforts, but the winter is a great time to do just the opposite! While the demand for many services slows down between November and February, there are still many benefits of holding your marketing efforts steady.

1. The winter months may not bring in the highest volume of leads each year, which will allow you more time to focus on other aspects of your business, including marketing. 

  • The winter months are a great time to beef up your SEO!
    • Add fresh content to your website like photos, videos, and blog posts.
    • Confirm that all information on your website and online listings are up to date and make any necessary updates.

This will help your website rank higher when warmer weather comes back around, making it easier for potential customers to find you.

  • This is also a great time to figure out your game plan for your Google ads campaign for the upcoming year.
    • Think about what budget you would like to set, what services you want to target, and what areas you want to focus on marketing in.

2. Run some Google ads for winter/indoor services

3. Start running Local Service Ads (AKA Local Search Ads)

  • Google Local Service Ads, or Google Guaranteed offers an additional avenue to show off your business on the first page of Google. LSA is a pay-per-lead program which offers the benefit of a lower lead cost than pay-per-click advertising. If you begin now, your campaign will be further optimized for your busier months!

4. Run a reactivation campaign to convert old leads

  • If you have a database of “old” leads that you aren’t doing anything with, you’re missing out on potential revenue! Reactivation campaigns are a great, low-cost way to book more jobs at a fraction of the price of a new lead.

Get ahead of your competitors and utilize your winter months wisely by focusing on your marketing efforts while you have the time. Using multiple methods of lead generation may seem daunting. Luckily, companies like 99 Calls can help you manage your marketing efforts and get a return on your investment!

3 Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

Fall marks the beginning of the slower season for many contractors. The period between Mid November through the New Year yields far fewer consumers looking to remodel, move or expand. People are gearing up for the holidays and the new year ahead. Add to that the uncertainty that COVID has unleashed, and the supply chain issues that have slowed the market even further, and you may be looking at a lean winter. 

There are several common mistakes that contractors make when tighter times approach. It may seem to make sense to cut back, lay off and lay low to avoid any unnecessary expenses, but savvy contractors utilize these quieter months to build. This keeps revenue channels open and puts businesses in a prime position to enjoy exponential growth when the hot season begins.

Top Three Slow-Season Mistakes: 

  1. Scale way back on marketing – It might seem prudent to cut your marketing budget as the season comes to a close. However, when the number of booked jobs on the schedule begins to decrease, this is an excellent time to review your marketing strategy and trim out the efforts that aren’t yielding results. 
  • If you are losing money on print, it may be time to pause or halt that marketing.
  • If you are paying more for leads that you are making in jobs, it may be time to find a new lead company.  There are lead generation businesses that only charge for their performance, meaning the leads they actually produce. 
  • Google Ads may also be a viable short-term option for increasing lead volume into the winter. The team at 99 Calls is still seeing a 15 – 20% conversion rate on Google Ads campaigns. Google Ads marketing allows contractors to target specific services in selected areas so that you can get more done with a smaller budget. 

There are plenty of opportunities there to gain some leads, win new jobs, and keep your team on the payroll. 

  1. Cut back on labor – Because there is a general shortage of qualified, motivated laborers in the workforce nationwide today, if you are lucky enough to have them on your team, now is not the time to furlough or lay them off. 
  • Do what you can to keep those smaller jobs coming in, even if at lower profit margins to keep your valued workers gainfully employed.  
  • We all prefer the big jobs and/or recurring business, but those smaller gigs often lead to larger, more valuable jobs in the future.
  • Not only are you contributing to your employees’ livelihood, but you are building trust and loyalty. See #1 above for ideas on getting those smaller, one-off jobs to keep your calendar full and your people working.
  1. Take it easy and chill for the winter – It may be tempting to take a long winter nap, but here are a couple of things to do before you decide to take that much-needed vacation or rest after a busy summer. 
  • Take a look at your SEO efforts. Are you promoting the services that you offer in the winter months now? It takes time for new content to get indexed and start ranking on Google. Now is the time to promote the services you want to offer in February and March. 
  • Contact current customers and offer a discount when they book winter services. 
  • Plan your 2022 budget. What are your goals for the new year in terms of growth, revenue, advertising? 
  • Take time in the slower weeks ahead to review what’s working, what isn’t and see where you can trim the fat. 
  • Take some of your summer profits and invest them in some solid targeted online marketing. Remember, smart online marketing is an investment, not an expense!
  • Once you’ve got these things in place, take a quick break – you’ll be recharged and ready to reap the rewards of your efforts!

If the thought of laser-focusing your marketing dollars and finding low-cost, high-value leads seems out of reach at the moment, consider trying the bundle program with 99 Calls. For a $349 price tag, you’ll get set up on SEO marketing which will grow over time, and a Google Ads campaign that can start working for you immediately. 

Get Started Here

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Business Website, digital marketing, Lead Generation, Lead Generation for Contractors, SEO, Uncategorized

Solving the Problem of Duplicate Google Business Profiles Being Created by Google

Dipa Gandhi

By Dipa Gandhi and Diane Lovine

Problem Discovered

Late in 2021, the team at 99 Calls noticed duplicate Google Business Profiles (GBPs) had been created for many of our clients’ service area businesses. After some investigation and confirmation with our clients, it was apparent the duplicate profiles were generated by Google. In many cases, even though we had already built a GBP representing the customer as a service area business Google was auto-generating a secondary and often incomplete listing. 

99 Calls primarily works with service area businesses; those that travel to their customers to perform a service, rather than from a brick-and-mortar building where customers go to receive a service. Google’s own established guidelines specifically state that businesses that service their clients at their residential or business location should not display their street address on the GBP. 

It was determined that Google was using information from the Contact Us pages of the lead generation websites to auto-generate duplicate listings. These listings kept the addresses visible and promoted the Contact Us pages of the sites as the landing pages on the GBPs. This resulted in dozens and dozens of our customers having 2 GBPs; one with their address hidden as is in compliance with Google’s best practices and with the home page of the lead site used as the landing page, and the other with the address visible and showing an actual pin location that promoted the Contact Us page of the website as the landing page.

Below is an example of a customer who ended up with two GBPs, one that was successfully created and managed by the team at 99 Calls and the other that was auto-generated by Google:

Duplicate Auto-Generated GBP:

Original GBP Managed by 99 Calls:

Google’s Business Profile Guidelines

As per Google’s guidelines, businesses such as plumbers, electricians, HVAC contractors, and other trades should keep their addresses hidden on their GBP, allowing them to be represented as service area businesses. This prevents Google Maps from having an actual pinpointed location and instead displays the service area served by the business. The duplicate listings that were being generated by Google were out of compliance with their own guidelines.

Correct GBP: Service Area Shown:

Incorrect GBP: Address Shown with Pin:

How 99 Calls Fixed Duplicate GBPs

Having 2 GBP listings with the same business name, address, phone number, and website can impact SEO efforts, hinder lead volume results, risk a suspension of the live active GBP we manage, and cause confusion for people searching. 

Since 95% of our clients are service area businesses and do not have a brick-and-mortar location, we submitted suggested edits regarding the duplicate GBPs to Google. Specifically, we suggested that the businesses no longer existed at the locations indicated. We waited 30 days, and then if the duplicate listing had not been removed, we contacted Google Support for additional help, explaining the situation and asking them to remove the duplicate or merge it with the original GBP that we manage. 

Effectiveness of Removing Google-Generated Duplicate Listings

In some cases, the duplicate listings had been removed within 30 days of the suggested edits. More often, the duplicate listings were still showing and our team contacted Google support for further action. Within 60 days, almost all reported duplicates had either been removed or merged by Google, leaving just 1 GBP for the business.

Google Removed the Wrong Business Profile!

However, a new problematic issue was noted. In many cases, Google was merging the 2 GBPs but keeping the (incorrect, auto-generated) duplicate GBP. After the merge, what was shown was a GBP with the reviews still intact, but with the address visible and the landing page that people are being directed to as the Contact Us page, rather than the homepage of the website. Also, the business category is often slightly different than what it was prior and the business hours were removed. Unfortunately, this means we had to go to the GBP dashboard and correct the problems on the profiles. Luckily, once these edits were completed and the listing was back in order, the problem was resolved for our customers.

How to Prevent Google From Creating a Duplicate GBP

The team at 99 Calls recognized that Google was using the information contained on the Contact Us page of our lead generation websites to build these second (duplicate) listings. By removing the Contact Us pages from the sites altogether and utilizing an About Us page only, we have been able to avoid further issues with these duplicates being generated. 

Business Website, digital marketing, Google Ads, Lead Generation, Lead Generation for Contractors, Nurturing, Online Appointment Booking, online marketing, Pay Per Click Advertising, service contractor leads

Phone Etiquette Achieves Higher Sales

Diane Lovine

Phone Tips from an Experienced Customer Service Representative

by Devon Osborne

The way you conduct yourself on the phone with potential customers can be the determining factor in whether you get the job or not. Proper phone etiquette may seem straightforward, but it can be easy to slip up and speak to potential customers or business partners as you would speak with a friend. Making an outstanding first impression, in a good way, of course, will help you convert more jobs. 

Dos

  • Answer the phone with a professional greeting. Introduce yourself & your company 
    • Customers want to know whether or not they’ve reached the proper party as soon as possible. Start your conversation off on the right foot with a professional greeting like: “Hi this is [name] with [company], how may I help you?”
  • Return calls quickly
    • Missing calls is something that is bound to happen, but it is important to return calls promptly. A good rule of thumb is to try and respond to missed calls within 24 hours, but the sooner the better! If you have difficulty being available to answer calls, consider hiring a receptionist or using an automated process for responding to missed calls such as this one.
  • Speak clearly
    • Don’t Mumble! You want your customer to be able to hear what you’re saying, don’t you? Speaking clearly and confidently can help avoid unnecessary frustration and build trust with the customer.
  • Listen to what the customer is saying, take notes, & don’t interrupt
    • Why are you answering the call if you’re too busy to actively listen to the customer’s needs? Having a conversation with someone who is not listening is maddening. Agree on a time that you both can speak and call back. 
  • Be kind
    • Would you choose a company to work with if they were rude to you? No. Being kind is an easy thing to do and it goes a long way. Just be nice!
  • Eliminate background noise
    • If you’re in a noisy environment, make it a point to move to a quieter place. 

Don’ts

  • Don’t use unprofessional language
    • This should be a given, but please don’t use unprofessional language like cursing. This is a professional phone call you’re on, so you should act like it. 
  • Don’t make it complicated
    • Asking customers to text you their address or asking them to call YOU back at a more convenient time is off-putting. When you make it complicated for them to get the information they need from you, they will seek it elsewhere.
  • Don’t eat, drink, or chew gum
    •  If you were face to face with the person on the other line, would you do this right into their ears? Hopefully not. Swallow the mouthful of food or drink that’s in your mouth before picking up and take a quick break from eating for the entirety of the call.
  • Don’t use the bathroom
    • If you’re using the bathroom and get a call, please don’t answer the phone. Finish up your business and call the person right back, believe me, they’ll appreciate it. You may think you’re being discreet, but I can promise you that they know.
  • Don’t make promises you can’t keep
    • It is always best to be upfront and honest with potential and current clients. If there are things that you know aren’t possible, or are not entirely sure of, be very clear about that in the beginning. Making false promises with customers never ends well and can land you a negative review.

Contractor Leads for Winter, Google Ads, Lead Generation, Uncategorized

How to Utilize Google Ads for Seasonal Marketing

Diane Lovine

Don’t Let Your Business Go Into Hibernation This Winter

by Devon Osborne

As the weather changes from season to season, everyone’s needs shift with them. If you’re in the dead of winter in New England, you’re likely not looking to paint the outside of your home or have it pressure washed. As fall approaches, contractors typically see their calendars less scheduled out. You may be wondering, “How can I keep my calendar booked with jobs during the winter months to keep my business afloat?”

SEO is not always enough to keep businesses busy in the colder months. Ranking organically takes time and effort and pre-planning. To be successful during “off” times, you need to be thinking about what services you want to push months in advance if you want to be seen on the first page of Google.  

If you have not modified your organic service offerings yet, all is not lost. Changing your service offerings with the seasons is a great way to keep a steady stream of revenue coming in for your business no matter what time of year. It takes just a little planning and strategy.

How Google Ads Can Help

Instead of letting your business hibernate this winter, try running a streamlined Google Ads campaign for your most profitable winter services. Doing so will help get your business to the first page much quicker. Pay Per Click Google Ads are a great tool for boosting your lead volume. By running an ads campaign, you will have the ability to promote your services more aggressively and keep your revenue stream flowing. You can choose exactly what services you’d like to allocate your budget to in order to be seen more often by potential customers and get more calls for quotes.

Some of the most popular services that our Google Ads specialists target for contractors in the winter months include:

  • Snow Plowing
  • Snow Shoveling
  • Roof Shoveling
  • Ice Dam Removal
  • Interior Painting
  • Irrigation Closures
  • Pool Closures
  • Insulation Installation
  • Heating System Checks
  • And More!

If you optimize your Google Ads campaign and are competitive with your budget and bids, you will likely start to see those calls start coming through within a few weeks. There are many components to running a successful PPC campaign. If you’re not confident that you have the proper knowledge to run a profitable ads campaign on your own, consider hiring a PPC agency instead. Utilizing a company with a proven track record of getting leads using this method can save you time and money in the long run and allow you to focus on service delivery.

digital marketing, Lead Generation, Lead Generation for Contractors, online marketing, SEO, service contractor leads

How to Close More Sales: Quick Strategies for Service Contractors

Diane Lovine

Try These 3 Strategies Now to Win More Business

Do you notice some of your competitors seem to stay busier than you? You may even know that they cut corners, use uninsured workers, or lower quality materials than you do. Wonder how they manage to get more jobs? First, it may simply be that they are investing more in advertising and lead generation. It may just be a difference in lead volume. If that’s the case, there are steps you can take to compete with them online. 

However, there are also immediate steps you can take now that are simple and effective. Competition among local service contractors is tighter than ever. How can you make your business stand out and stay “top of mind” with your potential customers? 

We’ve outlined three areas where you can have an immediate and substantial impact. Impress your potential customers and win more business by following these guidelines. 

1. Perfect Your Presentation

Your appearance: It may seem obvious, but first impressions really are critical. People often decide within seconds if they find you trustworthy. It doesn’t take much to win over your prospective clients. Always carry an extra clean shirt, a stick of deodorant, and a comb in your vehicle and spruce up before you pay a visit to give an estimate. If you’re a smoker, keep that clean shirt in a Ziploc bag and have a stick of gum handy. Last, don’t forget to greet your customers on time and with a warm smile.

Your pitch: Before you arrive to give a quote, call or text your customer to let them know you are on your way. This not only impresses them, but also reminds them to be there and ready for you. The team at 99 Calls vets the lead calls that our customers receive and we’re always amazed at the number of clients who have to call the contractors because they didn’t show for an appointment. If you end up running late, no big deal. It happens, but keep your prospects informed!

After you introduce yourself, and exchange greetings, be prepared to give a short pitch or elevator speech about yourself and your business. Successful business owners often let the customer know about their experience, any certifications earned, and other points that will put a customer at ease. Do you run background checks on employees? Are you going to be present at the job site? Let them know. If you have a reference list, give them a copy. Some contractors arrive with a 3-ring binder with photos of jobs they’ve completed. 

Demonstrate that you hear them: Be sure to listen and take notes when the customer is describing their issue and what they would like to do to resolve it. Be prepared to give suggestions on how the issue can be resolved in the most cost-effective and efficient way. Once they have shown you what they want to be quoted, be sure to ask questions to clarify your understanding. Then repeat to them what you heard so there is no miscommunication.

2. Polish Your Proposal

Quick turnarounds impress. Provide your prospective customer with a written (electronic) quote within 24 hours of your visit. If you really want to impress them and have quoting software, work up the estimate on your tablet right after you leave and send it in an email within an hour. If you really, really want to impress them, send a text message letting them know you’ve just emailed their quote! Be sure to include those finer details on the estimate that the customer brought up during the appointment.

Offer 2-3 choices. Rather than giving them the option to go with you or go with a competitor, offer 2-3 options for getting the job done. Order them in terms of cost, time estimates for completion, and complexity and give reasons why each could solve their problem. When giving 3 options, make the second seem the most favorable or the most valuable solution. People like to choose a practical solution, one that will save them money but still give them a quality product. Consumers are always searching for the best value they can find. Make it easy to choose yours.

3. Be Persistent

Persistence pays. Over 90% of contractors do not follow up on their estimates. They wait for the customer to call them. If you are telling yourself, “If they want the job done, they will call me.”, you are missing out on many opportunities! People get busy. They forget. The project goes on the back burner. What brings it back to an urgent issue? Often, either the item finally breaks beyond repair, or a contractor contacts them at the right time and gets the “yes”. How can you be that contractor? Follow up. By phone and email and text.

Yes, people are being bombarded every day with solicitors emailing and texting and the old 7-touch rule of sales may be overdoing it but people still need “touches” or reminders. A gentle nudge that they need the service done and especially that you’re the right person to do it can make all the difference. There is nothing wrong with following up the next day by phone to ensure they received the emailed quote. Then, send a quick text 3-4 days later to ask if they have any questions. Try again in 10 days to two weeks to let them know you’ve got some time coming up on your schedule. Most customers do not find well-timed follow-ups annoying. They often appreciate the reminders. And when they do decide to get the work done, guess which contractor is first on their mind?

On Getting More Leads

The steps outlined here are meant to be simple techniques that can be executed quickly. The results will be immediate. What was not touched on was potentially the most impactful (and most challenging) way to close more sales, which is to get more leads to bid on. If you close 25% of the jobs you bid on and you give quotes on four jobs per week, you’ll likely win one new job each week. Double your lead volume and you’ll double your sales. Here is more information on getting more leads by investing in lead generation. 

Business Website, digital marketing, Lead Generation, Lead Generation for Contractors, Online Appointment Booking, online marketing, online marketing costs, service contractor leads

Should I Add an Appointment Booking System to My Website?

Diane Lovine

Pros and Cons of Using Online Calendar Booking for Lead Generation Sites

by Diane Lovine

The team at 99 Calls has increasingly been asked about online calendar bookings for lead generation sites. Many service contractors are utilizing appointment scheduling software for their lead generation websites. Most often, small businesses report using appointment-setting features to allow customers to schedule free consultations.

The Cons of Adding Online Calendar Booking Features

Some home and business services contractors choose not to add this new technology to their sites. The main reasons cited are concerns that it will be too complicated to manage by their team and their customers. Often, this stems from the contractor not having technical experience or access to a web consultant or software developer. After all, a calendar for booking appointments on your website will need to sync with the calendar used by office staff so that you don’t end up overbooked. The best remedy is to purchase a calendar booking tool and have someone else manage it. Many lead generation companies now offer calendar booking as part of a service package.

Another concern expressed by contractors is that using an appointment setting feature to book an appointment for a quote is less personal than speaking directly with the customers. If you are a contractor who is available and prefers to answer the phone each time it rings, you may want to continue with the personal touch that you offer. 

The Pros of Adding Online Calendar Booking Capabilities 

Although there are a few valid concerns regarding adding this technology to websites, the pros overwhelmingly outweigh them. There are many reasons why giving customers the option to book a repeat service or an appointment for a quote makes sense.

The top reason for adding online appointment booking capability to lead sites is that it adds convenience both for contractors and their customers. Most service contractors run small businesses and the office staff is not always available to answer incoming calls. Contractors are working in the field and often can’t pause what they are doing to answer calls. The result is missed calls, which results in missed business opportunities and ultimately, lost revenue. 

Another benefit of installing an appointment calendar is that it makes businesses more accessible to potential customers during off-hours. People are often searching for home services during evenings and weekends when service businesses are closed. Providing them with the ability to book an appointment for an in-home or even over-the-phone quote is simple for them and means their search for a contractor may end with you! 

In order to keep up with today’s consumer demands, the question becomes “How” to add a calendar, rather than “Whether” to add one. Installing and maintaining online appointment scheduling programs can be expensive, so you’ll want to shop around. Some businesses report spending $199 per month on the service. With some research, you’ll be able to find a service that can work with your existing website and provide support at a fair price. 

Due to high demand from our clients, 99 Calls now offers a calendar booking feature that can be customized and added to websites. The maintenance fee of the calendar feature is just $29 per month. Click here to learn more.