It’s not a secret that home improvement business in L.A. isn’t booming right now. The level of competition for new customers has increased as well. The savvy home improvement business owners in L.A. are managing fine. Less marketing savvy causes similar businesses to fail.
What’s the difference between these two equally good L.A. home improvement businesses one of which is thriving and the other failing? In today’s market, a business has to be easily found where prospective customers are looking for it. Today, Los Angeles consumers with the budget for home improvement are shopping Online. Consequently, L.A. home improvement business (or L.A. contractor) has to be (that’s no longer optional!) easy to find Online.
You’re about to stop reading, right? Hold on, the fact that you have a Website may – or may not be – the solution to the problem. Can a prospective customer find your Website while looking for “home remodeling in L.A.”; “home improvement in Beverly Hills”; “roofing in L.A.”; “electrician in Los Angeles” or “granite countertops in L.A.” on the FIRST page of Google? If not, you have a problem. (Don’t forget that only your relatives, friends, and past customers will look for your business using its business name. New customers don’t know it!) Your Website doesn’t produce new customers now and won’t produce them a year from now. What to do? Follow the customers!
Customers go to directories where they can find several businesses which services they’re shopping for in one place. This way they get to view the information – and visit Websites – of several home improvement businesses just like yours in one place. They’ll get to visit their Websites, ask questions, get answers and make an informed decision. Many of you know that there are several home improvement directories out there. You may have considered membership; some of you may have joined them and still didn’t generate the results you hoped for.
I’m not about to speak against Angie’s List or Service Magic. They both provide valid benefits to its members and advertisers.
There is however one issue you may want to consider: if you were looking to hire L.A. contractor just like yourself, wouldn’t you look LOCALLY? Think about it, what results would a search for a “roofer” produce? (I received 4,250,000 results) Are there 4,250, 000 roofers in Los Angeles area?…….. (Incidentally, I found 92,000 results for a roofer in L.A.) Why am I going in so much detail about a roofer which you’re not? I’m illustrating for you the difference between a national search and a LOCAL search. No matter which type of home improvement service you’re in, chances are you don’t need customers in Oklahoma!
Anything LA and its subsidiaries Los Angeles Home Directory, Home Improvement Beverly Hills and Beverly Hills Home Remodeling are local. Residents of Greater Los Angeles area are looking for Los Angeles contractors there!
In the category of Home Improvement in L.A. they can find Remodeling in L.A., Cabinetry in L.A., Marble and Granite in L.A., Flooring in L.A., Roofing in L.A., Construction in L.A. and more. The same in Beverly Hills Home Remodeling.
L.A. Home Decorating Directory features L.A. Interior Designers, L.A. Interior Decorators, Furniture in L.A., Light Fixtures in L.A. and welcomes additional categories.
L.A. Home Maintenance Directory lists Plumbing in L.A., Electric in L.A., Roofing in L.A., and Handymen in L.A.
As if all these were not enough, a brand new program being launched right now encourages visitors to request quotes for home improvement in L.A. area. At the same time Los Angeles contractors can enroll into a complimentary program and buy referrals for L.A. home improvement.
Los Angeles Home Directory is a part of Anything LA Network which enjoys high popularity on social networks, in syndication and on search engines. Anything LA’s Los Angeles Home Directory and the company that runs it are local and well-liked in L.A. area. Just like I demonstrated with my search for a roofer, large numbers don’t always translate into new customers; smaller but targeted numbers do. That’s something to consider in your marketing Online.
Jeremy Kesh is one of the founders of Encino-based CEILA Company. CEILA Company runs several top-ranking Websites, most notably Anything LA Network (http://www.AnythingLA.com) which is the ultimate resource for Angelenos.