A marketing strategy that only uses a single channel typically only has a purchase rate of around 3%. With an integrated marketing strategy of three channels or more, that number climbs to 12.43%! Data also shows that the success of integrated marketing campaigns increases from year to year.
One effective home improvement marketing strategy is combining digital and radio advertising. It's inexpensive, sets you apart from your competition, and there are several ways to get started!
Research shows that 83% of Americans listen to traditional AM/FM radio on a weekly basis. Half of those people say that they primarily listen to the radio for news content. This puts your advertising in a good place to resonate with your audience. These people are less likely to switch stations between ad breaks because they desire more news stories from that station. They're also more receptive to information than the average listener who only searches for music stations.
While many homeowners still listen to radio, it's not where they do their research for home improvement companies. You must also establish a connection through digital channels, such as social media. When consumers see reminders of a brand across multiple channels, they're more likely to buy from that company!
SEM (search engine marketing) works similarly to SEO, but it's a paid strategy. With that monetary element, your brand's content is guaranteed to appear at the top of a customer's search results. Usually, your company will only be charged if the ad gets clicked.
This is also known as pay-per-click advertising, but the two don't always have to go together. For example, you can buy pay-per-click ads on social media through Promoted Tweets or on website banners. Paid search ads are affordable and beneficial for all businesses, even if you don't have a large customer base yet!
80% of customers say that they've purchased a product based on recommendations from influencers. As social media continues to grow, more marketers are dedicating a portion of their budgets towards influencer marketing. The biggest social media influencers often have thousands (or millions!) of trusting fans. So, in addition to expanding your brand's reach, you're inheriting the trust of all the influencer's followers through this strategy!
You can also have your company endorsed by on-air radio personalities. Like any other influencer, radio hosts are regarded as trusted voices in their local communities. That's why they're particularly beneficial for local home improvement businesses! For many homeowners, their living space is used to reflect the personalities of themselves and their families. They would rather leave sensitive, detail-oriented remodeling jobs in the hands of someone they trust, and radio endorsements give you trust by association.
Programmatic ads are bought by using digital software instead of manually purchasing the ads yourself. On one hand, it uses real-time data to gather leads and the automated process is much easier for the advertiser. However, programmatic display ads can also become too repetitive or showcase irrelevant content.
Fortunately, home improvement companies already know what their audiences expect. Your target probably wants reliable workers, good customer service, and proof of your company's work. You can showcase all of these things through creative copy integrated into your programmatic ads.
Another way to influence your audience effectively is through video advertising. This is a great place to showcase your home improvement company's craftsmanship in action, combined with audio and voiceover elements. The easiest way to get started is through YouTube since it's completely free to create a channel and upload videos!
If you want to expand your reach, paid OTT and CTV ads are also very effective. You can also pay to have your ad placed in other YouTube videos besides your own. YouTube advertising is very customizable and allows you to target your ads by location, keywords, and topics!
Paid email marketing is when you use an email vendor to send out sponsored emails from your business. Using their own research, these email vendors will only send out correspondence to highly interested targets, guaranteeing more potential sales.
However, there are many email vendors to choose from. It can also raise some red flags with your audience. They might ask "Why is this random company sending me emails? Is this spam?" On the other hand, a paid email sponsored by a trusted radio station is more likely to be opened.
Audio ads are often cheaper to produce compared to TV commercials, but they're just as engaging! As we've already mentioned, radio has a wide reach among the majority of adults. Podcast ads can also increase your brand visibility: nearly 60% of Americans listen to podcasts each week! Podcasts also frequently appear in digital searches when consumers are trying to find useful home improvement resources.
When combined with digital tools, a good radio campaign can raise more awareness and profits for your home improvement business. If you don't have much experience with radio advertising, a media partner can help. The right partner will connect you to trusted radio hosts and boost your marketing attribution qualities, leading to the most successful campaign.