Making your first sale is like striking a match. And building customer loyalty is what turns that first spark into a roaring fire. But the blaze won’t keep burning on its own.
Email marketing gives you the fuel to keep that fire burning strong. With more than half the people on Earth using email in 2024, odds are your customers are already checking their inboxes daily.
Whether you’re a plumber, electrician, or general contractor, this guide is for you. Here’s how email marketing can keep your schedule full.
Email marketing campaigns connect businesses with people who want to hear from them. In most cases, people sign up for your email list, and you send them a few emails a week. You can share updates, special offers, and tips of the trade. They’re all delivered right to their digital doorstep.
And it works. In 2023, more than half of marketers said their campaigns doubled their return on investment (ROI). That’s because sending emails lets you talk directly to people who are actually interested in what you’re offering.
Email marketing fills the gaps between other ways you reach customers. Someone might find you first through an online ad or social media. But email helps you stay connected long after that first interaction.
Different types of emails serve different purposes in your marketing strategy. Let’s look at six kinds of email marketing campaigns that help you connect directly with subscribers:
1. Promotional Emails
These email campaigns share your latest deals and offers. Since your subscriber list is full of clients already familiar with your company, they’re much more likely to convert than promos on your other marketing channels.
2. Informational Newsletters
Regular newsletters keep subscribers in the loop about your business. You might send emails about company news, project highlights, or helpful tips. Many businesses send these emails on a regular schedule, like monthly or weekly, with subject lines that preview what’s inside.
3. Lead Nurturing Emails
These email marketing campaigns guide potential customers toward making a decision. Say someone downloads your pricing guide and opts in to join your email list. You might send them a series of emails about your services, before-and-after photos, and special offers for first-time clients.
4. Survey Emails
Survey emails help you gather valuable feedback. The subject line should make it clear that you’re asking for their opinion. Offering an incentive like a small discount for taking the time to reply can really increase your response rate.
5. Retention Emails
Engage existing customers with email campaigns that make them feel valued. This includes types of emails like:
Welcome emails for new subscribers
How-to guides
Special perks for longtime customers
You can even share subscriber success stories in your newsletters with their permission. Lots of your customers will be thrilled to grab their 15 minutes of fame.
6. Transactional Emails
These are routine emails that are triggered when users interact with your website. While not strictly marketing, transactional emails still represent your brand. Make these automated messages friendly and helpful. They’re likely the most-read emails you’ll send.
Email Campaign Advantages for Contractors
When it comes to getting results, email marketing is hard to beat. An impressive 95% of marketers agree that it’s an effective way to jumpstart your ROI.
But there’s more to love about email marketing campaigns than the numbers. Let’s take a look:
Personal Touch. Email marketing lets you talk to subscribers like real people. Instead of sending an identical message to everyone on your list, you can segment your audiences. That way, you can tailor email content to fit each audience’s needs and preferences. This might be reminding homeowners about seasonal maintenance or offering repeat customers exclusive discounts.
Cost-Effective Campaigns. Email marketing platforms cost a lot less than many other advertising channels. Many offer free plans to get you going. Plus, you can use templates to create professional-looking emails without having to hire a designer.
Easy To Test and Improve. Sending emails with different subject lines and calls to action lets you learn which ones your subscribers actually open. You can track the email campaigns that work best and adjust your approach.
Better Conversion Rates. When someone joins your email list, they’re already interested in what you offer. That’s why email marketing typically converts better than social media and other channels.
There’s a lot to love about email campaigns, but no marketing strategy is perfect. Here are some of the main challenges of running these campaigns:
Inbox Competition. Your marketing emails compete with dozens of others in your subscribers’ inboxes. Standing out takes work.
Spam Concerns. Sometimes, perfectly good emails end up in the spam folder. Using the wrong words in your subject lines or sending too many emails at once can trigger the filter.
Technical Hurdles. Email size affects loading times, especially for subscribers checking email on their phones. Plus, different email platforms display messages differently. That means your carefully designed newsletter might not look quite right for everyone on your email list.
Email List Maintenance. Over 25% of your email list decays every year. That means one in four emails will go unused or become invalid and get returned to sender.
How To Do Email Marketing for Your Contractor Business in 5 Steps
Ready to launch your first email marketing campaign? Just like a home improvement project, success comes down to good planning and the right tools.
Here’s how to build a strategy that works using email marketing best practices:
1. Set Clear Goals
Before sending emails, figure out what you’re trying to achieve. Maybe you want to book more repeat customers. Maybe you’re looking to spread the word about a new service. Having clear goals helps you measure success beyond just opens and clicks.
2. Know Your Audience
Look at your current email list and consider what matters most to each subscriber. Are they homeowners who need seasonal maintenance reminders? Property managers who want monthly updates? Group your email list by interest, demographics, past behavior, and other metrics so you can send emails your clients won’t see as spam.
3. Create Compelling Emails
Your subject lines need to stand out in crowded inboxes. Keep them clear and honest — no one likes clickbait. Inside your email marketing campaigns, use simple language and always include a clear next step. This could be “Schedule Your Free Inspection Today” or “Save Up to 10% With Our Summer Specials.”
4. Plan the Timing
Decide how often you’ll send marketing emails to each group of subscribers. Too many emails can annoy people, but too few might make them forget about you.
5. Track What Works
Email campaigns aren’t a one-and-done effort. Savvy email marketers closely watch how subscribers interact with their emails. How many open them? What’s your click-through rate? That’s the percentage of subscribers who actually click the links in your emails.
Most email marketing platforms show you these numbers automatically. Use what you learn to improve future campaigns and boost your ROI.
5 Tips for Choosing the Right Email Marketing Services Provider
As your subscriber list grows, you need an email marketing service that can grow with you. Here’s how to find the perfect one:
Know Your Numbers. Calculate how many subscribers you expect to have and how many emails you’ll send each month. Some email marketing platforms start charging more after a certain number of subscribers. Others include bigger lists in their basic plans. You want room to grow without breaking the bank.
Make Sure It’s Easy to Use. Many email marketers waste time with complicated designs. Look for a platform with drag-and-drop editing and pre-made templates. The best platforms let you create professional-looking emails in minutes, even if you’re not tech-savvy.
Check the Automation Options. Your platform should handle welcome emails, follow-ups, and scheduling automatically. This lets you spend more time running your business while your email campaigns run themselves.
Confirm Mobile Looks Good. Most subscribers check email on their phones. Make sure your platform offers responsive templates that look great on any device.
Test the Support System. Even experienced email marketers sometimes need a little help. Look for platforms with reliable customer service, helpful documentation, and quick response times.
Stay Organized and Manage Customers on the Go With Joist
Now that you know how to reach customers through email, let’s make sure you can keep track of them, too.
With Joist’s app for contractors, you can store, access, and export customer information from anywhere anytime. Keeping track of customers and jobs just got that much easier.
Before/After Photo Tips for Contractors As a contractor, it can be hard to know where to focus your marketing efforts. Good news: one of the most important things you can do to promote your company is something you are likely already doing! Sharing past projects can help demonstrate your expertise and speaks volumes with new clients. You may already snap quick pictures of a project’s progress to send to a client, to collaborate with employees, provide details to your vendors, or to keep for you own portfolio. With a smartphone or compact digital camera, it’s easier than ever to capture a beautiful photo — and a great “Before and After” image can be a powerful marketing tool. The next time you snap a picture on the job site, keep these tips in mind to capture the perfect before/after photo. Lighting Make sure the scene is well-lit and free of shadows. For indoor shots, natural daylight is best. Try to take both “Before” and “After” shots at the same time of day so they have similar lighting. The key is to minimize all differences in the two shots except for the newly installed element. With the same light entering through the windows in both shots, it’s clear that the brighter appearance in the room on the right is due to newly painted walls, doors and trim.[/caption] Vantage Point The most effective comparison images are taken from the exact same place in the room. This makes it easier for the viewer to compare changes, especially in rooms that have been completely overhauled. It may be necessary to mark or measure where your original image was shot to get this just right. If the room has been changed structurally, try to frame the image on an unchanged element, such as a window or doorway to give the viewer a reference point. If your company prides itself on speedy work, be sure to include the time frame in which the changes were made. Although this room was completely changed, the open doorways give a frame of reference for the room, helping the viewer see the scope of the work. Work in Progress Sometimes an image of a work in progress (or half complete) can be very powerful, providing a natural before/after comparison that a client can’t ignore. This type of image works well for cleaning processes, or new roofing, tile, or flooring. A client that saw this image could be positive their money was well-spent. Element in Context If only one element in the room has changed, be sure to still take an image of the whole room, letting the viewer see the new element in context. This gives a great impression of how a small single change — like a new countertop — can make a big difference to the look of the whole room. Detail If your company specializes in detailed work, be sure to include a close-up image so viewers can see all the details of a job well done. These images do a great job of showing detail and expanse at the same time. Taking photos on the job site is a great habit to get into. Consider making it part of your marketing strategy! Feel free to share any photos of your past work below!
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