When you are working to improve communication for your home renovation business, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for every customer. Ideally, you need multiple points of contact to maintain open communication through text, phone calls, and emails.
Though calling homeowners is great for establishing personal connections, 80 percent of phone calls go to voicemail, thereby hindering your chances of establishing a connection. However, phone calls are not the only way to develop personal relationships. Emailing homeowners continue to be an effective way to communicate with existing and potential clients. Some business owners assume that “email is dead,” – but the truth is that email is still alive and thriving.
Recent statistics show that email marketing strategies are an excellent investment for your business:
- 90 percent of Americans use email.
- Email users check their messages as often as 20 times per day.
- Email engagement rates are higher than social media: 23 percent engagement via email vs. 0.6 percent via social media.
Additionally, at Modernize, we surveyed over 18,000 homeowners to find the preferred communication method between homeowners and contractors. Our survey found that 55 percent of homeowners choose to communicate with their contractors via email.
Emailing homeowners is a remarkable strategy for following up with existing and potential customers. Here is what you need to know when emailing your homeowners.
Email Tips for Contractors: Leverage Automation
Your available time is limited when you are running a home improvement business. Instead of spending your days at the computer, set up automation to send the right follow-up emails at the correct times. Adding email automation to your follow-up strategy is a great way to improve the number of leads that turn into set appointments. Plus, sending emails can help keep you organized and stay on top of priority action items.
Here are a few benefits to expect when you use email to follow-up with homeowners:
- Maintain Relationships: Ongoing communication is key to maintaining relationships. Personalizing your emails to include the homeowner’s name or a few other unique details will drive up engagement and strengthen your email connection.
- Streamline Communication: Automation helps you stay current with important messages, reducing the likelihood of information falling through the cracks.
- Build Trust: Homeowners build trust with their contractors more quickly when regular communication is part of the experience.
In addition to email automation for lead nurturing and follow-up, also spend a bit of time on personal emails when necessary. For example, many contractors choose to email project proposal details as a follow-up method after the consultation. Personalizing your follow-up emails is the key to beginning and maintaining your relationships with homeowners.
Email Cadence and Scripts
Systematize your email communication by deciding the cadence you want to use when communicating with your homeowners in advance. Then, leverage your internal teams to ensure you’re sending the right emails at the correct times.
Consider these follow-up email tips for contractors – an example of the timeline you might consider for email communication, as well as script examples for each message:
- After Proposal: Hi John, I wanted to connect to see if you had a chance to review the proposal details. (Summarize the proposal). Let me know if you have questions or need additional information about the specifics of the proposal.
- Next Steps: Hi John, we are looking forward to starting construction on your project. Here are a few things our team needs so we can get started with the work. (Send a bullet-list of to-do items or required documents). Once we have this info, we will proceed straightaway.
- Project Timeline: Hi John, our installation team is excited to get started on your project. Here is our anticipated timeline for construction and completion.
- Review Request: Hi John, now that the project is finished, we would love to hear your feedback about the experience and results. Let us know how we did! (Link out to review submission form)
- Ongoing Communication: Just because the project is complete does not mean that communication comes to an end. Nurture ongoing messages with your customers to promote referrals and future projects.
Each of these emails provides an opportunity to strengthen the relationship you are building with the homeowner. For more information about follow-up strategies and email marketing for contractors, check out our eBook: Weathering the Off-Season.
