Marketing Road Map for 2023

BY TESS WITTLER

During the last 24 to 28 months, home improvement enterprises have thrived. From the pandemic’s beginning in 2020 through the summer of 2022, the remodeling, decorating, painting and other craftsmen industries experienced unprecedented growth. As a result, the demand for products was sky-high and selling your services became easier than ever. While it seemed that this shift in consumer trends was becoming the new normal, Q3 and Q4 of 2022 proved otherwise, and things have returned to the levels they were before the pandemic.

Remodeling returns to normal

Here’s how searches for ‘remodeling’ tracked on Google Trends between March 2018 and March 2023.

You watched your business flourish during the last two years, but now you’re seeing that the sales volume isn’t what you had become accustomed to. In order to experience year-over-year business growth, you’ll need to strategize new ways to gain more of the market share. This is why marketing is going to be even more important in 2023 than it has been in previous years.

As a small business in today’s digital world, creating a comprehensive marketing road map for 2023 may sound intimidating— but it doesn’t have to be! In this article, we’ll show you the exact road map our agency uses for our customers and break down tasks into actionable steps so you can build your own effective strategy. With thoughtful planning, your brand will be positioned to reach its desired goals.

Website optimization and organic search

First, you’ll want to start with a website audit. You need to know where you’re beginning in order to determine how to get where you want to go. Your website is the hub of your online presence and should not be ignored. All too often, companies spend more time and energy building their social media presence than their website; however, a business’s search engine optimization (SEO) footprint is what truly drives results.

Organic search is king in the digital world and potential customers are more likely to discover you through your use of strategic keywords. According to HubSpot, 71% of marketers say using strategic keywords was their number one strategy for SEO and more than 50% of marketers say keyword rankings and organic traffic are the top ways to measure the success of their campaigns.

Optimization and search must-dos:

■ Choose the right keywords that uniquely fit your industry.

■ Optimize your website for search engines, focusing on your home page and services page. Make sure title tags and meta descriptions are accurate and include your main keywords.

■ Use keyword-rich titles for your blog posts.

Expert Recommendation

Perform a thorough website audit to identify the areas where your site is underperforming and to reveal issue with User Experience, Conversion Optimization, and/or SEO/Online Visibility. Create a content inventory spreadsheet to organize what you have, see what needs to be revised/discarded, and find where content gaps exist.

Content creation, including blogs and project stories

The next stage is to assess the current state of your website content. Get curious and look at your Google Analytics and Google Search Console data. The stats you should be tracking include keyword ranking, organic traffic, time spent on a page, clickthrough rate (CTR), bounce rate and top landing pages. You’ll see if your content successfully provides you with top-quality leads, what your top landing pages are, and what is underperforming.

Compare your information to what is on your top three to four competitors’ sites. What apparent content ‘gaps’ do you see and what can you add to make you stand out? To get even more ideas, look at sites outside your direct competitors to bring something fresh to your region.

Quality content

It is now time to create high-quality content that is both informational and engaging (this is where the abovementioned content inventory spreadsheet comes in handy). As a home improvement expert, people are looking to you to give them fresh perspectives on popular topics and to keep them up to date on the latest trends. You can establish brand trust and build your audience by upping your content game.

Blogging isn’t going anywhere, but the content has changed. No longer will fluffy pieces or thin articles with overused keywords help your ranking. Instead, blog articles need to be educational, informative and useful. Gone are the days when businesses blog just to blog; they now use blogs to drive conversions. Blogging is still an incredibly valuable tool for SEO, and according to HubSpot Blog Research, nearly 50% of companies have a content marketing strategy that leverages blogging. Furthermore, HubSpot says that a blog on your website can result in a 434% increase in indexed pages and a 97% increase in indexed links.

Think about it this way: if your prospective customer wants to hire a painting company and your website has a blog article about what to do before, during and after a painting project, this provides more ways in which a person can interact with your content. They may find your post via Google, read it (and other content) on your site, and learn more about your services. By providing a variety of touchpoints through relevant content, it is more likely that they will contact you about their project needs.

Project stories are similar to case studies and continue to be a top performer in driving localized leads. You can prove your expertise and entice customers to reach out by providing a comprehensive view of your process. Start by giving the background as to why the customer wanted their project completed. Then explain the unique approach and/or strategy you used and reveal one or two challenges you solved. Finally, show the finished result with professional-looking photos (ideally with a testimonial from the happy customer).

Project stories also increase your visibility in localized searches. People want to do business with companies in their area. For example, your business is located in the greater Chicago area, but Chicago is a big city—covering nearly 250 miles. Therefore, your company wants to target specific neighborhoods within Chicago. A well-written project story highlighting an exterior painting project in Lincoln Park or an interior stair painting project in Wicker Park can significantly enhance localized searches because you are turning the common key phrase of ‘exterior painting Chicago’ to ‘exterior painting Lincoln Park.’

Expert Recommendation

Use your content inventory spreadsheet to prioritize what you need to revise and what new content you need to create. Then, create a content calendar that includes modifying one page/post a month (until all your top-priority pages have been revised), writing one new page/post a month, and adding one new project story per quarter.

Content distribution

Now that you’ve generated content, it’s time to distribute it. While newsletters and social media are two of the most common ways, don’t forget about posting regularly to your Google Business Profile. Email marketing and newsletters remain one of the most effective ways for companies to stay connected with prospective and past customers, and it has the highest return on investment (ROI) for small businesses. After writing a new blog article or project story, email it (in part) to your subscribers. Couple this with a Welcome Message and a Tip, and your followers will look forward to receiving your newsletters. One approach that has become increasingly popular is email segmentation, with almost 30% of marketers surveyed using this tactic to improve email engagement (source: HubSpot). For example, segment your list between commercial and residential customers and tailor your email newsletter to reach the right audience. This will help your readers feel like you are talking directly to them.

Expert Recommendation

Send your email newsletter around the same time each month, such as the first of the month, the second Thursday, or the last Friday. Review your stats monthly and remove any emails that bounce to keep your email list healthy.

TESS WITTLER is the owner of Tess Wittler Marketing, an SEO marketing agency that focuses exclusively on helping building professionals improve their organic search results. As the senior SEO strategist and copywriter, her approach has contributed to increased revenue and business growth for clients year after year. TessWittler.com

New Blog Content

Expert Recommendation

Identify one or two social media platforms where your ideal audience ‘hangs out’ and begin posting regularly (one to three times a week). Spend time each month writing and prescheduling content. If your social media mix includes Facebook and Instagram, schedule these posts ahead of time using Meta Business Suite.

Social Media

Social media allows you to reach a wider audience but remember that each social media platform needs to be treated differently and messages should be customized to the individual platform. For example, Instagram and Twitter use hashtags but Facebook doesn’t. Another difference: Facebook allows URL links and Instagram doesn’t.

Another tool you could implement into your social media mix in 2023 is a ‘link in bio’ tool, such as Linktree, Later or Sleek.bio. These are mini landing pages often used on Instagram or TikTok accounts. Instead of one link in your bio, you can now have many to direct your audience to the specific information they are looking for, such as your latest blog article, services pages or contact page. Alternatively, you can create a landing page with various links on your website (which is better for SEO). Either option is much more effective than listing your company’s website and expecting visitors to browse for the information they want.

Google business profiles offer an easy way for local businesses in the B2C market to build trust and attract new customers. Google posts offer some clear advantages that social media platforms do not, with the biggest being that they are more searchable. When someone Googles it, these posts can appear in the search result, which expands your reach.

Expert Recommendation

After publishing a new post to your website, publish it on your Google Business Profile under ‘Add update.’ Additionally, implement an email campaign that asks for reviews after a project is complete, as they are imperative for building trust and generating leads. Customers will look at your posts, rating and Google reviews.

Chart a course for success

Creating a marketing road map is essential as you set your business goals for 2023. Although there are a variety of ways in which you can grow audience engagement and increase revenue generation, enhancing your digital footprint with a clearly defined and strategic approach will ensure you reach optimal success. -