The days when you could rely on local realtors or newspapers for advertising are long gone. Today, being digitally native means you can reach your audience wherever they may be in order to promote your business. The home inspection industry is no different and many homeowners are now opting to do their home inspections online. Why? Because it’s more convenient, since they can complete the process from the comfort of their home. This also means you can enjoy the flexibility of having an online presence rather than being tethered to a particular location.

The Rise in Online Home Inspection

According to research firm Forrester, over 4 million US consumers are likely to conduct at least one home inspection online this year. That’s 80% of the market. The most popular search terms cited by online home inspectors are:

• inspection
• home
• realty
• agent
• review

It’s not difficult to see why. With many service providers popping up online, consumers have a wider array of options to choose from, which in turn, makes them more likely to be confident in their decisions. Thanks to the internet, anyone can portray themselves as an expert for the price of a website.

Marketing Tips for Online Home Inspectors

With so much competition, it’s essential that you stand out from the crowd. Fortunately, you have a golden opportunity to do exactly that. Since most home inspectors opt to work online, you can leverage that fact to your advantage. Instead of depending on traditional methods of marketing, such as radio and television advertising, you can take advantage of digital marketing to target potential customers and gain brand recognition. Here are just a few marketing tips for online home inspectors:

Create a Website

If you’re serious about growing your business, then it’s time to consider creating a website. A website not only helps you establish your expertise, but also allows you to provide useful information to potential customers. Plus, you can use the platform to collect leads and conduct customer research. If you’re not sure where to start, contact a reputable web design company that offers digital marketing services.

Standard SEO

As we mentioned above, with so much competition, it’s essential that you stand out from the crowd. One way of doing that is through search engine optimization (SEO). In the past, SEO was primarily done in-house by your webmaster or digital marketer. However, thanks to the evolution of cloud-based computing, you can get an expertly crafted SEO strategy using a tool like Google’s Keyword Planner or SEOMoz’s Free Keyword Tool. Both of these tools are available as part of Google’s free toolshed. If you’re not sure what keywords are relevant for your business, use these tools to generate keywords and phrases that you can incorporate into your content.

Social Media

The home inspection industry is increasingly taking advantage of social media platforms to gain brand recognition and to connect with past, present, and potential customers. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ provide you with tons of opportunities to connect with potential customers and establish yourself as an expert in your industry. If you’re not using social media to its fullest potential, it’s time to jump on board.

Regular Content Updates

With all the tools available to modern-day marketers, keeping up with the latest trends is essential if you want to stay competitive. One way of doing that is through regular content updates. Once a week, maybe every other week, create a blog post to share with your audience. Be sure to keep things fresh and interesting by varying the content you put out.

Video Content

Did you know that people today mostly learn through watching video content? Whether you create instructional videos to help customers or you decide to put yourself in the video and answer some questions about your service, video content can be extremely effective in creating a memorable first impression. Furthermore, if you use a service like Revinate, you can record video annotations on your phone while you’re there and have them appear on screen when you play back the video. That way, you can tell people what you found and why you decided to act upon it. If you’re looking for ways to increase brand recognition and attract more customers, then video content is a great place to start.

Mobile Marketing

Since most people use their smartphones to access the internet, you can easily target potential customers through mobile marketing. With services like Google AdWords, you can put up ads on mobile-friendly websites and platforms like Google Search and Gmail. If you want to be able to show up in mobile searches and gain brand recognition, then getting listed on these platforms can help.

Content Marketing

As we mentioned above, people learn through watching video content. Well, you can use video content to teach your audience something new about your business or to highlight an important issue that your company is addressing. For example, if you’re a real estate company and you decide to create a series of videos showcasing different houses for sale, you can educate your audience about the benefits of buying real estate in a certain area or provide insight into the house hunting process. Essentially, you can use video content to create compelling storytelling that will draw in more leads and customers.

As you can see, there are many different ways you can market your business online. Instead of relying on traditional methods, such as newspaper ads, you can take advantage of digital marketing to gain brand recognition and make your business stand out in the crowd. The choice is ultimately up to you, but as the owner of a home inspection company, you know what needs to be done.