Successful lead generation strategies for window and door installers today can run the full gamut. Channels a window and door installer might use to earn business include digital lead programs, email marketing, direct mail, canvassing and neighborhood coupon mailers.
To build business, it is critical to first determine which marketing campaigns prove to work best for your company. To find this out, the best approach is to compare hard data across multiple lead generation methods and marketing channels. For this analysis to be meaningful, you need the right measurement tools and techniques.
Digital lead channels tend to be especially rich with these analytical tools and best practice resources. The following three foundational practices measure marketing performance data that will make sense for any contractor, whether you are optimizing within one channel or allocating investments across multiple lead generation strategies and channels.
1. Analyze your website’s performance (web analytics)
If you are new to measuring performance from lead generation marketing campaigns, start with Google Analytics. It is the go-to free web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic, including numbers of visitors, how long visitors stay (session duration), pages visited per session, and where those visitors are coming from. For example, did they type in your URL directly? Click on paid search ad? Search for your brand using Google? Get referred from another site?
In a nutshell, Google Analytics will tell you who is visiting your site and how they get there. Track which pages receive the most visits and when users tend to depart (bounce). Understanding this data will allow you to identify pages that could be confusing or irrelevant to would-be customers, preventing them from giving you their contact information or scheduling an appointment.
If you are paying for search ads, you can get important insight into their performance using Google Analytics. Simply set them up with unique URLs using UTM parameters (Universal Tag Manager, a free Google System). This will allow you to track which campaigns are driving visitors, leads and ultimately revenue for your business. Then, you can calculate your return on investment and determine which channels are worth their budget.
2. Test alternatives in the same channel (A/B testing)
With all the digital marketing options at your disposal, performing tests within each platform to determine which technique, message or offer is better than another is a best practice when it comes to a successful lead generation strategy. This concept is called A/B testing, which is a strategy in which you compare the results from one version of a landing page, ad copy, ad image, script or campaign to another. It is important to make sure comparable sets of visitors or email recipients see each version. Elements suitable to measure during A/B testing include webpage headlines, button colors, calls to action, page layout, email subject lines, copy and images.
Many popular marketing services have A/B testing capabilities built in, including MailChimp email, Google AdWords and Facebook display ads. It is also a good idea to test website landing pages using tools like VWO, Optimizely and Unbounce.
3. Manage interactions with your prospects (customer relationship management)
A customer relationship management (CRM) system is a tool marketing experts highly recommend to make the most of your campaigns. CRM systems track crucial data about each of your customers and prospects. For example, you can track the number of leads that convert into customers, the amount of revenue you received from each, and the marketing channel from which they originated. This allows you to understand ROI from each marketing channel, which is crucial to optimizing your marketing campaigns for success.
Imagine you are running two campaigns: paid search and direct mail. You might pay the same and get an equal number of leads from each. If your paid search campaign results in more booked jobs per call, or if the customers sourced from search yield more revenue on average, then that campaign is providing a greater ROI and deserves more investment. A CRM system can help you visualize those differences and help you make better revenue-focused decisions.
In addition to tracking marketing performance, a CRM system will also help you monitor execution by your sales team. The system will track calls, emails, and notes for each lead, including the date and time of each communication and its content. You can schedule calls and emails, assign who will make them, and receive alerts if those tasks are missed.
You can also track the status of each potential deal (i.e. introductory call, site visit set, appointment completed, quote provided, deal won/lost and project scheduled). This helps ensure no prospect falls through the cracks and that you are taking advantage of every business opportunity.
A wide range of CRM tools are available today, ranging from lower cost options (Sugar CRM and Zoho) to contractor specific options (Service Titan, MarketSharp) and high-end options (Salesforce). Find the right one that fits your company’s budget, organization and complexity.
