Advertising Ideas for Local Home Improvement Businesses

Advertising Ideas for Local Home Improvement Businesses

Laying a Strong Foundation for Continued Success in Your Community

As ecommerce disruption has brought widespread transformation to virtually every industry, one breed of brick-and-mortar stores has remained surprisingly resilient in the face of change. As Market Watch reports, a recent analysis from UBS found that home improvement retail stores only declined in the United States by 1.1 percent year-over-year, even as other retail verticals suffered mass store closures.

Despite this good news, innovative home improvement advertising ideas are still needed to protect local businesses and keep them successful. To lay a foundation for sustained success, these businesses need to start working now on ways they can leverage their physical presence to create better advertising that wins over their target consumer base.

Home improvement businesses have unique circumstances to account for—and, potentially, to use to their advantage. Since businesses like yours primarily serve a local audience that may need quick access to supplies and in-person expert guidance, these companies can play to these strengths through a combination of advertising strategies targeted to their local market. Here’s a look at some proven methods of creating local ad campaigns that drive strong return-on-investment and score crucial victories over ecommerce competitors.

Consider Targeting the DIY audience

One of the most important trends for home improvement businesses to consider is the growing desire by consumers to tackle DIY projects. Roughly 75 million millennials are currently first-time homeowners, while more than 47 million baby boomers currently own a home and have no plans to leave.

Both of these consumer groups are likely to embrace DIY projects and home renovation as an alternative to upgrading by purchasing a new home. This trend is also backed by recent growth in retail sales for home improvement brands: According to Forbes, U.S. Census Bureau Data showed a 6.9 percent year-over-year growth in retail sales for building supplies and gardening equipment in 2017.

This growth likely underscores consumer determination to tackle DIY projects, which creates a natural advertising opportunity for home improvement brands. Local businesses should create ad campaigns that promote in-store DIY tutorials or other in-house expertise, providing personal guidance on home improvement projects. Traditional TV and other digital ad campaigns should try to drive shoppers into your store with the promise of personalized service that will help them tackle whatever DIY projects they want to try.

If you offer home improvement services, you could consider sending a different message to this audience and letting them know the benefits of partnering with professionals instead of doing everything themselves.

Plan for Multiple Touches Through Multiple Ad Channels

The consideration phase for home improvement purchases can involve a lot of research. Consumers are trying to figure out not only whether they want to hire help or go the DIY route, but also what their options might be in terms of materials, design, finishes and other aspects of a home improvement project. Budget considerations can also affect this decision-making process, and those consumers are likely doing price comparisons online, and in multiple online shopping sessions.

The best advertising for home improvement brands is a patient approach that takes advantage of multiple advertising channels. Keep your brand top-of-mind throughout the consideration phase by running campaigns via display ads, social content, over-the-top advertising, and remarketing strategies to create multiple touchpoints with consumers. Remember that, according to Think With Google, 87 percent of consumers conduct research online before visiting a brick-and-mortar store. A report from Deloitte, meanwhile, notes that 58 percent of all home improvement retail sales are influenced by digital channels. Maintaining a consistent digital ad presence will strengthen familiarity with your brand and solidify your company as a leading option for a consumer’s business.

Present “Special Offers” for Free or Discounted Assistance

Establishing your brand as a resource for help is a great way to build trust and deepen consumer loyalties to your company. You can develop a number of strategies that can then be promoted through your ad content. Create TV ads that highlight in-store expertise and offer free quotes, measurements, consultations or other services. Send emails and create display advertising that highlight no-obligation quotes and conversations with local home improvement experts.

Your company should also consider creating instructional video content to reach your local audience. These videos can assist consumers in DIY projects and refer them into the store for any products or additional info they may need, or they can let the customer know when it’s time to give up on a DIY job and call in a professional. According to Think With Google, these videos are a great way to engage your consumer base through mobile, and to effectively target micro-moments where engagement offers strong potential ROI: forty-eight percent of smartphone owners are more likely to purchase from a business that offers these instructional videos via their website or an app.

Highlight Examples of Your Work

Quality matters to home improvement consumers. No matter which home improvement advertising ideas you settle on, find ways to use these channels to promote your body of work and/or your reputation in the local community. Use TV advertising to promote a local showroom, content shared on social media accounts, and/or photo galleries available on your company website.

When using this TV advertising to drive in-store visits and website visits, make sure you have a mobile-optimized website to offer the best experience to second-screen users. The second screen is a critical part of any small business advertising strategy: According to eMarketer, more than 70 percent of adults already use second screens while watching TV.

Businesses should also encourage customers to create social content. Consider how this content—photos, videos and positive reviews—could be repurposed across other digital advertising channels to enhance the credibility and trust of your brand.

Home improvement businesses have remained strong even in the height of ecommerce competition. A strong advertising strategy (and marketing partner) can help your business continue to grow.