In recent years there has been a burst of new online lead generation services for contractors, and while a few of them are worthwhile, most are a complete waste of time. It’s become difficult for business owners to know which services are legitimate and which ones provide nothing but old, useless information that is of little value to anyone. This sets up a scenario where contractors often spend months or years testing different services in the hopes that they will eventually find the one that converts the best. In the process a great deal of money and effort goes to waste. There is another way, however. It may sound too good to be true, but the fact of the matter is that there are ways to generate one’s own free construction job leads without the help of any so-called “lead generation professional”.
One excellent method for getting free leads is to write a home improvement article and submit it for publication to your local community newspaper. Editors of smaller, hometown papers are often so desperate for weekly content that they will publish almost anything if they believe it will deliver value to the readership. As an example, the owner of a small residential remodeling service could write an article for publication about which home improvement projects are most likely to increase a home’s resale value. He or she would most likely receive a short credit at the end of the article which would include the business name and phone number. This would no doubt result in at least a handful of major projects for the company. The cost would be nothing more than the time it took to write the article and email it to the publisher.
Another way to generate free leads for a construction business is to operate it in such a way that it attracts the attention of local media outlets. For example, since many people these days are short on cash but have a substantial number of possessions there could be an opportunity to leverage this phenomenon. The savvy contractor might formulate a payment system where things like cars, boats, and other valuables are considered viable forms of payment for services rendered. A full kitchen remodel could be traded for a used BMW. A new roof might be bartered for a couple of rarely used jet skis. These are the kinds of unconventional business tactics that raise eyebrows and attract attention. All it would take is for a local news channel to do a quick blurb about the company on a slow news night and the number of phone calls at company headquarters would explode.
These are just a few examples of how to generate free construction job leads but there are countless others. By being creative and thinking “outside the box” a construction business owner can find many ways to drum up new business without spending a single dollar. Granted, he may need to invest time and energy into creating these leads, but if preserving capital is the main concern then using these techniques is advisable. Running a business today often requires more than just a skill and a bank account. It requires the ability to market and advertise in a manner that is both original and cost-effective.