5 Unique Things about Marketing to Contractors

1. The location of their office changes.

Many contractors are out on the job site all day long. Once a job is complete, their “office” changes locations. So what does that mean for you? It means your campaigns need to be optimized for mobile devices. Smartphone use among Equipment World’s audience reached 70% in 2013. Set your online campaigns to mobile preferred and make sure your website and emails are optimized for mobile viewing.
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2. Contractors buy heavy machinery online . . . sort of.

I have never heard of a contractor adding a bulldozer to his online shopping cart. It is just not practical. However, online auctions sell heavy construction equipment by the droves. For those running online auctions, using banners and text ads are pretty straight forward.
If you’re an OEM, you can still influence the buying process. You can use search, banners, and social media to drive phone calls to your sales force. You can also gather leads through form submissions from landing pages. One helpful hint for a higher conversion rate is to incentivize the click. Offer some sort of discount or value if the potential customer takes advantage of your online offers.
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3. 88.8% of contractors research equipment online prior to purchase.

This piggy backs on the last point but takes us in a slightly different direction. If contractors are researching equipment, search engine marketing and website development are your new best friends.
SEM practices ensure your text ads are found when contractors search for equipment. You can also include competitors names in the keywords you target to steal away some of their traffic.
Many contractors will go straight to your website when they want to do research. As we mentioned previously, a bulk of the traffic will be from mobile devices. You should have mobile-friendly version of your website. Viewing a non mobile-friendly website from a smartphone is a big hassle.
Have a website designer assess the navigability and design of your website. Internet attention doesn’t last for long. The quicker people can find what they are looking for, the lower your bounce rates.
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4. Equipment needs scheduled maintenance.

In marketing we often talk about the timing of your messaging. With heavy equipment needing maintenance and part replacements on somewhat of a schedule, you can plan the timing of your marketing for optimum impact.
Equipment age plays a role in this schedule as well as the brand and model of  equipment. If you need help finding out this info about your prospects, check out the link below.
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5. Contractors are people.

I know this is the opposite of unique, but it needs to be noted. The basic principles of marketing still apply with contractors. Like all audiences, you need to inspire with story and deliver with results.
Keep your messaging client focused. Make contractors the hero of your story. Frame your capabilities and products as tools to empower their business goals and objectives. The principles of communication never change.
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