If You Want More Leads, Read This!

I am a strong proponent of content marketing because I know that it works. One of the key parts of my strategy for building awareness of the content is pay per click advertising.

Based on statistical data compiled over the years, I know that content marketing, whose awareness is built through social media, will deliver the following results for clients that adopt my strategy:

1. Increased traffic to the website;

2. Increased followers on all social media channels: Twitter, FaceBook, Google+, LinkedIn, etc.;

3. Increased social sharing of content on social media channels;

4. Increased “Top Of Mind” brand awareness and the services and solutions that your restoration company offers;

5. Increased organic referrals from search engines like Google;

6. Increased relationships, trust, and goodwill with consumers, business owners, and others that actively read and share your content;

7. Increased lead acquisition that should generate sales and revenue for your business.

In a previous article, I outlined why FaceBook is one of the best social media services that you can use to build awareness of your content and your brand.

In this article, I will provide you with statistical data from an actual FaceBook campaign and also provide you with information from third party sources that demonstrate that FaceBook is one of the least expensive platforms that you can use to build brand awareness, brand enthusiasts/fans, digital word of mouth, relationships, trust, awesome leads, and most importantly sales.

Don't Buy Into The Negative FaceBook Hype!

Despite the Cambridge Analytica scandal still swirling around Facebook, resulting in a grilling at the hands of the U.S. Congress for CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the spurring on of the #DeleteFacebook movement, the company recorded strong quarterly figures for Q1 this year - including user growth. The chart below, courtesy of Statista, clearly demonstrates that marketers continue to use the platform because of the high value it delivers.

If you are still concerned about some of the negative hype you are reading about FaceBook, I encourage you to review these articles first before passing judgement!

1. Facebook explains why it needs your personal info outlines how data is used. It is used to increase the effectiveness for marketers.

2. Google Not Facebook Collects More Data On Users

3. Social Media Demographics to Inform a Better Segmentation Strategy is an article you should definitely review because it provides you with demographic data on FaceBook users. What you will learn is that your customers are on FaceBook!

How Much Are You Currently Spending Per Click To Drive Traffic To Your Website?

Many contractors still rely on Google Adwords to send traffic to their websites. Fair enough, but I encourage you to analyze the cost per click you are paying.

If you are paying for clicks on Google, you will   pay an average of $1 to $2 per click and MUCH more  if you are in an area where there are many competitors because Google AdWords is based on an auction system.

Keep in mind, just because you get a visitor to your website, does not mean that they will convert into a lead. Is the higher cost to acquire a visitor to your website worth it?

One of the core benefits of content marketing is that it leads to long term organic search engine referrals to your website .

Sure, there is an investment in building the content, but this investment will deliver long term ROI because once a high quality article is posted on your website, it will also get listed by Google. One of Google's goals is to refer visitors to the best listings from a search, so if you focus on delivering excellent and valuable content you will be rewarded.

Bottom line, if your primary strategy is Google Adwords, then you will always need to rely on this strategy to push traffic to your website. When you stop spending dollars on Google, the traffic will stop!

But, if you adopt a content marketing strategy and commit to it for 24 months, you will have enough content on your website and will have driven enough visitors to your website that you will begin to receive more organic search engine referrals. A two year investment will lead to a constant stream of traffic, particularly if you commit to posting 48 to 60 articles during this 24 month period.

Cost Per Click Of 18 Cents Is Possible!

In January, 2016, I was contacted by a contractor who was not getting the results he expected from the SEO agency he was working with. He was spending about $2,000 per month on Google Adwords and just was not getting the lead acquisition he expected. When he contacted me, I told him that I am not a strong proponent of this marketing method because it is not a long term strategy. Instead, I explained why I believed that content marketing was the best long term business play for him because it would create sustainable, long term visitor traffic to his website.

Long story short, he decided to work with me. More than 2 years later, I am still working with this client and he is spending much less than $2,000 per month and getting much better results.

The screen shot above is an example of a campaign I launched for him. As the screen shot shows, for a spend of $81.62 it has resulted in 446 direct clicks to my clients website, averaging about $0.18 per click.

Based on statistical data for the past two years, I know that the average cost per click is $0.50. That said, there are certain articles that resonate with consumers more and they respond by increasing the number of shares and visiting the site. The ultimate benefit is the cost per click decreases dramatically. The screen shot shows that a spend of $81.62 has resulted in 446 visitors to the website. Since I have budgeted $200 for this campaign, I anticipate that this spend will result in more than 1,000 visitors to the website. This is a great return on the advertising investment!

Increased Reach and Engagement!

There are two other statistics that FaceBook Insights provides that you should be aware of.

The first is the number of people your campaign is reaching. The more you budget, the more people will be exposed to your ad. My goal when I post a campaign is to maximize the reach and clicks to my clients website.

The screen shot above shows you that I reached over 6,000 people with an ad spend of $81.62. This is pretty significant because about 8% of these people clicked on the link and read the article!

The other key statistic that FaceBook Insights provides is post engagement, which tells you how many people are engaging the post on your FaceBook page.

As the screen shot above shows, this campaign resulted in a dramatic increase in engagement which means more people are gaining awareness of your brand. Brand awareness is important because it leads to "Top Of Mind" awareness which is one of the key goals of any marketing. You want consumers to think of your company when they are faced with a restoration concern like a flooded basement, kitchen fire, mold and or asbestos concern, etc.

Ultimate Goal Of Content Marketing!

The goal of content marketing is to expose your brand, message, and services to more consumers in your service area. 

You can do this by driving more visitors to your website. The value of these visitors grows over time as the brand recognition grows. 

You will definitely increase conversion rates, ie. inquiries through phone or an online form, if your website is laid out properly. In fact, in the free course I offer, lesson 6 provides you with 16 tips to maximize the response you get from website visitors. Maximize the response and you will increase leads and sales!

The statistics from the screen shots clearly demonstrate that good content distributed through paid advertising on FaceBook will definitely increase the number of visitors to your website in your service area. Done consistently, this approach will increase trust in your brand, which in turn generates more leads that turn into sales.

To date, I have written extensively about the benefits of content marketing. In fact, R and R Magazine, recently published an article, "The Business Case For Content Marketing" that you may want to review.

In addition to this article, I have posted several articles on my blog that you may want to review: Blogging Is A Game Changer!; Top 7 Content Marketing Statistics; Top 4 Goals Of Content Marketing!; and Google Is No Longer The Referral King!

Five Reasons You Need To Contact Restoration Digital Marketing Solutions !

If you are serious about creating a long term sustainable stream of leads and customers for your business we should talk for several reasons.

First, hiring RDMS will cost you much less than if you hired someone in-house and we have all the skills (listed in lesson 5 of my free course) required to ensure that the campaign is successful. Most importantly, now that I have client data from previous years, I know that this system works, provided you commit to it.

Second, we offer first time discounts to new clients willing to commit to a 12 month contract, with a 90 day cancellation clause. I understand that there is a certain level of skepticism. To address this, the services are discounted during the first year and to create more momentum, a larger part of the proposed budget is allocated to a direct advertising spend on FaceBook to push visitors to your website.

Third, exclusive service. Once RDMS begins working for a contractor in a specific service area, we will not offer our service to any other contractors in that area.

Fourth, complete transparency. When we work with you, you will always have access to the traffic statistics on your website because we provide you with the back end stats access we use to measure the following statistics: number of visitors; page views; where the visitor is coming from (Google, FaceBook, Twitter, etc.); top pages and posts viewed; pages that are clicked, etc. In addition, all of the FaceBook ads are placed on your FaceBook page, meaning you will know that the budget allocated is being spent simply by accessing the "Insights" tab.

Finally, full website management service. I manage the back end of your website making sure it is updated, post and promote all the content, and manage all the social media in a responsible and respectful manner to ensure that the credibility of your brand continues to thrive. My goal with my clients is to provide them with peace of mind knowing that their websites are managed properly, content is posted consistently, and the promotion is on-going.

To learn more about our services and schedule a free 60 minute consultation, click here!

About Sanjay Gupta

Sanjay is a marketing professional with over 20 years of experience in both traditional marketing and digital marketing. Today, he owns a digital marketing agency, Restoration Digital Marketing Solutions, that specializes in helping disaster restoration professionals increase their brand awareness and online lead generation using content marketing on topics related to mold removal, asbestos abatement, water damage restoration, fire and smoke restoration, and bio-hazard. In addition to providing marketing services to several restoration contractors, Sanjay is also the CEO of CitriFresh Distribution and also offers coaching and consulting services.