As we sail through the fist quarter of the year, you may be finding that your marketing strategy and materials aren’t hitting the mark. Here are six simple questions that will help you refocus your efforts and find your target.

Before I started working in content marketing, I was a journalist. One of the first things I learned in Newswriting 101 remains a basic today. It’s an exercise that helps you find, and sort through, the information you need when communicating your message. It’s called the 5Ws (and an H):

• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?
• Why?
• How?

While finding and answering these questions are the building blocks of any news story, it’s also a fantastic tool to use in marketing with a couple of tweaks. If you’ve got good client records, it should be easy to find the data, answer the questions, and nail down your marketing strategy.

Who?

This is a crucial step in figuring out your marketing plans and strategy. Nail down who your customers are demographically. That’s the best predictor of who your new clients will be, and where to aim your marketing message. It can also help you figure out new client segments that you can target.

What?

You’re marketing your remodeling business, yes, but your data may show you that kitchens are your sweet spot, or that whole-house remodeling is growing in a certain neighborhood or area. This can tell you what your best prospective clients will be looking for. Then give it to them.

When?

In general, you’re always marketing. But this is a great question to ask when, for example, scheduling your email marketing. For years, the accepted wisdom has been that emails do best sent between Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings. But recent studies show that people are increasingly active at night and on weekends, due to their phones and tablets. 

Figuring out when can also help you target your messaging calendar. Focusing on kitchen remodeling right after people have made do in outdated and cramped kitchens during the holidays will hit prospect’s pain points at the right time.

Where?

The answer to this is less about your clients physical addresses and more about where they receive information. See where your qualified leads are coming from. If it’s your website, make it a priority to have new content frequently, then promote it on your social channels. If you’re getting results on social media, lean in to it. If referrals are your bread and butter, consider increasing the frequency of your email or snail mail outreach, with information your audience wants to know coupled with a clear request for referrals.

Why?

Lead generation is the goal, but the best marketing results come from communications that have been carefully considered. It can be tempting to throw a cute picture up on your company’s Facebook feed, but what is the intention behind it? If you can’t make a business case for it, keep it on your personal account.

How?

How you tackle your marketing efforts depends on your budget. You may have a full- or part-time marketing pro on your team, you might work with an outside vendor, or it’s you. Creating and maintaining a marketing strategy and all the collateral that comes after takes time and money. But if you answer the 5 Ws and an H, you’ll streamline your process, and make your efforts more effective.

How are other Remodelers handling Marketing? Take this survey and find out

We are partnering with our friends at Builder Funnel on the 2020 State of Home Builder & Remodeler Marketing Survey. It’s going to provide the industry with vital marketing data to help their respective businesses.

Take 5 minutes out of your day and complete this survey… as a participant you will receive the reports before they are released to the public and also be entered into a drawing for a $200 gift card. Survey closes on March 25. – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PPBFN3J