You know what I’m a fan of? Fried chicken. But also, I love working smarter, not harder. And that’s exactly what today’s topic — marketing automation for contractors — makes possible.

In this post, you’ll learn:

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What is marketing automation?

For some reason, marketing automation has gained a reputation for being an advanced-level technique. There’s no doubt it can be complex, but the basic idea is actually pretty simple — and you can have great success just sticking to the basics!

Here’s the gist of marketing automation for construction and contractors:

Marketing automation allows you to get and nurture more leads without investing more time on an ongoing basis. 

See? Smarter, not harder.

How to use email automation to nurture leads

The most common marketing automation technique leverages email to deliver the right messages to the right customers at the right time. 

One of the simplest email marketing automations to set up is an email welcome series. I covered this in Email Marketing for Contractors, Home Services, and Construction Companies, but let’s do a quick recap:

OK, Ryan, but what if they enter their email address at 2:47 am? And what if I’m on vacation when I’m supposed to send the second email? 

Great questions. Remember, the whole point of email automation is the automation part. Once you set it up, your email system will send out emails for you. No matter what time it is, or where you are. Automagically. 

OK, OK, Ryan, but does this welcome-series thing even work? 

Yep. Studies show people who receive a welcome message are 33% more likely to stick around for the long-haul, and when businesses like yours use email automation, they’re rewarded with conversion rates as high as 50%. What’s that mean? It means when you send an email to 10 prospects, five of them could become paying customers. 

More email automation ideas for contractors

An automated welcome series is only the beginning! You can also:

Start small and simple

Marketing automation can feel overwhelming when you try to do too much, too soon. So start small.

If email automation has you feeling intimidated, start by scheduling social media posts ahead of time, instead. When you’re feeling a little more confident, set up your welcome email series. Then, add another automated series — maybe one to reconnect with customers you haven’t served in a long while. 

Don’t feel pressure to develop massively complicated, multi-trigger, overlapping automations. But don’t leave money on the table by skipping automation altogether, either. You can do it. Constant Contact makes it easy.

Get our free guide to online marketing for home & building services

Be sure to check out The Download: Making Sense of Online Marketing for Home & Building Services. This free, step-by-step guide will help you connect the dots in online marketing so you can move forward with confidence. You’ve got this!