How do I get free leads from Google?

Set up your free Google Business Profile for your storefront or service area. It is one of the most impactful ways for a local home improvement business to rank in local search results and Maps, and it also gives you insight into calls, reviews, bookings, and the keywords people use to find you.

What should my Google Business Profile include?

Basic business information like your office address and hours, contact details, ratings and reviews, professional-looking photos, any special offers, and recent blog posts or content. A fully filled-out profile converts more searchers into leads than a bare-bones listing.

What mistakes do contractors make with referral programs?

The two biggest mistakes are not asking every customer for a referral, and rewarding the wrong thing. Give customers a small reward for every referral that meets with you, such as a $50 gift card, rather than a large reward tied only to a closed sale, since the customer has no control over whether you close the lead.

How many homes should I canvass per day?

Target a bite-sized list of six to twelve homes around an area you are already in, such as a current appointment or a neighborhood you are scouting. Two stops a day, eight doors each, across two hundred business days adds up to about 3,200 doors a year, and even a 1% quote rate with a 40% close rate on those quotes works out to roughly 13 new customers.

Do I need to spend more to get better leads?

No. A complete Google Business Profile, real project testimonials, a well-run referral program, and a small daily canvassing habit are all free or low-cost, and together they can generate quality leads without raising your marketing budget.

Generate Quality Leads Without Increasing Marketing Spend

Why You Don't Need a Bigger Marketing Budget to Get Better Leads

As a residential home improvement contractor, you know the importance of generating quality leads. However, it can be difficult to do so without increasing your marketing budget. Fortunately, there are some tried and true methods that can help you generate quality leads without breaking the bank. Let's take a look at what those strategies are.

#1: Get Leads From a Google Business Profile (It's Free)

You are a local home improvement business. Your Google Business Profile is one of the most impactful ways for you to rank in your local search results and generate leads. Whether you're in roofing, siding, windows, doors, painting, foundations, insulation, landscaping, or lawn care, this is the best way to get free leads from your local area.

Turn people who find you on Google Search and Maps into new customers by setting up your free Google Business Profile for your storefront or service area. To maximize your shot at generating quality leads, your profile should include your basic business information (office address and hours), contact information (email and phone), ratings and reviews, professional-looking photos, special offers, and recent blog posts or content.

On top of that, using Google Business Profile gives you insight on calls, reviews, bookings, and the keywords people search to find you, so you can understand how your business connects with customers.

#2: Robust Testimonials and Real Project Work

Putting a few customer quotes on your website isn't enough to get leads these days.

To gain homeowner trust and turn them into leads, you need to show great work. The best way to do this is through customer testimonials.

Pro tip: take a before-and-after photo of every project you do, using the same angles, so homeowners can see that nice new roof you installed or the new pool you put in.

Show where you've done work, along with the details of each home improvement project. We recommend using ProjectMapIt, or embedding projects from CompanyCam onto your website so people can see before-and-after photos of your work.

#3: Referrals: Avoid These Two Mistakes

Not asking. Yes, it's that simple. If you're honest with yourself, you're probably not asking every customer for a friend, family member, or neighbor who may need your service. Ask every single time, ask for five stars and a brief text review, and consider using a tool like Clicki to organize the effort.

Rewarding the wrong thing. Stop paying customers only if you sell the lead they gave you. They don't care about that. Instead, give yourself an opportunity to give them more rewards, not big rewards. We suggest a $50 gift card for any referral that meets with you, rather than something like "$250 if the referral buys from you," which limits how often you can reward your customer, and besides, your customer has no control over whether you close a lead.

#4: Get Out of Your Truck

Canvassing apps can be overwhelming, we know. Too much to do, and it's hard to know where to start. But canvassing is one of the best ways to leverage your existing sales team and resources to increase your leads.

We recommend taking a different approach: target a bite-sized list of homes, six to twelve homes, around an area you're already in, like the appointment you're running or a neighborhood you're scouting. Walk up to the door and leave a sticky note with a few words and your name on it, and if you're feeling courageous, knock.

Simply getting out of your truck and knocking doors is an extremely cost-effective method for businesses to spread their message, increase awareness, and put themselves in the path of opportunity. Just make sure your focus area is small so you don't get overwhelmed.

By hitting a few doors per day, you're putting your best asset, your sales team, in the pathway of your next potential customer. These door visits do not require you to knock (that's optional, but recommended). If you're new to this, simply put a sticky note or flyer on their door.

Here's the math: two appointments per day, or just two random stops per day, times eight doors, times 200 business days, works out to 3,200 doors per year. If 1% of these doors requested a quote and you closed 40% of them, you'd have 13 new customers simply because you took an extra 15 to 20 minutes per day to let a few people know who you were.

Bite-sized canvassing can be a powerful, cost-saving marketing tool for growth-minded home improvement businesses, whether you're in roofing, gutters, pools, windows, siding, or beyond.

Lead Generation and Marketing Without the Big Spend

Generating quality leads as a home improvement contractor doesn't have to come at a hefty price tag. The examples above are easy to do and will help ensure your continued growth without breaking the bank.

LeadScout turns the jobs and leads you already have into a ready-made, map-based canvassing list, so hitting the doors around your next appointment takes minutes, not a spreadsheet. Start free to build your first list.