“Man, we just sell nails and tools for a living…why should I invest in digital marketing?” This is a common question that we answer frequently. When I’m sitting in a makeshift meeting room, trying to describe all of the features and benefits that digital marketing can bring a supplier, we normally circle back to this one question (or something similar). I’ve been working with construction suppliers for roughly four years and when I started on this journey, I had no clue what to expect, how it would work, or even how to do it. In my journey, I’ve discovered that digital marketing can be extremely valuable for a couple of key reasons.
- No one else is taking advantage of it
- It’s a perfect way to stay in front of contractors
- Easy communication
In this blog, I’m going to break down each of these points and provide a few insights into what I’ve seen while embarking on this incredible journey.
No AI, No copywriter, just thoughts straight from the horse’s mouth. If you’ve never heard of us before and you’re finding this blog or our website for the first time, allow me to introduce myself. We are Click LLC. A digital marketing firm attempting to bridge the gap between suppliers and their prospective contractors.
We’ve been in the digital marketing world for over 4 years now and are at a point now where we feel confident to create content about our successes, failures, and the ideas that could’ve worked, but did not.
The Untapped Potential of Digital Marketing
Let’s dive into our first point: No one else is doing this. This point is not entirely true. Digital marketing is slowly becoming a buzzword within the industry.
Large companies such as Milwaukee have been taking full advantage of digital marketing for years…and are reaping the benefits heavily. There are e-commerce brands who do very well through digital marketing such as Tool Nut, Ohio Power Tool, and others.
However, when I say “no one else is doing this” what I mean is “No one else is doing this strictly in local markets.” Our specialty has been in converting contractors into customers through traditional methods such as Calls, Store Visits, and emails.
This requires a very focused approach, as opposed to casting a wide net nationally and hoping contractors buy your Milwaukee tool for $20 more over Amazon or the discount retailers.
Video Content: Reaching More Contractors Locally
If your goal is to reach more contractors locally, the opportunity has never been more abundant. As I’m sure you know, the ability to have an intimate relationship with your customers is crucial. Being on call from 6am to 8pm is probably how you built your business.
You offer same-day delivery, free tool repair, discounts, and much more to keep your customers in your system. Ask yourself this one question: “How many job sites can I visit every day to keep acquiring new accounts?” A common answer may be…10…20…even 40.
Now, to show you the power that a video can have, you can create a video saying the exact same thing you would say to a contractor on a job site and then blast it out to 50,000 contractors in your local area within 2 weeks….Imagine what you can accomplish by staying in front of virtually every contractor in your service area every month.
This is where the opportunity lies and, quite frankly, why Click LLC is in business. Oh, and the best part? All of the other fastener houses in your area might “have social media” or “have a website.” But are they checking a box? Or are they using these digital resources as tools to move the ball forward? You can literally be in front of your customers where your competitors aren’t.
Which brings me to my next point: It’s a perfect way to stay in front of contractors. Name one other marketing or sales medium that allows your brand to show up in front of your customers and your potential customer on a consistent basis.
You don’t have to design a flier and hand out 1000. You don’t need to find the perfect place to put up a billboard, and most importantly, you don’t need to pay $30,000 for a sponsorship or TV placement.
All fantastic ways to reach your prospect, but nothing is as efficient as utilizing social media, targeted advertising, and Google.
Crafting Effective Content for Easy Communication
Finally, our third point: Easy communication. Through social media, we have the ability to easily say exactly what we want to say and push to the exact people we want to see it.
Running a promotion on Milwaukee Tools? Easy. Create 5 videos about your top 5 Milwaukee promotions and then use Facebook’s targeting capabilities to push the video to people who have engaged with your Milwaukee content, have bought Milwaukee tools in the past, or have visited the Milwaukee Tool website.
This applies to virtually any tool brand out there. Have an end-of-the-year roofing sale? Put your promotion out on social media and promote it to roofers in your local market! This strategy has had huge success for our team.
