Email Marketing for Contractors and Home Builders

Contractors and home builders employ many marketing tactics to attract new customers and keep current ones engaged. One of the most effective channels is email marketing. Home builder email marketing can be highly successful with the right strategy.

Whether you’re new to email marketing or a pro, this guide will provide insights, tips, and examples. Learn how to write emails with a hook, measure their performance, and automate these communications.

Key Takeaways

• Email marketing is a cost-effective, high-performing channel for contractors.
• Building and segmenting lists for email marketing are essential for success.
• Home builders can use a variety of email campaigns to nurture leads, reengage past customers, and request feedback and testimonials.

Why Email Still Works for Contractors

Email marketing for contractors still works because it offers a direct and owned channel for communications. You can use it to convert new customers with a relevant offer, keep leads warm that are still deciding, and strengthen loyalty with current clients.

So how effective is construction email marketing?

According to research:

• The average ROI of email marketing for the industry is 3,800%.
• The email open rate is 22.8%, which is higher than most.
• Email CTR (click-through rate) is 2.9%.

These statistics demonstrate the potential for email marketing. It’s also a cost-effective tactic versus others.

Long buying cycles and repeat work

For home builders and construction companies, the buying cycle is long. It’s a hefty investment, so customers research and compare for longer periods of time than other buying decisions.

Because of this, you need to keep leads “warm” as they go through the buying cycle. Nurture email sequences keep your brand top of mind and can inform and deliver special offers.

Repeat work is also a consideration. While these purchases aren’t an everyday need, homeowners will eventually need your services. Staying in their inbox increases the chances they’ll call you when they do.

Email vs. social and paid

Email is a completely different channel than social or paid advertising.

First, you own the list, so you know exactly who you are targeting. In social, who sees your content is based on an algorithm. With paid, you can target based on demographics, preferences, actions, and attributes. In short, you’re “renting” an audience.

Second, you own the channel. You can design and optimize your emails based on your goals. With social and paid, you have some ownership. But ultimately, you must follow the guidelines of these platforms, which can be restrictive.

Third, each tactic falls into different phases of the buying cycle. Social media is great for brand awareness and acquiring top-of-funnel leads. Paid advertising focuses more on action-oriented conversion with an attractive offer.

Email, however, works through all phases: awareness, consideration, and decision. You can map out the buyer’s journey through email marketing.

RELATED ARTICLE — Marketing for Contractors: Proven Strategies to Grow Your Business

Building Your Email List

Before you begin your email marketing strategy, you’ll need to build your list. There are several strategies to use to achieve this goal.

Capturing addresses at every job

For every job you book, you should also have the email address of your customer. Most will provide this from the onset of the relationship.

When they submit their email address, make sure to include an opt-in for future messaging, so you can continue to engage them for return business.

Website and lead magnet capture

Your website should include a CTA (call to action) on many pages for users to subscribe to your emails. It can be a simple form where they provide their name and email address. They opt in to receive these from you.

Lead magnet captures of email addresses begin with an offer. It could be a top-funnel piece of content like a guide to remodeling a kitchen. Once they provide their email address, you can then add them to your marketing list.

Other examples of lead magnets would be bottom-funnel offers for free consultations or discounts. These people would go straight to a sales marketing cadence as they are ready to purchase.

Permission and compliance basics

Opt-ins are a requirement for contractor email marketing. They must explicitly opt in by checking a box. You cannot pre-check the box. It’s crucial to follow the CAN-SPAM rules, including providing a clear way to unsubscribe.

Keep your email list compliant by removing those who opt out immediately. Other compliance requirements include:

• Accurate headers: Your “From” and “Reply-To” names must identify your business.
• Honest subject lines: They should match the content inside.
• Physical address: Your address should be in the footer of your emails.

Failing to do these things could trigger a noncompliance allegation.

Segmenting Your List

List segmentation ensures you send the most personalized messaging to like groups. Typically, the more personalized the message, the greater the engagement. It’s also something consumers expect now.

There are many ways to do this. Let’s review the most common ways.

Active leads vs. past clients

Messaging to these two groups is different. With active leads, you’re keeping them engaged with a nurture strategy that drives them further down the funnel. Content could include product details, case studies, and promotional offers.

Your angle with past clients should be about building loyalty. Some examples include thanking them for their business and asking them to review or refer, maintenance promotions, and reminders about needing a service.

By project type and value

You can also segment home builder email marketing lists by project type and value. With project type, your messaging can consist of complementary services or required maintenance.

You can segment by spending as well. Those who have spent more with you are vital to keep in the loop. They may have other big projects on the horizon.

By satisfaction and referral likelihood

Capturing reviews by former clients also gives you a way to divide lists. For those who rated you highly, you can send them emails about referrals with incentives.

Those who rated you less so could receive messaging about their review. You could let them know you’re happy to discuss their complaint.

Email Campaign Types That Work

What type of contractor email marketing actually delivers results? What works will be different for every business, but there are some campaigns that perform better than others overall.

Lead nurture and estimate follow-up

Once you’ve sent out an estimate to a potential customer, you can use email marketing to remind and nudge them. Types of content could include:

• A time-limited discount on the estimate
• Reviews from previous customers to build credibility
• Team member introductions so they’ll know who will complete the work
• Content from your blog about the type of project they inquired about
• A personalized response to guide them to contact you to address any questions

Project update emails

As a project starts, you can send updates to customers about progress. Emphasize things like being on schedule and the quality of the work.

Past client reactivation

Reactivating former customers is a great email campaign. You’re reaching out to those who know you and likely trust you. Ideas for content would include maintenance deals, special promotions, and general content that may inspire their next project.

Referral and review requests

Referrals and reviews are invaluable to contractors and home builders. They are social proof that you’re a reputable business that does quality work. As soon as a project is over, you should trigger an email campaign to request this.

Make it simple for them to review with one click, and detail why it’s so important for small businesses to receive these.

You can also highlight your referral program and any incentives available.

RELATED ARTICLE — How Home Builders Win Repeat Business from Past Clients

Email Templates for Contractors

Now that you know what works, let’s review examples of email templates for contractors.

Estimate follow-up

Subject: Questions about your estimate for [PROJECT NAME]?

Hi [Client Name],

I wanted to check in to see if you’ve had a chance to review our estimate and if you have any questions.

I’m here to answer those and provide more details on the scope, materials, or pricing.

If everything looks good, you can reply to this email or click below to approve the estimate. Then we can get you on the schedule and one step closer to completing [PROJECT NAME].

Best regards,
[Your Name]
[Company Name]
[Phone Number]

Post-project thank you and survey

Subject: Your Project Is Complete! Thank you from [Company Name]

Hi [Client Name],

We hope you’re enjoying your new [Project Name]. It was a pleasure working with you, and we appreciate you trusting us with your home.

We have a simple ask. Can you please provide a review? Simply click below to do so. It only takes a minute. Small businesses like ours depend on the words of others, and we’d love for you to be part of that.

Thanks again for choosing [Company Name]!

Best regards,
[Your Name]
[Company Name]
[Phone Number]

Seasonal and maintenance reminder

Subject line: Is your home ready for [Seasonal/maintenance need]? We can help.

Hi [Customer Name],

With [upcoming season/winter/summer] just around the corner, it’s a great time to make sure your home is ready.

With regular maintenance or seasonal prep, you can avoid costly emergency services and ensure your home is safe.

We offer great seasonal and maintenance packages that are cost-effective and prevent breakdowns or issues.

We’d love to get you on the schedule before the seasonal rush hits. You can reply to this email or click the link below.

[Link: Schedule Your Maintenance Check]

Best regards,
[Your Name/Company Name]
[Phone Number]

Writing Emails That Get Opened

You’ve landed in their inbox, but how do you get them to open it? It has much to do with subject lines, length, tone, and proof.

Subject lines

This is your hook. It should be short and punchy. Ideally, keep this to seven words or less. Also, be sure it directly correlates to the message.

Avoid using words that email platforms consider spam, like “free,” “last chance,” “guaranteed,” “promise,” and “buy.”

Length, tone, and proof

Keep the length short, like the examples above. Avoid fluff, and get to the point. Inboxes are crowded, so it’s essential to be short and sweet.

Tone also matters. Urgency is okay, but don’t exaggerate. Instead, be helpful, reliable, and genuine.

Adding social proof is a great way to showcase your credibility. Highlight this in a callout. It could be a short testimonial or a star rating.

RELATED ARTICLE — Home Builder Marketing Strategies That Drive Results

Automation and Cadence

Home builder email marketing can be a lot to manage, especially for small businesses. Email marketing technology can streamline and simplify the process with automation.

What to automate first

Automate these types of emails to start:

• Auto-responder after form completion: Trigger an email to send once someone submits a form, acknowledging they did so and advising someone will reach out shortly.
• Post-estimate nurture: After you send an estimate, if there’s no response within a few days, put these potential customers into an automated nurture that offers a variety of content (e.g., project pictures, case studies).
• Post-job survey: Once a job is complete, put these customers into your post-job emails that thank them and request a review.

How often to send

How often you send emails depends on the type. For longer lead nurtures, you could space them out every three to five business days so they don’t feel inundated.

Post-job survey emails can go out immediately. If there’s no response, resend it a week later.

For email promotions or newsletters, sending one a month is a good cadence.

Measuring Email Performance

Here are tips on measuring email performance.

Open, click, and reply rates

Review these metrics:

• Open rates: This is the percentage of people who opened the email.
• Clicks: This is the number of clicks from the email content.
• Reply rates: This looks at the percentage of replies from the total sends. A reply could be a click to complete a form or a response to the email.

These metrics advise on the engagement with your emails and what role they play in customer acquisition.

Jobs and revenue attributed

You can also measure attribution by tying email marketing to leads that become jobs. Those opens and clicks become qualified leads. Be sure to use unique URLs so you can track all this and understand what moves the dial.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do contractors use email marketing?

Contractors use email marketing to nurture leads, reengage past customers, showcase promotions, and keep audiences updated.

How often should contractors email past clients?

Contractors should email past clients at least once monthly. Seasonality or specific specials may increase that number.

What should be in a contractor email?

A contractor email should include a compelling subject line, a greeting, a specific action (e.g., promotion, survey), and a way to contact the business.

Email Marketing + Customer Surveys

One key part of contractor email marketing is customer surveys. GuildQuality customer surveys are the perfect complement. Learn more about their value today.