Top 10 Marketing Mistakes Deck Builders Make (And How to Avoid Them)

April Edwards (0:45)
Welcome back to We Love Deck Builders. Your go to podcast for mastering the business side of decking. I’m April Edwards growth strategist at deck builder marketers, where we help deck builders across the country grow their business through strategic marketing.

So today, I’m coming to you from our brand new podcast studio here in Vista, and I can’t wait to share what’s in store. We’re going to talk about some of the most common marketing mistakes that might be holding your business back. So these are things that I see people stumble upon time over time. But don’t worry, because we’re going to talk about the solutions to help you steer clear of these and keep growing. So let’s get into it.

All right. Well, as a marketing agency, of course, I have to start with a lack of online presence. Many deck builders neglect their website. Maybe you spend some time getting that puppy up and running, and then you just kind of let it go. It’s almost like building a deck and, you know, just letting it rot, right? Social media and SEO, people just kind of assume sometimes that word of mouth is enough, and that is until it’s not, and then it’s too late. So I think that’s my biggest tip for you. Here is you just want to make sure that you are putting some time into your online presence so that people can find you. You sell a high value service, and people have a journey that they go through in order to start from looking outside of their window and saying, “Man, we don’t spend enough time out there. Or I’d love to have more people over.” Or, you know, I like, I have my shibizo. I call it the shibizo. It’s gazebo outside where only ladies are allowed to go. Basically, it’s my woman cave, right? So maybe you just need a little bit of extra space for yourself outside. Who knows what it is. The point is, is that by the time you decide that you want to do something with your backyard? You know, maybe somebody is going through, should I get a pool? You know, should I do pavers? Should I build a deck? Do I want to have a pavilion, an outdoor kitchen, these types of things. So once they land on the direction, then they’re going to do their research online to figure out, you know, what type of design they want, what type of features they want. There’s a lot of research that people do online. I mean, folks, this is not 1950 where you know somebody tells you about something and then, you know, you just go and trust a salesman. No, especially if you’re gonna drop $60,000 on an, you know, an amazing deck with some cool features, you’re going to be doing your research.

And, you know, having an online presence and really working on your marketing in general is kind of like matchmaking. You know, your marketing should be the matchmaker that is putting helping Google, even you know, find the right customer to bring to your website. That’s from an online perspective, I am a little bit biased there, because we nerd out with helping our deck builders get found.

April Edwards (4:02)
So, helpful tip Number 1, just make sure that you are not neglecting your online presence. And trust me, I know you guys are busy. You’re building amazing outdoor living spaces, and depending on your team size and you know who you have in your core, it could be a little hard to put a priority on that, which is why I will always recommend to have some sort of a plan where you’re either carving out time to focus on it, hire somebody to help you with it, delegate it to somebody on your team. Somebody has to be accountable, just like with every other role within your company. And if you can’t do that, then obviously have a budget, which you know I will always recommend to delegate it and make sure that you’re always moving forward, which is how I always close out our podcast. I always say, keep moving forward, because you have to take at least small steps forward. So don’t just build a website and hope people come it’s a lot more than that. It takes a lot of signals, especially with Google, in order for them to kind of give you props you know, and decide that you know your business is worthy enough to send their searchers to, okay, so make sure you focus on an online presence. Okay, what does that mean? Let’s dive into it. I’m spending a lot of time on this, but it’s important.
Yes, social media is, you know, it’s important. I feel like it’s a necessary evil personally, you know, unless you’re spending hours and hours and hours on it. It’s really there to reinforce your brand and nurture folks. Unless you’re paying, if you’re paying to get in front of new people or to retarget other people, then it’s great. But I’m going to say, make sure that your website’s killer. And when I say that, you know, don’t just have something up there like it’s a business card. Really treat it like it is a living, breathing thing, and make sure that you’re updating it regularly with your latest projects. Oh my goodness, you guys do some amazing stuff. You have got to show the world what you’re doing, and if you’re only doing it on a social media post that gets seen by only a few people. Trust me, if people even follow you, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they see your stuff. It’s a pay to play game. But anyway, if you, you know, showcase your work with an amazing project section and you’re constantly adding new stuff there, it’s a really great way to to showcase, you know, your work permanently, having really robust content that basically is super helpful if somebody’s searching for something online, put yourself in your customers perspective, in terms of things that they would be searching for. You know, what’s the difference between, you know, composite and wood or, you know, trucks and Timber Tech. You know, what are different lighting options? What should I consider with framing, like all of these things people are going to research, and if you show up first, well, I think there’s a lot of benefit to that. And then, of course, you know, making sure that you are updating your Google business profile very regularly. That is super important. We’ll probably have another podcast on how you can better leverage your Google business to, you know, really use that as a driving force for your lead generation.

April Edwards (7:37)
Okay, let’s move forward. Number 2, so not focusing on the end result. So what do I mean by this? So deck builders, typically, I mean, you guys are craftsmen, right? Like, I can nerd out here on SEO and all of these things, but you’re going to fall asleep. Now, I’m not saying I’m going to fall asleep when you talk about your materials and techniques, but I mean, that’s what you’re passionate about, right? In a lot of cases. But for your customer, they really care about the lifestyle that you’re going to create for them with what you do and what the benefits are. People want to be sold to. I mean, in a lot of ways, right? Like, if they do the research and come to your site and find you, you know, paint that picture for them that they just can’t live without, you know, maybe it’s a matter of, like, keeping up with the Joneses or something like that. But I think, you know, some other ideas are just really enhancing your outdoor living, spending more time outside, increasing your property value, or, you know, providing a space for family gatherings. So it does kind of hit, it’s like that Hallmark moment, right? Okay, I’m getting dramatic, but you know, it’s hitting folks on an emotional level. So for instance, on your website, you know, or actually, I know, you guys love social media, so let’s say this with your social media, you know, don’t always post pictures of your work in progress. It’s not really showing me the end result, like, I want to see that amazing outdoor living space in a way where I’m like, I have to have that right? So I would say, make sure that your pictures are rock solid. You don’t have hoses and all kinds of like, nasty looking dead grass or something in your pictures. If you can get pictures once your customers space is more lived in, I’ll recommend doing like deck parties and things like that, to even help with your referral program. Again, we’ll talk about that maybe in another episode, but it’s a good opportunity to get really good photos for you know, for your portfolio. So, yeah, in general, focus on the end result. Don’t always post pictures of your stuff in progress. Make sure that you’ve got amazing footage and you’re painting a picture. There is a philosophy called Story brand, and it’s really about, you know, marketing and all this stuff. It kind of is, you know, it’s telling a story. Like, what is the story? So don’t just talk about the techniques and the black and white, but try and be a little bit more creative with how you’re positioning things on, you know, your website and social media, and even when you’re speaking with somebody. We should have some folks on here to talk about sales and how you guys really paint that picture that great. If you’re ever interested, please hit me up. I’m on social media. We got a chat on the website, duckbuildermarketers.com. I am available for you guys all the time. Seriously, I love helping a lot. We got a Facebook group, little plug here, the deck builder marketing mastermind, join it. All of this stuff is available on the website, so check it out. I just, I really want to connect with you guys. If you have any questions, I’m here for you. We’ll try and get some more live feed stuff going in the future, where you guys could ask questions. But in the interim, there’s a million ways, call, text, email, hit us up on the website, web chat, messenger, any anything you need. I’m here for you.

April Edwards (11:07)
Okay, Number 3, inconsistent branding. So one of the things that we do when we bring on a new client is we actually look at their entire online and offline presence to make sure that it’s cohesive. So our job really is to make you shine, make you look Pro, make things consistent, make sure that you’re connecting with your potential prospects and getting leads, all those things. But you know, making sure that your brand is consistent is extremely important. So I had, I mean, I see it all the time. I had one client where his truck was different than his website, and his business card had different colors. The logos were all different. Like, how are you supposed to reinforce your brand in a way that people won’t forget about you if it’s looking different everywhere, or if it’s looking sloppy? So, you know, a lot of times before people hire a professional marketing agency or, you know, if you’re just starting out, the point is, is like, get your trucks wrapped, get some nice professional business cards, get some good shirts and show up looking Pro for, you know, for your customers, when you’re doing those in home consultations, make it all unified, because it’s just gonna set you apart. People are gonna trust in you more, you know, it’s like going to a hairdresser and their hair looks terrible, like, I don’t want to, you know? I mean, you gotta look a little pro, right? So anyway, reinforce your brand, have your yard signs all of these things, and make sure everything is consistent. Oh, also, when we bring on a new client, we look over all of your cover graphics on your social media and your pictures, and you know your signature, and you know your shirts and your trucks and all those things to make sure that it is consistent, cohesive looking pro, uh, what am I forgetting? Oh, and we put together a nice little print style guidelines, so that way you know what your colors are, how to use your logo. You know, like, don’t put like, weird drop shadows on your logo, or, like, tweak it, or, you know, use a font that doesn’t match what your branding is supposed to be. These types of things, it kind of goes without saying, but some people don’t realize that. They start to be like, oh, let’s get creative here and look like, tweak this and add some shadows and some outlines, and it just it looks sloppy. So anyway, make sure that everything is nice and cohesive.

April Edwards (13:39)
Okay, ignoring SEO. Number 4, so SEO is super crucial for deck builders, since customers typically search for services online. You know, many deck builders miss out on leads by not optimizing their website. And how you do that, like SEO one on one is basically, you know, if somebody is putting in a query, make sure you have a page on your website or some content on your website in some way, shape or form, that answers that query. And there’s a ton more to it. You know, there’s like, technical things that you have to do on the back end. And, you know, building up your authority online with having other high authority of websites, AKA popular kids talking about you those types of things. But if we’re going to keep it basic, just have really good, helpful content. Make sure that you are providing good content ongoing and then, of course, you you have to look at the analytics too to see if it’s working. So trying to think of an example of someone I just spoke to they had, uh, DO, hire a handyman or a deck builder. Doesn’t sound like a bad topic, but the way it was written actually didn’t speak to Google in the right way, and so Google was sending a ton of people that were looking for handymen to their website, which are, that’s not the type of lead you weren’t, right? So don’t just write content for writing content. There’s actually some strategy behind it. And honestly, like strategy, it’s like the 8020 rule, like spend your time 80% like figuring thinking, you know, with the strategy and laying out the plan. And anyway, the point is make sure that you’re thinking about what you’re doing, writing really great content and not ignoring SEO. Some other examples are clients that, unfortunately, there’s a lot of web designers out there that say they know SEO, and they know websites, and they know a little bit about SEO, and they kind of paint a picture that if you get your website redesigned and you have some of these features on it, you’re going to be good to go. Well, let me tell you this. It’s not a silver bullet. So it, you know, it’s more than that, and you know, you just need to make sure that you’re, you’re being consistent and following all the rules.

April Edwards (16:02)
All right, let’s get going here. So, Number 5, failing to use visuals. So decks are a visual product, so high quality images are super important. I mean, you guys know this stuff, but if you look at some people’s websites, you’ll see sometimes, like I just looked at the site the other day and it had a black overlay on their images, so you couldn’t even see and then, plus, they had, like, a black background. I’m like, Whoa. What is this? Like, goth, what’s going on here? Like, I can’t even see pictures of your work. So a lot of times I’ll see people’s websites and maybe they have one good picture on it, that puppy needs to be loaded with all kinds of pictures. Should be like a big gallery. You know, obviously we have to put content on the site in order for it to like, you know, work for SEO and stuff like that. But your images should stick out. So make sure that you use a lot of really good images and and Don’t over complicate it. You know, have your images stand out. Make sure that they’re big. Frame it with some white space, if you can, you know, get some professional photography otherwise, like just our our phones are pretty good, you know, don’t overthink it. Earn the privilege of, you know, hiring a professional photographer when you can, just like me. I’m in the podcast studio right now. I’ve earned the privilege of getting a real studio. You know, it takes time, but if you sit here and overthink things and not move forward, then you’re going to miss out on opportunity.

April Edwards (17:34)
Number 6, not collecting reviews. Guys, you have got to be super proactive with this, they are the key to building credibility, especially in your industry. So yes, you can get referrals and things like that, but people are still going to vet you online. If they’re going to drop, you know, 40 to $100,000 on a project, they’re still going to look around. So make sure that you have a process in place to get those reviews. That is the number one task I give our clients now. We set them up with a nice review system that automates things. We send them nice little cards and stuff at this point that make it a lot easier. But no matter what like, they still have to either add a tag on somebody in the CRM to, you know, initiate all that, or talk to somebody. So it has to be top of mind. I would say this is your biggest priority from a marketing perspective.

April Edwards (18:25)
Okay! Number 7, neglecting follow up. Whoo! again. We should have seriously, if you want to be on the podcast and talked about, talk about your sales, we should have like a round table where everybody kind of gives their ideas. That would be so amazing, because everybody approaches their sales differently. I mean, some people, they’re like, “Okay, if I talk to you one time and you’re not interested, like, you’re not a quality lead, you know, because you’re not dying to marry me.” And I get that. But I mean, people have a lot going on, you know, maybe they don’t have the money now and they’re saving up for it. I can tell you this. I wanted to get in shape and, you know, get a coach that could help me with my diet, nutrition, well being, you know, everything physical, all of that stuff. And when I first talked to her, I was like, You know what? I’m not ready. I need to mentally be ready before I’m going to commit to something like that. And after a couple months, I hit her up. I hit her back. I’m like, Hey, I’m ready, you know. And it’s the same with your, you know, with your customers. So just make sure that you stay in front of them. We do different things where we have a prospect, re-engagement campaign, you know, we leverage a ton of automation for our follow ups, but however it is make sure that you are staying consistent with them. I can tell you, I had a client. My assistant was reaching out to, well, not a client was a prospect. My assistant was reaching out to some folks, to, you know, try and see if they’d be interested in a strategy session. When she called this guy several times, you know, fine, and she was like, hey, I’ll call back tomorrow. And it was so interesting, because this guy hit me back right away. And he’s like, Oh my goodness. He’s like, I believe I did close him. I think he is a client now, but he, you know, he’s like, I just thought that was brilliant. It was like, I better give you a ring, because if I don’t, this girl is going to keep calling me, and now that’s, I mean, you guys are probably all roll on your eyes because you’re like, Oh my God, I don’t want to be annoying. Well, you don’t have to be annoying, just consistent and friendly and really wanting to be helpful, that’s all. So the the problem is, is I would say this is probably another thing where it gets thrown to the wayside, because you have so many other things that you’re doing, anyway, just try, you know, try to follow up regularly and see how your close rate increases. And I hope you are, I hope you are very familiar with your KPIs, your numbers. That’s a great way to see where you need to improve things.

April Edwards (21:03)
Okay, not leveraging social proof. Number 8, testimonials, before and after pictures really good. I would say video testimonials are amazing. If you could get some of your really happy clients to you know, just hop on video for a couple of minutes, and then you do some drone footage of their space and stuff like that. I mean, it’ll go a really long way leveraging I call that a marketing asset. It’s something that you could then leverage in your social media, ads or on your website, YouTube, all of these things. It’s extremely, extremely helpful. So it’s just a great way for people to trust you, not by what you say, but what other people say. So again, having a process to and somebody accountable. Even set some goals, like, put somebody accountable for, you know, asking for those video testimonials. And, you know, make it a goal, like, to get X amount, you know, every quarter, or something like that. Again, like, these are all nice little trust points that are very much worth your time.

April Edwards (22:12)
Number 9, undervaluing email marketing. Again, it’s about the touch points, and sometimes it’s about nurturing too, right? Like, again, people aren’t always ready right away, so you need to focus on building that email list and using email marketing effectively to stay top of mind. I actually just had a training with my team the other day to go over email marketing. And, you know, my approach is like, let’s not make a big deal about a lot of these things, like, let’s just do it and, you know, like, let’s be consistent with what we’re doing. That’s so funny, it probably doesn’t sound good for you listeners. We know what we’re doing. I’m being a little silly right now. But the point is, is like, even if people don’t read your emails, if they see them coming through, and they see your brand consistently, it’s subconsciously feeding them those touch points and anyway, putting you top of mind. So you know, definitely leverage that channel. I would say, if you’re just starting out with marketing, that’s not something that you need to be necessarily like focused on so much right now, but build that list when we bring on a new client now, we say, “Hey, do you have a list of, you know, like old, old prospects or anything like that?” Because you can leverage that, and you could also leverage that database for Facebook ads with look like audiences, which work really, really, really well. So okay.

April Edwards (23:46)
Number 10. And, thank you guys so much for tuning in! I hope that this was somewhat enjoyable and helpful to hear me talking to myself here, usually I have guests, but I wanted to try and do something a little bit different. So definitely leave me some feedback. But number 10, relying solely on paid ads. Paid ads are awesome. If you can just have the confidence in investing in your business and looking at the metrics to make sure you’re getting a solid cost per lead. It doesn’t happen right away, but you will get leads right away, as with SEO. I mean, we have, I do another episode on SEO, but and check out our YouTube, because I think, think we’re posting a video on it right now where I talk about the journey. Because it is, you don’t just build a website, like I said earlier, and, you know, build it and they will come. There’s a process that’s actually done in phases with KPI’s that you need to look at. I’m nerding out. I’m sorry, but paid ads are great for immediate results. Google ads is really great. We always recommend doing Google ads before social media ads, because those are people that are ready to rock. They’re looking for you, especially if you’re focusing on deck. Builder, keywords and stuff like that. Focusing on your SEO now is the best return on investment for the long term. So I have people come to me and they’re like, Well, you know, like, I let’s get started, like, a month before busy season happens, and I’m like, I understand your train of thought, and obviously, like, it’s not an easy decision to make when it’s like, down season to invest in marketing, but it’s actually the smartest thing to do, because, I mean, you could do the paid ads. Don’t, by the way, don’t throttle those up. You know. Don’t spend 1000s and 1000s of dollars at one time like you. You gotta throttle it. You know, you can’t just do it all at one time. You gotta make sure that you get your campaigns optimized before you slowly start adding some more money onto them. And you know that just goes to show, if you’re waiting until the last minute, they’re not going to be effective. And then, of course, not focusing on SEO, you’re not building an asset, you’re just paying somebody, and as soon as you stop paying for those ads, your leads dry up. So again, I really hope that this was helpful. I have so much I can talk about and but I’ll tell you, hopefully you guys aren’t like a little kitten with a yarn ball bored right now, while I’m talking, because I know marketing isn’t that exciting, but I think it’s really helpful. And let me know if you got anything from this. And thanks for listening to this episode of We Love Deck Builders, where we covered the top 10 marketing mistakes that deck builders make.

Remember if you’re getting great referrals, avoiding these mistakes can take your, you know, avoiding these you’re missing out on taking your business to the next level. So if you found this helpful again, don’t forget to subscribe. Leave a review and share it with your fellow deck builders.

I’m April Edwards, and I’m here to help you grow the business you deserve, and as always, until next time, keep moving forward.