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The following article is an abridged version of a presentation that Scott Swickard, owner of InspectOC, and president of the Orange County Chapter of California Real Estate Inspection Association and American Society of Home Inspectors (CREIA/ASHI), gave in Costa Mesa, Calif., this past fall.
Don't let anyone claim that there is a "magic formula" for successfully marketing your home inspection business. If there was, everyone with the formula would be successful. No one can utilize all marketing methods consistently, and still have time for the business that you hope to generate. You must decide what you are comfortable doing, what fits your personality and business goals, and choose what's comfortable. In no way should the following list be considered exhaustive.
Branding
Branding is simply how you want your company to be known by your clients and referring agents. It does not matter whether you prefer to be known by your name "Joe Smith Inspections," or something unique like "See More Inspections." It could also be a unique tag line, such as "Joe Smith Inspections: We treat Your Dream House as our Own." Whatever name or tag line you choose, plan to have it prominently displayed on all your materials. This includes business cards, brochures, a website and inspection reports.
Passive vs. Active Marketing
There are two general methods for getting your name out, passive, where clients or agents find you, and active, where you initiate contact. We will not debate here whether it is more effective to actively market to prospective home-owners, sellers, buyers or real estate agents. Much of my business comes from clients who are repeat buyers, investors or have told friends or family members about his services. This is a great compliment, and is the result of outstanding service that was provided.
Passive
Examples of passive marketing include the Yellow Pages or other business phone listings, your outgoing message on your voicemail and website listing in search engines. This also includes having your business listed in any of a number of association search features. Wherever a potential client finds you, the creativity of your brand, or strength of your outgoing message may help capture the phone call, versus someone without a distinct business identity.
Passive marketing means simply having your business listed in a location where a potential client may be searching for your services. The more prominent you can be in these locations, the better your chances of securing the client.
Active
Active marketing should be your primary focus. It includes all outgoing communication, written, verbal and personal contact to prospective clients or agents. The following are a few examples of active marketing that have proven to be effective in the home inspection profession.
Personal Contact - Don't forget that before, during and after every inspection, you are marketing your business, through the first phone contact, face-to-face with everyone at the inspection and follow-up contact. How you present and conduct yourself, communicate your findings and follow-up are important to gaining future business.
Mailing - While this can be relatively expensive, a targeted mailing can be effective in getting a brochure or other selling message out to clients/realtors. Mailing lists can be purchased for a low cost, and can be customized as needed. This method can also be used to send a mailing to target a new housing neighborhood for 11-month warranty inspections. Printed material can have an unlimited life.
Email - Much less expensive than physical mail, email blast messages can have a broad reach, but may be less effective. The messages are easy to delete without reading, and do not have the same impact as a printed page. You can also be listed as a "spammer" which can interfere with normal electronic communication. However, if proper rules are followed for creating and maintaining your contact lists, you can reach many more potential clients through this method.
Newsletters - Newsletters can either be mailed or sent electronically. One benefit from an effective newsletter is that you can become the "go-to" expert if a potential client or agent has a question.
Advertising - This could include classified advertising in the local newspaper, or specialty advertising in trade publications. There are many such publications by local real estate organizations and other vendors soliciting the real estate industry. If these ads are seen by agents and brokers, or potential clients, it may be worthwhile.
Visits to Open Houses - Agents are frequently sitting on open houses during weekends. This may be an opportunity for you to go out and meet agents without pressures of time restraints. Be prepared to offer brochures and samples of your reports.
Real Estate Office Visits - This is a way to deliver brochures and get to know agents working in the office. You can also ask about office meetings held, and whether vendors are permitted to present general information or provide training to agents.
Association Membership - Most realtors belong to a local chapter of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) or similar organizations. Most of these chapters allow affiliate membership, which provides the opportunity to attend numerous events attended by realtors.
Agent Training - Most real estate offices are looking for vendors to provide training to their agents. If you have a quality presentation, and a reputation for giving a good presentation without putting people to sleep (it takes practice!), you may be called upon to conduct training sessions. You may have to provide lunch or snacks, but it is a small price to pay to be looked upon as an expert.
Website - While passive in some respects, a good website can become a powerful active marketing tool. If you have a website, make sure it goes beyond just the basics of describing your services and home inspections. Information about common defects, pictures of problems, and links to other important sites (CPSC, mold info, asbestos, defective furnaces, etc.) can become a valuable resource for agents and clients to use frequently. Publication/Articles - If you are good at writing original articles, there are numerous publications, including industry news and even the local newspapers, looking for information that would be useful for their readers. If the information in your article puts the inspection industry in a positive light, or you offer helpful ideas to the readers, they will hopefully have your contact information as part of the article to contact you later for business referrals.
Concluding Thoughts
When business is going strong, as many of us may have experienced in the recent real-estate boom, it is easy to overlook marketing efforts, or put them on the back burner. The key to marketing is consistency. Every week, a certain number of hours should be committed exclusively to marketing. This should include networking or office meetings, getting out and meeting agents or prospective clients face-to-face, or preparing and mailing marketing correspondence not related to a specific inspection. The number of hours is up to you, just stick to it.
To learn more about Scott Swickard and InspectOC, please visit www.inspectoc.com.
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