The chances are, when you first began dreaming about opening your contracting business, you didn’t think much about email marketing for contractors, or how you were going to take advantage of it.
You probably weren’t envisioning late nights and early mornings spent agonizing over email subject lines and formatting rules. That’s reasonable enough.
You’re not a marketing guru, after all – you’re a reliable partner people can turn to when they need help with construction, HVAC maintenance, or roofing.
But there’s a reason that companies like yours continue to turn to email marketing to nurture, engage, and convert leads year after year. Even in the age of social media, and influencer campaigns, email is one of the most effective channels for advertising, with an average ROI of around $36-$40 for every dollar spent. The trouble is, just like the actual tools in your construction toolkit, email marketing is a resource that only works when you know how to use it.
The good news? You don’t have to get a marketing degree. At gFour Marketing, we’ve helped hundreds of home improvement pros grow their businesses with smart, personalized, and automated customer communication. In this article, we’re going to show you how to do the same.
Email marketing is just one tool in your kit – but it’s an important one. Used properly, it doesn’t just boost your chances of earning extra clients. It can help you keep customers engaged, build loyalty, and earn recurring revenue. So, where do you start?
Honestly, it can be tricky to know where to dive in at first. There’s a lot of noise out there – people telling you which templates to use, when you should invest in AI, and so on. But realistically, as you probably know, great things start with great foundations.
So, here’s how you can start building from the ground up.
The first thing you need if you’re investing in email marketing for contractors is a list of people to actually contact. Not just any list will do. It needs to be organized, compliant, and segmented. First, start collecting emails the right way. That means you don’t just buy email lists from shady directories, you actually ask your customers to give them to you.
Every time you do a job, whether it’s a roof repair, a bathroom remodel, or a tune-up, make it standard practice to grab the client’s email. Do it at the estimate stage, the quote follow-up, or at the point of the job closeout. Tell them why you need that information, and why they should give you it.
“I’d love to grab your email so I can send you a special offer on a tune up later.”
Don’t stop there. Add opt-in forms to your website, especially on quote request pages or contact forms. A little checkbox that says “Send me updates and offers” can go a long way.
Once you have your list, don’t dump everyone into the same box then blast them with generic emails. That’s how you end up in the spam folder, and lose customer trust. Instead, segment your list with purpose, based on things like:
This process isn’t just about breaking your list into chunks. Studies show that marketers can achieve a 760% increase in revenue, just by investing in segmented campaigns. Why? Because people want messages that are relevant to them, not one-size-fits-all.
Now you have your growing list, you need tech. More specifically, a platform that can help you manage and automate your campaigns. It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive, but it should have all the features you actually need.
If you’re just starting out, platforms like Mailchimp and Constant Contact are super user-friendly and affordable. Want something more tailored to construction companies or home services? Look into contractor-focused CRMs that offer built-in email tools.
Compare your options carefully, reading reviews, just like your clients do when they’re deciding whether to work with you over the competition.
Whatever you choose, make sure it can:
Automate sends (so you’re not manually emailing every time)
Segment your list
Provide basic reports (opens, clicks, bookings)
Integrate with your website forms or CRM
Integration matters more than most people think. When your email tool is synced with your job management software or CRM, new leads and clients automatically land in your list, no copying and pasting required. That means every contact form, quote request, and new job instantly becomes a future marketing opportunity.
Most email marketing platforms support one click integrations, but you might need to consider APIs if you’re dealing with complex or legacy software. Start experimenting with your platform as soon as you get it installed, and make sure your team members know how to use it too. Check out dashboards, read blogs and guides, and review how-to videos.
Now it’s time to start getting really creative. Once you’ve got your list, and you’ve chosen your platform, you need a plan for what you’re going to say, and when you’re going to say it.
Here’s the golden rule for email marketing for contractors: your emails should connect with and support customers throughout their purchasing journey. Don’t think of email as a marketing megaphone. Think of it as the communication tool it is. It’s there to help you increase sales yes, but also nurture your customers, and earn their trust.
Start by mapping out a few types of emails you can send throughout the year. Don’t overthink it. Here are some rock-solid staples:
Try to remember that the goal is to be useful, not just visible.
Another important thing to keep in mind is timing. Your customers probably don’t want to hear from you three times a day, every day.
If you’re brand new to email, commit to sending something once a month. That’s enough to stay top of mind without overwhelming your list, or yourself. If you have a more aggressive sales calendar, try sending emails twice a month during peak seasons when people are thinking about repairs, upgrades, or preventive service. Pay attention to what works.
This is where a lot of contractors and construction companies freeze up fast. They know how to repair a broken down boiler in minutes, but they have no idea how to write a great email. Realistically, it’s not nearly as difficult as it seems.
You don’t have to be a great copywriter to write an amazing email. In fact, the best emails are usually the ones that sound human and genuine. That’s particularly true now that so many major companies are using AI to churn out messages in bulk.
Focus on content that builds connections:
Remember, excellent content isn’t just about the body of the email either. You also need to think about two major elements: the subject line, and the call to action.
The subject line is the difference between an email getting opened or ignored. Go for brief, eye-catching, and engaging options like:
If you really want to get personal, you can include your customer’s name with a dynamic field too.
Your call to action (CTA) is what tells readers what they should do next and why. It needs to be simple, easy to follow, and actionable. Try things like: “Schedule Now,” “Claim Your Discount,” “Refer a Friend”, and make sure it’s clickable.
Remember, people skim emails. Put your CTA at the top and bottom so no one misses it.
Email marketing for contractors isn’t the same as sending a one-off email to a client every once in a blue moon. You need to actually have an ongoing conversation. That’s what gets sales, and what encourages clients to keep coming back to you with their pain points.
The trouble is, even experienced sales people forget the “follow up” part of the process. That’s why it’s such a good idea to put this step on autopilot. Your email marketing platform should allow you to set up specific workflows that run in the background.
For instance, you might have a sequence that looks like this for previous clients:
Automating these touchpoints ensures your customers don’t forget you, and you don’t have to manually send each email. Even better, automated emails drive fantastic results. Some studies show that they generate 320% more revenue than non-automated emails. That’s because they reach people at exactly the right time. You’re not just sending them when you get a chance.
Experiment with different types of email drip campaigns too. These are flows of pre-written emails that go out to customers over the course of a specific period. They can educate, upsell, and gently remind past clients of why you’re so great to work with.
One of the top contractor marketing tips we always give to beginners is this: measure everything. The caveat is that we don’t just mean watch the dashboards and jot down numbers. You need to actually use the data you collect. Some of the top things you should be monitoring include:
Let’s say you sent a “Spring Special” offer to 300 past customers, and 30 of them clicked to schedule. That’s a 10% CTR, and if 6 of them actually booked, that’s a 2% conversion. Those are decent results. If you’re not getting the results you hope for, you know what you need to start tweaking.
For instance, if most of your emails get great open rates, but one doesn’t, that’s probably a sign that there’s something wrong with your subject line. If your emails are getting opens, but nobody clicks on anything, your offer or CTA could have an issue.
If you send emails a certain time of day and see your unsubscribe rates increase, that’s an obvious sign that you’re annoying your customers. Sometimes, the things you need to change are clear, other times, you’ll need to dive a little deeper with experimentation.
A/B testing can help you to figure out which subject lines, CTAs, or offers work best with specific groups. Don’t be afraid to fine tune things. That’s how you make sure you’re getting the most value out of your marketing strategies, rather than just shouting into the void.
Once you really get into it, email marketing for contractors is simple enough. The problem is that you already have so much on your plate. Between job sites, estimates, team management, and running the books, adding “email marketer” to your job title probably isn’t in the cards.
Usually, it makes a lot more sense to get a professional to help you out. That’s where gFour Marketing comes in. We’re not an “email marketing agency”, we’re a company that specializes in helping home improvement and construction companies like yours stay connected with past and current clients, and unlock the value of relationships.
Our company handles the tricky things that shouldn’t be eating into your schedule, like:
We can even help you improve your online reputation, by gathering and promoting reviews. Or we can design referral programs that help to increase your sales pipeline, without you having to spend a fortune on complex campaigns.
We understand the pain points contractors face: too much to do, not enough time, and a business built on reputation and word-of-mouth. That’s why we design campaigns that make sense, while taking the extra work off your plate.
Ready to stop worrying about what to say, when to send it, and how to make it work? Get in touch with the gFour Marketing team to find out how we can help you.
There you have it, everything you need to know about email marketing for contractors, from how it works, to how you can take advantage of it – broken down into clear steps.
When done right, email helps you stay in touch with past clients, generate more referrals, book more repeat jobs, and keep your schedule full, without chasing cold leads or relying on luck.
The formula is simple: build your list, send helpful emails regularly, track what’s working, and automate the rest. If you want to save even more time (and skip the trial-and-error), you’ve got a partner in gFour Marketing.
We know contractors, we know marketing, and we know how to leverage the power of relationships to drive growth. Contact us today, and put your growth trajectory on autopilot.
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