Putting people first isn’t something new to home improvement companies, which will work to your advantage when it comes to online marketing in 2019.

As a home improvement provider, you work to help individuals or families make their most important space more beautiful or functional. That requires excellent customer service and communication skills, and in 2019, you’ll need to bring those same traits to digital to succeed with home improvement marketing online.

It’s not that people-centric marketing is new for 2019; after all, your target audience has always played a major role in those efforts. But savvy consumers, continued technological evolution, and the hustle of modern life have made it more important than ever.

Here are three consumer-centric digital marketing trends to know about in the new year:

Reputation Trumps Ads for Consumer Confidence

Paid advertising is a great means to get your business name in front of a wider audience, but in 2019, you’ll need to take further steps to earn consumer confidence. Nielsen studies indicate that advertising is on the bottom of the trust list with consumers, and that’s not new information for anyone.
The good news is that consumers do trust content that comes directly from a business if that company has positioned itself as a reputable thought leader in the industry.

Capitalize on this trend by:

• Publishing informative, helpful content
• Being present on social media to engage with prospective clients and answer questions
• Encouraging homeowners who are satisfied with your services to leave reviews online

Personalization Is Key for Marketing Success in 2019

Artificial intelligence has a growing role in both marketing and customer service, and internet users are used to being shown products and services that fit their needs, moods, or interests. It’s the Netflix culture, where machine learning picks up on habits, serves up appropriate recommendations, and takes some of the stress out of decision-making.

In home improvement marketing, that means taking time to personalize advertisements through targeting. Coming into the new year, work with your team to determine your ideal target audience so you can set ad campaigns appropriately and create content that resonates with prospective clients.

If you’ve already been through this exercise, now is a great time to look at your assumptions about your audience to ensure they aren’t going to be obsolete in 2019.

User Experience Can Make or Break Conversion Rates

Well-targeted content and advertising get people to your pages, but if your site is slow or hard to navigate, homeowners might not turn to you when they need upgrades for their windows. Companies that work to boost site speed and ensure pages are mobile friendly have seen conversion rates increase by 31 percent.

The pace of the internet—and life in general—isn’t going to slow down, so home improvement companies can’t afford to be the site-speed tortoise in 2019. This is one area where slow and steady doesn’t win the race.

(Note: Ready to supercharge the leads you get from the internet and convert them into real-life clientele? In his free webinar, marketing expert Welton Hong delivers practical techniques you can employ today. Click here to register!)