Promotional messages are important, but many home improvement companies make the mistake of elevating sales copy over relationship.

When you’re constantly pushing your products or services, you don’t leave room for trust to build. Trust is what builds loyal customers and long-term revenues. Infomercial sales tactics might make the sale today, but they disappoint in the long run.

Why Is Client-Facing Content Critical?
Around 90 percent of successful online marketers address audience needs in their content before (and more than) they address their own sales messages.

Client-facing content works because it provides a reason for someone to engage. The fact that you have a service or product to offer isn’t always enough, because everyone else does too. Content that serves consumer needs helps you stand out from the competition online.

Other benefits of client-facing content include:

• It builds authority. That’s good for conversion rates, because people are more likely to buy home improvement goods and services from a company they trust.
• It’s higher quality. Sales copy isn’t easy to write well, especially in bulk. If all your pages are essentially just sales copy, chances are some aren’t quality content. It’s typically easier to create quality content when you provide how-tos, explanations about products, or answers to common consumer questions.
• It’s good SEO. Content that addresses the concerns of the potential client tends to perform well in SERPs. That’s because it’s more aligned with searcher intent and is probably a more comprehensive resource than a page that simply presents a hard sell for the product.

Tips for Taking the “Me” Out of Your Content Marketing
We’re not advising you to kill all the sales content. But you do need to find the balance that works for your home improvement business when it comes to taking the “me” out of content.

• Start with the 80/20 rule. This popular guideline says 20 percent of your content should be directly about your company or products. The other 80 percent should be helpful or entertaining content that keeps the target audience in mind. It can tie to your products, but it has value beyond advertising your products.
• Tell people how to do something. How can they use, care for, or get the most benefit from the types of products you offer? For example, if you install new windows, how-to content could include topics such as washing windows, hanging curtains, decorating windows, choosing a window installation company, or weatherproofing.
• Share content from others. You don’t need to promote the competition, but you can share content from business partners and brands that are tangential to you in the industry. Window decor companies might share content from a window repair brand’s social page, for example. And a repair or building company could create a guide to curtains and share content from decor companies.

Ultimately, home improvement content marketing is about good SEO and providing comprehensive, high-quality content that engages and converts the reader. Yes, you’re in it to sell something. But you don’t always have to state that outright.