8 Fall Marketing Strategies for Designers and Contractors
Timing is everything when it comes to attracting new business. Here are 8 seasonal marketing initiatives to consider
As the seasons change, so do the needs and priorities of homeowners seeking your expertise. Tailoring your communications to the time of year makes it clear you understand your customers’ priorities, which builds trust and rapport and can connect you with those who are project-ready. Read on for eight fall-themed marketing and communication ideas that will have you speaking directly to your target market, whether you’re an interior designer, an architect or a contractor.
- HVAC maintenance. Schedule a professional HVAC inspection and tune-up to ensure your heating system is in top shape ahead of winter.
- Inspect the chimney and fireplace. Have your chimney cleaned and inspected by a professional before cold weather arrives.
- Check insulation and ventilation in the attic and walls. Make sure the insulation is in good condition and consider adding more if needed. Ensure your attic is properly ventilated to prevent ice dams.
- Drain outdoor pipes and hoses. This prevents freezing and potential pipe damage in winter.
- Lawn and garden care. Trim trees and bushes away from your home’s exterior to prevent storm damage. Rake leaves and remove debris from the yard to promote healthy grass growth in spring.
- Deck and patio upkeep. Inspect your deck and patio for damage, such as loose boards and cracks. Clean and seal the deck to protect it from fall and winter moisture.
- Clean and store summer equipment. Clean and store your lawnmower, barbecue and other summer items properly. Drain fuel and perform any necessary maintenance.
2. Spotlight Your Seasonal Services
Now’s the ideal time to highlight any services you offer that are particularly relevant in the fall.
For interior designers and decorators, the focus might be on creating cozy, functional and inviting interiors for the cooler months.
If you’re a contractor, it could include weatherproofing, HVAC maintenance, roofing repairs and smart-home upgrades.
Builders and architects might wish to highlight services such as upgrading windows and insulation to improve a home’s energy efficiency, creating inviting and usable year-round zoned living spaces, and designing all-season outdoor rooms and entertaining decks, complete with heating and lighting.
Now’s the ideal time to highlight any services you offer that are particularly relevant in the fall.
For interior designers and decorators, the focus might be on creating cozy, functional and inviting interiors for the cooler months.
If you’re a contractor, it could include weatherproofing, HVAC maintenance, roofing repairs and smart-home upgrades.
Builders and architects might wish to highlight services such as upgrading windows and insulation to improve a home’s energy efficiency, creating inviting and usable year-round zoned living spaces, and designing all-season outdoor rooms and entertaining decks, complete with heating and lighting.
3. Highlight Limited-Time Offers
Special offers can be a powerful incentive for choosing your services over competitors’, especially if it can save the homeowner money.
Announce any promotions or events you’ll have for the season in your marketing communications, be it newsletters, social media or your website. They might include limited-time discounts for fall services, such as home maintenance or interior or exterior upgrades, or fall-themed packages or offers, such as cozy room makeovers or fireplace redesigns.
The Houzz Pro Email Marketing tool can save you time with newsletter and promotional outreach by allowing you to set up standardized emails for tasks you do repeatedly, such as contacting new clients.
Special offers can be a powerful incentive for choosing your services over competitors’, especially if it can save the homeowner money.
Announce any promotions or events you’ll have for the season in your marketing communications, be it newsletters, social media or your website. They might include limited-time discounts for fall services, such as home maintenance or interior or exterior upgrades, or fall-themed packages or offers, such as cozy room makeovers or fireplace redesigns.
The Houzz Pro Email Marketing tool can save you time with newsletter and promotional outreach by allowing you to set up standardized emails for tasks you do repeatedly, such as contacting new clients.
4. Update Your Imagery
If you haven’t uploaded your latest projects to your Houzz profile or website lately, now’s the time.
Focus on projects that align with the needs and aesthetics of the season so you’re tapping in to homeowners’ current concerns and thinking. For example, if your work is decorative, you might wish to showcase before-and-after projects that show how you transformed interior spaces with cozy textures and rich, autumnal colors, or how small changes, like switching out pillows and artwork, can instantly revitalize a space for fall.
Builders and architects might want to highlight projects where they improved a home’s energy efficiency, enhanced indoor-outdoor flow, created order with custom cabinetry or designed alfresco areas that allow for year-round entertaining.
If you haven’t uploaded your latest projects to your Houzz profile or website lately, now’s the time.
Focus on projects that align with the needs and aesthetics of the season so you’re tapping in to homeowners’ current concerns and thinking. For example, if your work is decorative, you might wish to showcase before-and-after projects that show how you transformed interior spaces with cozy textures and rich, autumnal colors, or how small changes, like switching out pillows and artwork, can instantly revitalize a space for fall.
Builders and architects might want to highlight projects where they improved a home’s energy efficiency, enhanced indoor-outdoor flow, created order with custom cabinetry or designed alfresco areas that allow for year-round entertaining.
As always, it pays to invest in professional photography. Not only will quality images showcase your work in the best light, but you’ll be able to use them (and spread the cost) across your marketing materials and social media.
If you’re not sure whom to hire to photograph your project, Houzz Pro’s PerfectCapture Photo Service makes hiring a skilled photographer and scheduling a photo shoot easy. The service is available to Houzz Pro Essential and Ultimate subscribers in the U.S.
Where possible, highlight the impact of your seasonal expertise by including reviews and testimonials from clients who have experienced your fall design transformations.
With a Houzz Pro subscription, you can display your best reviews prominently on your profile and in your directory listing. Use this link to help your clients leave a review on Houzz.
If you’re not sure whom to hire to photograph your project, Houzz Pro’s PerfectCapture Photo Service makes hiring a skilled photographer and scheduling a photo shoot easy. The service is available to Houzz Pro Essential and Ultimate subscribers in the U.S.
Where possible, highlight the impact of your seasonal expertise by including reviews and testimonials from clients who have experienced your fall design transformations.
With a Houzz Pro subscription, you can display your best reviews prominently on your profile and in your directory listing. Use this link to help your clients leave a review on Houzz.
5. Present Seasonal Trends
Position yourself as an expert in your field by writing blog posts, newsletters or articles that provide insights into the latest seasonal trends and product innovations, along with tips for preparing your home for the chilly months.
Use descriptive language in your marketing materials to highlight the comfort and coziness of fall and to emphasize how your designs can create warm and snug living spaces.
Illustrate trends with mood boards and visuals that incorporate autumnal hues so clients can see at a glance how they translate to a home setting.
7 Popular Home Design Trends Happening Now
Position yourself as an expert in your field by writing blog posts, newsletters or articles that provide insights into the latest seasonal trends and product innovations, along with tips for preparing your home for the chilly months.
Use descriptive language in your marketing materials to highlight the comfort and coziness of fall and to emphasize how your designs can create warm and snug living spaces.
Illustrate trends with mood boards and visuals that incorporate autumnal hues so clients can see at a glance how they translate to a home setting.
7 Popular Home Design Trends Happening Now
6. Focus on Energy Efficiency
Whether they’re embarking on a new build or a remodel, today’s homeowners are increasingly concerned with energy efficiency. They’re eager to find ways to reduce their day-to-day energy use and their home’s impact on the environment.
With this in mind, architects, builders and landscape designers might choose to highlight design moves that can have a significant long-term impact on a home’s energy performance.
Examples include sustainable designs incorporating elements like passive heating and cooling, insulation, thermal mass and well-placed, double-paned windows that regulate a home’s indoor temperature and lower energy costs. Or you might highlight smart-tech integration that automatically adjusts heating and cooling to suit the conditions, which minimizes wasted energy.
Meanwhile, landscapers may wish to highlight the value of climate-responsive landscaping and how thoughtfully positioned trees and vegetation can impact the microclimate around a home, cutting the winter chill and keeping spaces cooler in summer.
Whether they’re embarking on a new build or a remodel, today’s homeowners are increasingly concerned with energy efficiency. They’re eager to find ways to reduce their day-to-day energy use and their home’s impact on the environment.
With this in mind, architects, builders and landscape designers might choose to highlight design moves that can have a significant long-term impact on a home’s energy performance.
Examples include sustainable designs incorporating elements like passive heating and cooling, insulation, thermal mass and well-placed, double-paned windows that regulate a home’s indoor temperature and lower energy costs. Or you might highlight smart-tech integration that automatically adjusts heating and cooling to suit the conditions, which minimizes wasted energy.
Meanwhile, landscapers may wish to highlight the value of climate-responsive landscaping and how thoughtfully positioned trees and vegetation can impact the microclimate around a home, cutting the winter chill and keeping spaces cooler in summer.
7. Get Clients Thinking Ahead
The holiday season is right around the corner. Encourage clients to book your services now to avoid the last-minute rush before Christmas.
Depending on your line of business, these services might include:
The holiday season is right around the corner. Encourage clients to book your services now to avoid the last-minute rush before Christmas.
Depending on your line of business, these services might include:
- Creating cozy gathering spaces. Decorative touches can transform kitchen and living areas into welcoming and functional spaces for entertaining.
- Upgrading a home’s lighting scheme. Well-planned interior and exterior lighting schemes can add warmth and enhance safety.
- Decluttering and organizing. Get rooms in order before the holiday season kicks in.
- Adding custom storage. Maximize usable space and protect fragile items while hosting guests.
- Preparing guest rooms. Give visitors a warm welcome and be prepared for last-minute guests.
- Ensuring safety and comfort. Make sure the HVAC system, smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are in good working order before welcoming friends and family during the holidays.
- Adding greenery and decor. Get a head start on decorating with indoor plant displays, deck landscaping and personalized decor.
8. Network and Create Partnerships
Whether fall tends to be a busy season for your business — and you’d relish an extra pair of hands — or you want to drum up new business over a traditionally quiet period, forming partnerships with like-minded local businesses can be a wise move.
Not only does it allow you to share contacts and resources, but you’ll be able to offer clients a comprehensive package — say, architecture and interior design in one. This can streamline project timelines and communications so you can complete projects faster and with less hassle for your clients.
If you’re looking to expand your reach, you might also consider collaborating with local businesses on special fall-themed events or cross-promotions.
Whether fall tends to be a busy season for your business — and you’d relish an extra pair of hands — or you want to drum up new business over a traditionally quiet period, forming partnerships with like-minded local businesses can be a wise move.
Not only does it allow you to share contacts and resources, but you’ll be able to offer clients a comprehensive package — say, architecture and interior design in one. This can streamline project timelines and communications so you can complete projects faster and with less hassle for your clients.
If you’re looking to expand your reach, you might also consider collaborating with local businesses on special fall-themed events or cross-promotions.
Tell us: Do you have specific marketing strategies for the fall? Tell us about them in the Comments.
More for Pros on Houzz
Read more stories for pros
Learn about Houzz Pro software
Talk with your peers in pro-to-pro discussions
Join the Houzz Trade Program
More for Pros on Houzz
Read more stories for pros
Learn about Houzz Pro software
Talk with your peers in pro-to-pro discussions
Join the Houzz Trade Program
If you’re a contractor looking to boost business in the fall, creating and sharing a seasonal home maintenance checklist for existing and potential clients can be a great place to start. Not only does it arm homeowners with useful know-how for the cooler months, but it can open the door to new business opportunities.
Your checklist for homeowners might include: