Restoration contractors need to make sure they are allocating their digital marketing budget in channels that convert.

We often get asked by restoration company owners how much money to allocate for digital marketing. Before diving into the answer to this question, we must first mention that the digital marketing industry is constantly changing; what works today may change in the future. 

We have created this blog post to give you a few recommendations when creating a digital marketing budget that will help your restoration business grow. 

Creating the perfect digital marketing budget

We understand that running a business has a host of associated costs and that there is only so much money that you can allocate to your digital marketing budget. The insurance restoration marketing professionals at Algorithmic Global want to ensure you are spending your digital marketing budget in the right way. 

So how much should you allocate to a digital marketing budget? 

According to the Small Business Administration, the SBA recommends that between 7% and 8% of your total annual revenue as a company go back to marketing.

Although the SBA recommends 7 and 8%, we think a restoration company should spend a little more, somewhere around 9% or 10%, with at least half of the allocated budget going strictly to digital marketing.

The more you add to your digital marketing budget, the better. 

We may be biased, but we believe in digital marketing for restoration companies. There is a conversion funnel in marketing that depends on a customer’s mindset during the buying process. 

The funnel includes four parts: 

1. Awareness 
2. Interest 
3. Preference 
4. Conversion 

When a customer has water damage, they are going to be searching the internet for emergency services. Because a customer is already searching for assistance, they are already in the conversion area of the funnel. Your allocated digital marketing budget will allow your business to show up in the top positions in search engines like Google for these high-intent searches. 

5 digital marketing channels to invest in 

There are five different channels your digital marketing budget should include that will get you started on the right track:

1. Web design
2. (SEO) Search Engine Optimization
3. (SEM) Search Engine Marketing
4. Email marketing campaigns.
5. Social media

The above list shows the most important channels to the least based on our experience running digital marketing campaigns for restoration contractors.

Web Design

First and foremost, we think web design is the bare minimum that a business with any size digital marketing budget should make their initial investment. The website that you get built needs to focus on user experience—how your site responds to all types of visitors.

(SEO) Search Engine Optimization

The second most important area to allocate a digital marketing budget will be in SEO. In terms of SEO, we think it is the most important investment you can make that has proven the highest ROI. To ensure you are getting the most out of your digital marketing budget and SEO services, we recommend hiring niche SEO specialists. Niche SEO specialists are subject matter experts in their specific chosen industry.

(SEM) Search Engine Marketing 

The third of the top five best channels to allocate a digital marketing budget to is using SEM campaigns like Google Ads. Here at Algorithmic Global, we use Google Ads to help restoration contractors get more water damage leads.

If you are not interested in waiting for an SEO campaign to kick in and bring in leads, you should allocate a large percentage of your digital marketing budget to Google Ads. It would be best to choose Google Ads over other SEM Ads because most users choose Google over any other search engines when they have an emergency.

SEM works when someone requires water damage restoration services. As mentioned earlier, these customers are already in the conversion phase when they see your ad displayed to them.

Email marketing campaigns 

Email marketing campaigns are not essential, but they are beneficial for restoration contractors to add to their digital marketing budget. Email campaigns will help your business let property managers and other important points of contact keep your business at the front of their minds.

Social media marketing 

Social media marketing campaigns are a massive opportunity for restoration contractors. Social networks provide an excellent place to build brand awareness and reach customers. You can allocate your digital marketing budget to invest in posts that share before-and-after photos of projects completed by your company or post information about specific services offered.

Final thoughts

We hoped you learned more about how much money to place in a digital marketing budget and the best investment channels. As we mentioned in this blog post, restoration contractors should start by investing in web design, then SEO, and finally SEM services. 
The professionals at Algorithmic Global have made a name for themselves with their digital marketing services for restoration contractors near you. Feel free to contact us at any time if you are a new or seasoned restoration contractor looking for digital marketing services.