Aqua Finance, Inc.

When building a successful business, you'll need some essentials.

First, you'll need the skills to perform the services you're selling. Then, you'll want to have a strong team behind you. Finally, you need to get the word out about your business. Without this last necessity, customer acquisition will be tough.

Marketing in today's ultra-connected world can be tricky. There are more options than the standard phonebook ads and radio commercials of years past. Plus, today's consumers spend more time researching their purchases before going to a store than ever before. As such, it's crucial to promptly get the word out about what you offer. And it's not enough to just advertise your services; you also need people to know about your financing programs.

Advertise your financing programs early and often

Chances are, the serious buyers in your store already know exactly how they plan to finance their home improvement projects. This means you're already late to the game by telling a buyer about the financing programs you offer.

Additionally, if you're not already advertising your financing programs online, there's a good chance that the people walking through your doors aren't aware these options exist. If they don't know about them, they certainly can't take advantage of them. Customer unawareness is a problem that will usually have one of three effects, none of which will benefit you in the least. Either your customers will:

• Lower their project spend.
• Go to your competitor.
• Decide against a home improvement project.

You have countless options for how you can market your offerings. The first step is to take control of what potential consumers read about you while they are researching their purchasing decisions. Since a sizeable portion of this research is done online, two excellent places to start are your website and social media profiles.

Build up your business website

If you don't have a website, get one as soon as possible. Every business today needs to have a website to give customers a good idea of its offerings, price ranges and financing options. A recent survey of small-business marketing from Clutch, a company that uses research and connections to help other businesses grow, found that 46 percent of respondents didn't have a website.

Businesses of all kinds will benefit from having an engaging, up-to-date website.

The leading rationales behind not having a website were that it's not relevant to the industry, followed by the cost. However, the truth is that there is no industry in which a business wouldn't benefit from a website.

"No matter what type of business you run, if you have customers, it's necessary to have some sort of information online, at least a page describing who you are and offering contact information," explained Max Elman, the founder of Razorfrog Web Design, according to Clutch. "It's essential to have this information indexed and shown to those looking for you, otherwise you're relying on third parties."

Some important pieces of information to include on your website are:

• A list of your services and products.
• General pricing information.
• Contact information.

Market yourself on social media

Breaking into the social media conversation can be a bit intimidating if you've never attempted to do so before. But the benefits of these platforms are undeniable. Through social media, you can connect with your consumers, track what your competitors are doing, and follow industry leaders and trade organizations.

Additionally, various platforms allow you to share information in new ways and to different audiences. For example, YouTube lets you easily share videos, Instagram is great for photos of your best work, and you can use LinkedIn to show off your credentials and expertise. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are all ideal for sharing deals at your store or welcoming feedback from customers.

The key to using social media platforms successfully is to use them regularly and with a consistent message, Fieldlens, a construction software company, pointed out. If you don't post often enough, your message can quickly get lost in all of the noise on that platform. And if your messaging and tone frequently change, it can be difficult to create a solid and recognizable brand.

Great products, service and financial packages are the pillars to build your business on. But they can only lead to success if consumers know about them. By making this information readily available online, you can bring in new customers who are not only informed about your offerings, but also excited to begin working with you.

To learn about what financing programs you can offer your customers, reach out to Aqua Finance.