<p>Getting leads for contractors has never been more cost-effective and easier than with a total approach to social media marketing. “Leads are the lifeblood of contractors,” notes Scott Siegal, president of Certified Contractors Network (CCN), and a roofing contractor himself.</p> <p>In an interview, Scott Siegal said that when he adopted a social media marketing strategy he found it: “Exponentially increased our visibility as an expert and leader; and second, drastically reduced the average $300/lead marketing costs for contractors—with trusted word-of-mouth referral marketing from social networking friends.”</p> <p>Here are 5 affordable social media marketing steps you, too, can adopt in developing contractor job leads. They are further explained in <a rel="nofollow" onClick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);" href="http://www.surefiresocial.com/contractors" target="_blank" title="SUREFIRE SOCIAL for CONTRACTORS">SUREFIRE SOCIAL for CONTRACTORS</a>:</p> <p>1. <strong>Construction website design that highlights your projects with client testimonials.</strong> It’s easy nowadays to set up a low-cost weblog that looks like a bells-and-whistles traditional website. Moreover, the major advantage with a weblog is—you can up date info and write articles without having to learn computer code nor hire expensive web programmers and graphic designers that traditional websites require!</p> <p>2. <strong>Blog or write articles to showcase your expertise in your niche specialty.</strong> You can write first-hand before and after stories of remodeling projects (like This Old House TV-series and magazine does). For instance, interview clients for before-after scenarios in how your innovative remodeling flooded their home’s dark interiors with lots more natural light. Your articles would show before-and-after photos. Articles are most effective when you write from your heart because it reveals your experiences and expertise in helping customers solve problems while saving them money.</p> <p>3. <strong>Videos highlighting your specialty.</strong> When you megaupload videos on your weblog and YouTube (now the world’s largest search engine because people just love watching videos), thousands will get to know you. On a daily basis, 100 million people all over the world download YouTube videos. Not that you’d need global leads, but this shows how effective and inexpensive social media marketing is for small businesses now.</p> <p>4. <strong>Join social media icebreaker games for large groups. </strong>Joining just three social-site networking icebreaker games for large groups can gift you free access to hundreds and thousands of people who enjoy hanging out together. After becoming a member of say—Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter—research sub-icebreaker games for large groups that you feel good about joining. Then start contributing with ideas and comments. That’s the reason people join—to share inspirations and help each other problem solve.</p> <p>5. <strong>Become a “leader.”</strong> When social group members get to know you, and you offer naturally common sense and affordable solutions to homeowners, for free, *YOU* will be regarded as a leader, with followers, no less. Why? People are excited to learn from you—be it new info and trends or money-saving home projects. And, people buy from people they know and trust.</p> <p>Never in the history of generating qualified and targeted leads has social media marketing made this process so easy and affordable to every contractor and small business owner. These 5 steps are just the tip of the iceberg for those wanting to get ahead with contractor job leads.</p> <p>BIO: Chris Marentis is founder &amp; CEO of GenNext Media, LLC <a rel="nofollow" onClick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);" href="http://www.surefiresocial.com" target="_blank" title="Surefire Social">Surefire Social</a> DIY Guide to