#465 How to Market Your Finished Remodeling Jobs

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What you’re talking about there is a good idea—that expectation setting, especially if you have new projects going forward.

But a lot of times, especially with what we’re doing, people will say, “Things are slow right now. I don’t have a ton of projects currently that I can get testimonials from.”

A lot of times, it’ll be a backlog of projects. And now they don’t even know how to reach out or how to begin reconnecting with those people. That’s a whole different beast.

You’re talking about projects that were done maybe a year or more ago. So how do you ask for that?

Use the same approach. Think back—what was their preferred contact method: phone, text, email?

Then just check in: “Hey, I wanted to follow up. How are you enjoying the project? Is everything still working great?”

Maybe there’s something to fix or follow up on. You just get your foot in the door.

A lot of people think that going back to a past client will be harder than it actually is—but it’s not.

And I know this from our past clients. They’ve gone back to homeowners they hadn’t spoken to in two years, worried that they’d be annoyed to hear from them. But that’s usually not the case.

A lot of them are actually psyched to still hear from you. And once you go out there and do the testimonial, you often hear, “Actually, I’ve been meaning to call you—I want to get something else done.”

That happens all the time. Now you’ve got a new job with a client who already knows you, trusts you, and doesn’t need to be sold again.

So it becomes not only a great testimonial to use as a sales tool—it turns into revenue.

We went out to Princeton a while ago for Gary Houghton at Houghton Contracting. I remember that was one of the first projects where we realized we should ask how long ago the project was completed.

It turned out the project was done seven years earlier. We didn’t even know that until halfway through the testimonial!

That was early on, and we didn’t know to ask. But now it’s one of the first things we ask—because it frames the whole conversation.

But the point is, Gary had hesitations. He said, “I haven’t talked to them in years. I doubt they’d want to hear from me.”

But what happens is contractors remember every delay, every small frustration—and they assume the client does too.

But seven years later, the homeowner is just remembering the beautiful end result. And that becomes a better testimonial.

Because it’s not just, “We just finished and it looks great.” It’s, “We finished this years ago and it’s held up beautifully—and I’m still thrilled.”

And in that case, it actually turned into a job for him. She said, “I’ve been meaning to get this trim on the garage door fixed. I just hadn’t called you.”

That’s what happens. Most homeowners have a mental list of things they want to fix—but just haven’t gotten around to reaching out.

So by contacting them, you open that door.

Once you build up the confidence to ask—whether it’s at the start of a new project or reaching back out to an old one—then it becomes about how to ask.

We touched on this: you frame it around showcasing their beautiful space. You say, “I’d love to highlight your project—it really turned out amazing. Would you be open to sharing your experience?”

Also, give them information up front. That removes fear. Let them know: there’s no script, no pressure. Just a few questions about your experience.

We always say: “There are no right or wrong answers—we just want your honest feedback.”

You can also share the list of questions in advance. And if you have a videographer, ask them to send over that question list.

If you don’t have one—we’ll put our testimonial question template in the show notes. It’s just 10 questions. About the problem, the experience, and how they’re enjoying the space now.

Most people aren’t used to being on camera, and that unknown can be intimidating.

It’s like when you’re a contractor—on your website, you list your process: what to expect, how long it’ll take, how you’ll protect the home, etc. That eases their concerns.

It’s the same with video. They need to know: how long will it take? What will it look like? Do I need to prep anything?

That’s why we created those client prep booklets and even those “meet the team” videos—like, “Hi, I’m Aaron. I’m Sean. We’re the people showing up to your house.”

That helped ease people into it.

And when it comes to the shoot itself—don’t try to do it all yourself. If you’re not a photographer or videographer, it’s not worth the headache.

Even if you don’t have the budget for video—get photos. At a minimum, you must get professional photos.

We’ve said it before—photos are probably the highest-ROI marketing investment you can make as a contractor.

Especially in a visual industry like remodeling and design-build.

You can talk about your quality all day long—but at the end of the day, homeowners want to see your work. That’s the only way they can decide if you’re legit.

And if all you have are old photos or images from projects you no longer want to do—it doesn’t help. Show what you want to attract.

Michelangelo had beautiful bathroom remodels, but we cut those from this round of videos—because his focus is outdoor living and decks now. We want to help him attract more of that work.

So we’ve covered how to ask, how to get over objections… now let’s talk about how to use the content once it’s done.

You’ve got the photos. You’ve got the testimonial. What now?

Three main ways:

1. Your website

2. Social media

3. Paid ads

(And we’ll reveal a secret 4th at the end.)

Let’s start with your website.

Most people use a “Gallery” page—but that’s not the most powerful. Instead, use your photos in:

• The hero section of your homepage and key landing pages

• Featured Project Pages—custom pages that tell the story of a specific remodel from start to finish

Then you can repurpose those pages in your sales process.

Let’s say you’re on a call and someone mentions they want a modern deck. You can say, “Sounds like what we did for the Johnsons. I’ll send you a link to check it out.”

It’s called assignment selling—give them content between touchpoints to answer questions and build trust.

It also helps showcase add-ons and upsells—like benches, lighting, or custom features.

Michelangelo’s client wasn’t sure about the built-in benches at first. After living with them, it became her favorite feature. Her testimonial sold that better than anything we could say.

Alright—next is social media.

Now, don’t just take your horizontal testimonial video and post it. That doesn’t work.

You need to re-edit it for vertical platforms like Instagram Reels or TikTok.

Social media wants authentic, human content. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just updates from the field, finished walkthroughs, before-and-afters, or selfie clips.

Figure out your goal for your account:

• Are you trying to get leads?

• Or just show you’re active and legit?

Knowing that shapes your content approach.

You don’t have to do everything. Some accounts just post beautiful photos. Others show behind-the-scenes. Others educate. Pick your lane—or do a mix.

But above all—be consistent.

Socials also affect your SEO now. Google crawls Instagram and Facebook to help determine your business legitimacy.

And clients will check your Instagram. If it hasn’t been updated in 6 months… it raises questions.

Lastly—paid advertising.

You don’t need a huge budget. Run small awareness ads consistently.

Don’t just “boost a post.” Create video ads specifically designed for that purpose.

You can use:

• UGC (User-Generated Content): looks like a regular customer talking about your brand

• EGC (Employee-Generated Content): one of your team members walking through a feature or update

Check out the Meta Ad Library to see what your competitors are running.

Start with multiple versions—test different hooks, visuals, or copy. See what performs. Kill what doesn’t. Scale what works.

And send them to a dedicated landing page—not just your homepage. It could look just like a Featured Project Page, but with more direct CTAs.

Alright. So what’s the secret fourth way to use your content?

Print media.
Take your finished photos and create:

• Flyers

• Pamphlets

• Neighborhood mailers

Target areas where you just completed a job. Include photos, quotes from the client, and what you did.

Homeowners trust their neighbors. If your work is already on their street, and now they get a gorgeous flyer showing it off? You’re halfway to the sale.

It’s not dead—if done strategically. Not a ZIP code blast. A focused drop of 50–60 pieces in the right places.

That’s it! Four ways to use your finished project content:

1. Website

2. Social

3. Ads

4. Physical media

Thanks for joining us! Check the show notes for the testimonial questions PDF and other resources. And we’ll see you in the next one.