Marketing Your Home Inspection Business in 2023

Every home inspector has the same training and skills, more or less. And in an overcrowded industry, technical skills alone won't be what sets you apart from your competition. 

What will make a difference is how you market your business. Here are our tips for home inspector marketing in 2023.  

Why is Marketing Important?

You have a home inspection business, and you know better than anyone that you're a good home inspector. The key point here? You know that you're a great home inspector. Everyone else doesn't. 

Like it or not, it's your job to convince realtors and homebuyers to hire you over other home inspectors in your market. And the best way to do that is to make sure agents know who you are, the services you offer, and why you're the best inspector for them is by marketing. 

In 2022, the real estate market took a hit and many home inspectors are wondering how to win in a recession. There are many ways to make sure you come out of a down market stronger than ever, but dialing in on marketing is a surefire way to ensure that your phone will be ringing when the market bounces back. 

How to Market as a Home Inspector

Back in the day, marketing could be as simple as cold calling real estate offices or dropping off a business card in person. While you definitely can still drop by an office in person, there are better and more efficient ways to market your business.

There's no one way to market. But below are a few things that every home inspector should be doing in the marketing department. 

Establish Your Personal Brand

Before you jump into marketing strategy, it's important to establish your personal brand. 

Think about how you can set yourself apart from other inspectors in your area. It's not good enough to just say you offer a thorough inspection. Do you have technical skills beyond what your competition can offer? Experience in a related industry? Tools and tech that take your inspections to the next level? Any of the above can set you apart from other inspectors. 

Personal branding is also important in your day-to-day.

Consider wearing a uniform. Even as a solo inspector, you can dress in a way that makes you recognizable. A few shirts with an embroidered logo will make you look professional and can help increase your brand awareness.  

Social Media

As a home inspector, your number one clientele should be realtors. In the digital age, social media marketing is your best bet to get your brand and your business in front of agents.

It's not enough to just follow agents and like their posts. Instead, take just 5 minutes each day to engage with realtors on social. Comment on their posts. Ask questions and provide insight. These types of interactions on social media can win you business. 

You also need to post on social media to build your brand. 

Think of the content you consume on Instagram and Facebook. Is it informational? Maybe sometimes, but the main reason someone opens their social media is for entertainment. 

Don't just post for the sake of posting. Make interesting content that is beneficial to your audience and provides value to your followers.

The best way to win with your social is to get personal and provide entertaining, engaging content. The home buying process can be scary for a buyer; through social content, you can establish yourself as a knowledgeable and reassuring presence to buyers.

Related: Using social media to communicate with realtors   

One Up Your Competition Through Word-of-Mouth

What do people trust most? Friends or people in their industry giving recommendations. As a home inspector, you should never undervalue word-of-mouth marketing. While you can't control what agents do, you can go the extra mile to make sure you're giving them every reason to recommend you. 

The little things matter. Bring water or chairs to a home inspection to make sure the realtor and the home buyer are comfortable. Go above and beyond to give them an 11-star experience. 

Another way to make sure you get recommended is to show realtors you're providing value to them. James Hooper of Bridgetown Inspections uses automation to market agents he works with.  Hear his strategy below. 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

If you have a website, you've definitely heard of Search Engine Optimization. In its simplest terms, SEO is how you can make sure people are seeing your business or content when they search Google for key terms, like "home inspector near me". 

The basics you'll need for local SEO as a home inspector are: 

1. A Google My Business page, with your official name, address, and phone number. 
2. An SEO-friendly, well-designed website.
3. Google Reviews
4. Reviews from other platforms (like Yelp reviews or Spectora reviews). 

If you want to go above and beyond, take the time to create some blog content. It's important to create blog content in your niche. If you have expert tips for home maintenance or want to create content that helps buyers understand their home inspection report, put 'em in a blog post.  

Related: The Three Areas of Local SEO You Should Focus On

Get Reviews from Happy Clients

One huge mistake you can make? Not leveraging reviews from happy clients. 

Reviews don't only help your SEO; they allow potential clients to trust your work and services. 84% of people trust online reviews as much as they trust a recommendation from a good friend. If you're not leveraging reviews, you're not showing social proof for your business. 

End every inspection by asking for a review. Follow up with auto-populated emails (as long as they have some personalized content). Not everyone will leave a review and that's okay. Even a few five-star reviews can boost your local SEO ranking.

Paid Advertising

Paid advertising is a tricky one. If you have the budget, you can run paid ads on Google and Facebook. But you'll need to make sure the ROI (return on investment) is worth it. 

If you have a successful business and you've maxed out on organic search and marketing opportunities, paid ads and PPC opportunities are worth a shot. If you do choose to do paid ads, be vigilant in tracking them and make sure it's worth the spend. 

If not, chances are that paid advertising could be a waste of your valuable budget.

Send Those Emails

Want to make sure your content is reaching your target audience? The answer is email marketing. 

Most people check their email every single day, maybe even multiple times per day. Sending out newsletters, blog posts, or important team and business updates are all perfect ways to ensure you're staying on realtors' radars.

The number one rule of email marketing: don't be spammy. Make sure you're sending out intentional content that provides clear value to the recipient.   

Related: 5 Marketing Habits to Stop in 2023

Frequently Asked Questions: Home Inspector Marketing

How do you market yourself as a home inspector?

As a home inspector, you can market your business through social media, search engine optimization, paid advertisements, and reviews from happy clients. Successful marketing will set you apart from other inspectors and win you more business.  

How do I build a successful home inspection business? 

Successful home inspectors have up-to-date technical skills, a solid marketing strategy, excellent relationships with realtors in their market, and provide good customer service. Joining an association like InterNACHI to stay up to date on standards of practice and industry knowledge. 

How do home inspectors build a clientele?

Social proof is the most surefire way to build a clientele as a home inspector. Getting good reviews, recommendations from agents, and providing top-tier service will help home inspectors build a robust customer base.