The Kate Show: Why Super Successful Home Pros Don't Reinvent Their Marketing Every Year Host: Socialite Agency (Kate)
Date: January 6, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode tackles the crucial mistake many home industry professionals make at the start of each year: feeling pressured to overhaul their entire marketing strategy. Kate argues that true, lasting business success comes not from constant reinvention, but from consistent, focused marketing executed over the long-term. Drawing upon over a decade of experience, Kate details the habits and actionable strategies of "legacy businesses"—established, stable, and profitable home pros—while debunking myths about quick fixes and social media hype. Listeners will walk away with a clear action plan to keep their marketing humming in 2025 without falling into the trap of yearly resets.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Myth of the New Year Overhaul

• Opening Thoughts (00:00):
  • Kate notes the common urge to "change everything" in January, stating that not getting immediate results is not proof a strategy is broken.
    • "Just because you haven't gotten all the results you wanted...doesn't mean you're actually doing it wrong. In fact, it could mean that you need to continue sticking with it and give it more time." (A, 00:40)

Why Consistency Beats Reinvention

• Marketing Requires Patience (01:57):
  • Marketing in home services is a "long game" due to high investment and project length.
  • Yearly reviews are smart, but most strategies need more than 12 months to bear fruit.
  • "All the marketing you did last year...has been priming that amazing lead who's going to contact you with her new huge project six months from now." (A, 02:39)

Top Habits of Legacy Home Industry Businesses

Kate breaks down eleven traits of consistently successful home pros:

1. Consistency, Regardless of Business Cycle (06:38):

   • Market even when busy; avoid starting from zero when things slow down.
   • "If your business is busy...that will not always be the case." (A, 06:49)

2. Delegation of Marketing Tasks (07:58):

   • Assign tasks to specific people or agencies—don’t try to handle everything solo.

3. Routines & Deadlines for Marketing (08:39):

   • Calendarize each marketing action and keep these self-appointments.
   • "People who haven't really taken themselves seriously...break appointments with themselves all the time." (A, 09:09)

4. Selective Platform Focus (10:12):

   • Invest marketing effort where the ideal long-attention-span client can be reached (not quick-hit platforms like TikTok/Instagram).
   • "Using social media to grow a high-end custom services business is like trying to pull a trailer with a tricycle." (A, 10:35)

5. Educated Referral Management (11:32):

   • Teach referral partners how and whom to refer; generic asks get generic (often poor quality) leads.
   • "You have to say what you want those leads to do and who is a good lead." (A, 11:41)
   • Kate shares a cautionary tale about ill-fitting referrals causing more frustration than growth.

6. Activate Your Past Clients (16:32):

   • Don’t treat past clients as “done”; most don’t recall your full range of services.
   • Regular, strategic contact (email!) is the best way to secure future projects and referrals.
   • Kate shares multiple client success stories showing the direct business impact of email marketing, including landing six-figure and million-dollar projects.
     • "Why do we need to climb to the top of the apple tree...when there's so much low-hanging fruit right in front of our faces?" (A, 17:48)

7. Ask for Google Reviews—Strategically (22:26):

   • Request reviews from true fans, tied to specific stories, not just a blanket ask.

8. Avoid Social Media Vanity Metrics (23:38):

   • Social media is not the source of high-quality, profitable projects for service-based home pros.
   • Followers don’t equal profit; some of the most profitable clients have tiny social followings.

9. Service Menu Simplicity (24:30):

   • Offer no more than three core services; too many options create confusion and decrease conversion.
   • "The more options that you give people, the less likely they are to make a decision." (A, 25:11)

10. A Website as a True Sales Tool (25:45):

    • The website should connect emotionally and educationally, highlight solved pain points, feature a clear call to action, and offer a lead magnet for those not ready to buy.

11. Newsletter & Blogging Best Practices (28:43):

    • Newsletters should have one topic and a clear call-to-action; blogs should focus on thought leadership and consistent posting, not fluff or trendy topics.

The Power and Limits of Social Media (23:38)

• Social isn’t where big-ticket clients come from; offline relationships and email are more effective.
• "They do not get caught up in marketing trends. They don't waste time filming stupid TikTok dances..." (A, 29:21)

The Lasting Value of Relationships

• "Word of mouth is still the best form of marketing, and that only happens to businesses who've cultivated good relationships." (A, 31:50)
• Invest time in industry relationships, nurture them via your email list.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Consistency Over Hype:
  "Marketing in the home industry is a long game...if you go into marketing with that perspective, your business is going to stick around." (A, 02:24)

• On Social Media Myths:
  "Using social media...is like trying to pull a trailer with a tricycle...not practical and it looks ridiculous." (A, 10:35)

• On Simplicity:
  "Why do we need to climb to the top of the apple tree to pick the apples up there when there's so much low hanging fruit right in front of our faces?" (A, 17:48)

• On Asking for Reviews:
  "If you can get people to tell their stories and make it part of your marketing...that’s very effective because it’s true. And stories are a lot easier to remember than random facts or strategies or tactics." (A, 23:00)

• On Relationship Marketing:
  "In the home industry, businesses are grown through relationships, not fancy ads or big social followings or even magazine features or awards." (A, 31:29)

Action Steps for Home Pros in 2025

Focus areas to adopt:

• Commit to consistent, long-term marketing efforts.
• Delegate specific marketing tasks—don’t try to DIY everything.
• Establish routines and hold yourself accountable to deadlines.
• Concentrate marketing energy where your ideal clients “live” (offline relationships, email, high-quality networking).
• Empower and educate referral partners.
• Leverage your past client base proactively.
• Keep your service menu simple and easy to understand.
• Use your website as an active lead-generating and sales tool.
• Craft newsletters and blogs that showcase thought leadership, not filler.
• Don’t chase social media trends that aren’t aligned with your business model.
• Invest in real relationships, as word-of-mouth is still king.

Useful Timestamps

| Timestamp | Topic/Quote | |-----------|----------------------------------------| | 00:00 | New Year urges, dangers of starting over | | 01:57 | The “long game” of home industry marketing | | 06:38 | Top habits of legacy businesses introduced | | 10:12 | Social platform selection and its pitfalls | | 11:41 | How to educate referral partners | | 16:32 | The power of marketing to past clients | | 17:48 | "Low hanging fruit” analogy | | 23:38 | Why social media isn’t for every home pro | | 25:45 | Websites as educational and emotional tools | | 28:43 | Newsletter and blogging best practices | | 31:29 | Value of relationships and word-of-mouth |

The Bottom Line

Kate’s advice is clear:
Don’t tear down your marketing every year.
Emulate the legacy businesses—be relentlessly consistent, strategic, and relationship-focused. Cut through trendy noise, keep it simple, and remember: longevity and profitability come from playing the long game.

"Keep your marketing simple, your message clear." – Kate (33:18)