You maintain a blog, a Facebook page and a YouTube channel for your home construction company, Risinger Homes. What made you decide to incorporate these channels into your business plan?
These are mediums that allow us to show our passion for building to clients before we show up for an interview. When I meet clients the first time they feel like they know me already and it gives me a leg up on the competition. They also make me more “Google-able.” When clients Google the builders they are considering I want them to find tons of good information about my company easily.

Your YouTube videos are particularly insightful. You showcase new products and practices. What’s the payoff?
My handy Flip Video camera makes the video process easy, and it reaches a different audience than my written blog. The payoff is really long term with YouTube. I’m building my brand and showing that I’m every bit as professional and knowledgeable as a builder who’s been in business 30 years, even though I’ve only been in business six years.  It’s also great for putting me at the top of search results.  Try searching for “Integrity Windows” and I’m usually on page one or two of the results … The YouTube channel is my way to act out my childhood fantasy of hosting This Old House, so it’s fun and good for business!

What’s been the most positive result from creating your own content?
More and better work. Good work begets more good work. People want to hire someone they trust and these social mediums show my personality to prospective clients.

Have you met other builders with similar digital marketing strategies?
Yes, lots of people are out there doing this type of stuff.  The key is longevity. Strive to post 1-2 times per week and after a year or two it’ll start paying dividends. Don’t give up – it takes time to start getting noticed on Google. Nothing is worse than a stale blog so either commit and do it regularly, or just do Facebook.

What are some of the advantages of creating digital content compared to purchasing traditional advertisement?
Cost was my original driver when I started blogging three years ago. It’s basically free except for my $150 Flip Video camera and my nice Nikon D90. My company is 99% referral-based, so for me, the marketing is all driven to winning interviews. I’m not doing magazine ads or other general public ads. The price is right, I can do it myself and it’s relatively easy.

What advice do you have for builders considering a social media marketing plan?
Delegate if you need to, but make sure it has your personality. When people hire Risinger Homes they want to know, “Who is this Mr. Risinger?”  I think that’s true for most clients hiring builders and remodelers. Everyone has heard a party story about someone’s nightmare contractor. Social media is a way to gain confidence in a world wary of our business. Last piece of advice: If blogging/videos aren’t your thing, then at a minimum, get a Facebook business page and strive to update it weekly. Your friends and subs will gladly “like” you and you’ll generate traction in no time at all. Facebook is a minimum for 2011.

Builder Blog: Tell us a bit about your company and the type of work you do.

Matt Risinger: We do about 50 percent of our work in whole house remodeling and 50 percent in new custom homes. We have a few great architects in Austin who like our work and refer us to their clients. We focus on both the client and architect relationships, so projects are fun and the referrals keep coming. Our specialty is high-performance green building, but it’s those relationships that keep the business flowing.

BB: How does your company differentiate itself from its competitors? Any particular niche or area of expertise?

MR: Green building is a specialty for us, but our other focus is on being an architect’s builder. We sweat the details that matter to our architects, and the results really show in the final product. I have a staff architect who is a great field manager because he speaks the language and can interpret the design intent to our guys who are implementing the plans in the field.

BB: Tell us about a recent project you’re particularly proud of. What makes it unique or interesting?

MR: These photos [below] are of a house we completed last year with architect Nick Deaver. This whole house remodel of a 1970s house was a great collaboration between us, Nick and the clients. We had a ton of fun remodeling this house, and the clients absolutely love their house. Nick and I met weekly — sometimes daily — on site to ensure we got the details just right, and the clients really got to see their house transformed. We used all Marvin and Integrity sliding doors and Integrity windows, too.

BB: What do your customers ask you about? What trends or hot topics are on their minds?

MR: Energy efficiency is huge for us these days. It’s a green building topic that really hits home. If we can show a client how their current $1,000 electric bill in July will go down to $400 after a remodel, that’s where the rubber meets the road. We also hear a lot about indoor air quality and how allergies and chemical sensitivities are becoming more important in a new home. Why wouldn’t we try to build the healthiest house possible? I love hearing how building science and green building topics are discussed early on in a project, not as an after thought.

BB: Is there any particular new tool or piece of equipment that’s changed your work for the better?

MR: My AirCard on my laptop is huge! We always have a laptop on site, and it makes pulling up a spec sheet for an obscure light fixture a breeze in the field.

BB: What areas of the construction industry do you see as growth sectors or particular areas of opportunity?

With our aging housing stock, there is a huge opportunity for large scale remodeling in urban areas. We’re seeing a trend towards smaller, better-designed spaces, so why not reconfigure existing houses — in great locations — to meet the needs of modern people?

Photos courtesy of Matt Risinger