Community Engagement Tools for Contractors
Most plumbers and HVAC contractors already donate to local causes or help with community events. But those efforts rarely reach enough people to make a real impact on your brand. They also don’t do much to help your SEO or rankings. Community contests change that. They give people a reason to visit your website, share your name, and positively engage with your business. Our Helping Out Locally system facilitates running contests from set up straight down to tracking votes, voters, and determining the winner.
When people get involved, your home services website becomes the place they go to vote and stay updated. That means more traffic and more local visibility. It also lets socially conscious clients give back when they use your company. These contests work because they tap into what people already care about: their neighborhoods, their schools, and their favorite charities.
Ready to get started with Helping Out Locally or a Gallery Contest? Simply click the button below. A member of our team will get back to you.
Helping Out Locally Helps Your Site Stand Out
Helping Out Locally is a turnkey voting system built into your website. It allows local organizations to compete for donations, captures voter email addresses, and automates most of the work. Supporters can vote once per day, and at the end of the contest, every organization receives a donation. It’s designed to be a win-win for all involved.
We started Helping Out Locally after seeing Jacob Carr of Nottawasaga Mechanical do this on his own and double his service business in a single year. He was tired of wasting money on PPC and wanted to try something different. He found that getting involved with issues his community cared about got people’s attention. With his permission, our team got to work turning his idea into a system.
Since starting Helping Out Locally, we’ve completed over 150 contests for plumbing, electrical, and HVAC contractors in North America.
How Community Engagement Benefits You
How a Contest Works
Choose Your Contest Name and Donation Amount
Every Helping Out Locally contest begins with three simple decisions:
- What you want to call the contest
- How much money you want to give away
- What kind of promotion you want to offer voters
The name becomes the brand for your campaign. Once you choose it, we create three badge options you can use on your site and across social media.
The donation amount is entirely up to you, and some contractors even invite other local businesses to match the prize. We recommend a minimum of $250 for last place.
Select Your Local Organizations
Next, you’ll choose the charities you want to join. These need to be locally oriented. They also need to be responsive to your emails and willing to post about the contest on social media. All of them need to be enthusiastic participants for this tool to work. They do most of the heavy lifting. Though three is standard, there is no limit on the number of charities. If you aren’t sure how to broach the subject, you can use our templated emails.
You Fill Out the Form
It’s time to get started! Just fill out the form below to kickstart your Helping Out Locally contest. It requires contact information, social links, and websites for each organization. A member of our team will reach out to you with any questions. We need at least a week to get everything set up and confirmed.
We Build Your Contest Page
After you give us the details, we get to work setting everything up. This includes:
- Your branded contest page
- Contest badges
- Default copy for the page
- Social media posts
- Coupon creation
Once that’s all done, you just wait for the page to go live.
Promote the Contest
You and the participating organizations share the contest through:
- Facebook posts
- Facebook Ads
- Community groups
- Email newsletters
- Local events
- Radio Ads
- Your homepage or site banner
The more each group shares, the more traffic and votes the contest generates. In many cases, the charities drive a huge portion of the traffic themselves. An average contest sees 900 votes over a three-month period.
Community Voting Happens
At midnight of the selected date, your Helping Out Locally contest becomes visible. During the voting period:
- Supporters can vote once per day
- Automated reminders bring voters back
- Traffic grows as the contest gains momentum
The Contest Ends
When voting ends:
- We send you the final results
- You contact the organizations
- You schedule a check presentation
- You take photos with the winners
- You post the results to your website and social media
Oversized checks make for great photos, and many contractors reuse their dry-erase version year after year.
The Results Speak for Themselves
Turn Local Engagement Into Business Growth with Online Access
Community contests work because they bring the focus back to the people who live in your service area. They create real connections, increase your visibility, and turn your contractor website into a place the community actively visits. Suddenly, you’re a company that cares about one of their pet causes and not just an emergency contact. Whether you choose Helping Out Locally or a Gallery Contest, you’ll be tapping into a proven system that grows your brand while giving back.
If you’re ready to strengthen your presence in the community and generate meaningful local engagement, fill out the form to get started. Our team is here to help your contest succeed.
Need Something a Little Simpler? Consider a Gallery Contest.
A gallery contest is a more open and flexible option. Instead of charities competing, people submit photos, and the community votes for their favorites. Potential uses include:
- Cutest pet contests
- Best holiday decorations
- Ugliest furnace contests
- Worst bathroom
- Yearbook pages
The prizes for this contest are typically much lower than Helping Out Locally. They often include gift cards and free equipment. It’s perfect for lighthearted or fun campaigns that still drive substantial traffic to your website. What is the biggest advantage it has over Helping Out Locally? There is no set up or coordination needed with a third party. Signing up is as easy as sending us an email.
Contact Us to Sign Up!
Frequently Asked Questions - Community Engagement
Unfortunately, no. Helping Out Locally and Gallery Contests are available only to contractors who host their website with Online Access. These features are built right into our web hosting structure.
Helping Out Locally is included in our higher-tier website packages. If subscribe to our Essentials package, we can still provide it, but at additional cost. If you’re interested, or unsure which package you have, contact our team.
If you don’t already have three organizations in mind, we suggest asking your employees for any ideas first. It can help them get invested. Choose charities that are local, responsive, and active online, especially on Facebook. They should be eager to promote the contest and willing to post reminders during the voting period. Each organization should also have a website, since we link to it from the contest page. It also helps to pick charities with different causes, since this widens your audience. Animal rescues tend to perform the best. If needed, we can recommend strong options based on your location.
Charities receive more than the final donation. They gain visibility, reach new supporters, and build stronger community awareness. Many see increases in volunteers and followers after participating. At the end of the contest, each charity also receives the contact list of voters who selected them, giving them a new pool of potential long-term supporters.
You can, but be aware there can be downsides both to running contests too frequently and too infrequently. There is a balance between familiarity with contests and overplaying them in so far as participation goes. Running a contest twice a year is probably a good balance. Many contractors find participation grows faster after their first contest because many in the community recognize the format.
Yes. We create your contest badges, default page copy, social media graphics, and email content. Everything is set up so you can focus on promoting the contest and supporting the participating charities.
Most contests run for two to three months. This timeframe gives voters enough time to stay engaged without losing interest. We also need about a week before launch to get everything set up.
Confirming your charities. The contest works best when all participating organizations are willing to promote it, share it, and stay involved. Once your charities are committed, the rest of the process runs smoothly.
They can. These contests drive repeat visits to your website, generate local backlinks, and increase branded search volume. All of these things are associated with stronger visibility in local search. While nothing guarantees a ranking boost, the engagement signals during the contest are the kind to which Google responds well.
Gallery contests are popular for fun, lighthearted themes such as pet photos, holiday decorations, ugly furnace contests, before-and-after projects, or neighborhood favorites. People sometimes use them to honor graduates and veterans as well. They’re easy to launch, require minimal setup, and drive steady local traffic without needing to involve third parties.