Marketing Assistance
Everything from the marketing and sales training videos, written out so you can read through it or watch the full video. Use the table of contents to jump to any topic.
What’s on This Page
Google & Online Presence
Google Business Profile
A deep-dive into how Google Business Profile helps your dealership get found by local customers. This is one of the most comprehensive videos on the topic and covers everything from initial setup to advanced optimization.
Full written summary coming soon — watch the video above for the complete walkthrough.
Info on Google My Business
With 67,000 Google searches happening every second and 84% of those being “near you” or discovery searches, having a complete and active Google My Business listing is one of the most important things you can do to get found locally.
Why It Matters
Google My Business is your virtual phone book. When someone searches for sheds, carports, or trailers in your area, Google points them toward the businesses with the most optimized profiles. If you are a shed dealer, carport dealer, or trailer dealer, you absolutely want to show up in those local results.
Setting Up Your Profile
If you don’t already have a profile, go to business.google.com and search for your location. Google will send a postcard with a verification code to your physical address.
When filling out your profile, complete every section:
- Business categories — select all that apply
- Address and service areas — you can add up to 20 service areas, so add as many as possible
- Hours — include special or seasonal hours
- Phone number and website — use the website we built for you
- Products and services — list everything you offer
- Description — write a detailed, keyword-rich description (see below)
- Social links — add your Facebook and any other social profiles
Do not leave anything blank. Google uses your completeness to verify you’re a legitimate business.
Write a Detailed Description
Include keywords that match what customers search for: the name of your town, your business name, and all the products you sell (carports, RV covers, barns, tiny houses, sheds, etc.). When someone searches “sheds in [your town],” Google matches those keywords and drives the customer to you.
Upload Great Photos
Post quality photos of your buildings and lot at least 2–3 times per week. If you don’t have buildings on your lot yet, ask your Premier rep or check the Premier Facebook page for professional photos. You can bulk upload photos to save time.
Post Regularly
Many dealers don’t realize you can post updates to your GMB profile just like Facebook. Copy your Facebook posts — same text, same photo — and paste them into GMB at least three times per week. Facebook is an application, not a web presence. Your GMB profile is part of your web presence and drives local search visibility.
Get Reviews and Respond to Every One
- Ask for reviews regularly. On your GMB home page, click “Get more reviews” and share the review link with customers right after a sale.
- Aim for five-star reviews every month. Make it a competition for your staff — whoever gets five reviews this month gets a bonus.
- Always respond to reviews. Thank customers for positive reviews. For negative or fake reviews, always respond professionally. Potential customers read the reviews and see how you respond.
- Review velocity matters. Google tracks how many new reviews you get each month. Consistent activity lifts your ranking above competitors.
Link Your Website
Make sure the website we built for you is linked in your GMB profile. When a customer finds you on Google and clicks the website link, it goes straight to your inventory page.
Let Google My Business Make You Money
92% of all searches on Earth are done on Google. When people in your area are looking for a shed, they Google “sheds near me” — and that’s where your Google My Business listing shows up. Unlike Facebook, where people go to watch videos or see friends, Google is where people go specifically to find products and services.
How It Works with Your Website
Your website, Google My Business, and Facebook all work together. When somebody finds you on the Google three-pack, they go right to your website, to your buildings. Google My Business drives people to your website, which drives them to your lot.
Google My Business vs. Facebook
You need to do your Google My Business as much as you do your Facebook. You can post on GMB just like you post on Facebook — copy a post right off Facebook and paste it onto your Google profile. If you stay consistent on GMB, you will see your calls increase significantly.
The Power of Reviews
Google Business Profiles for shed dealers will get twice as many customers if they have five or more reviews. Google will hold you up above all the competition — above Graceland, Cotton State, Old Hickory, whoever is in your area — if you simply use your Google My Business. Those competitors are not leveraging it.
How to Get Five-Star Reviews
The best time to ask is when the customer is right in front of you. When a customer leaves your office, the chances of them giving you a review drop 50–70%. Every day after that, it drops another 5%.
- Ask while the customer is sitting right there and excited about their purchase
- Use the review widget on your GMB profile to text them the review link from your phone
- They’ll look down at their phone and often do it right then and there
- If you have staff, make it a competition — whoever gets the most five-star reviews this month gets a bonus
Google Ads Breakdown
Caitlin Burrows, the marketing director at Portable Dealer, explains why Google Ads are a powerful tool for portable building and trailer dealers.
Why Google?
- 92% of all searches are conducted on Google
- Google is the most visited website per month
- There are 8.5 billion Google searches per day — more than there are people on the planet
The Five Types of Google Ads
- Search Ads — Appear at the top of search results, marked as “Sponsored.” This is the main type covered in this video.
- Display Ads — The “billboards of the internet.” Pop-up ads on websites.
- Shopping Ads — The product bar at the top showing items for sale.
- Video Ads — Ads on YouTube (Google owns YouTube).
- App Ads — Ads inside apps on your phone.
Real Dealer Results
Higher-spend dealer (South Carolina): Over 42,000 impressions in one month. Most viewers were on tablets, with 65+ as the most common age group seeing the ad.
Lower-spend dealer (Alabama): 4,000 impressions, only spent about $185. Got 125 clicks, 31 local actions (people clicking Get Directions), and 10 phone calls. Most viewers were on mobile devices, ages 35–44.
Setting a Budget
You set your own spending cap. If you only want to spend $100, Google only spends $100. Spending more gets you more exposure, but a well-written ad can still perform on a smaller budget.
Google Analytics on Your Website
Learn how to understand your website traffic and visitor data using Google Analytics. Your dealer dashboard has a direct link to your Google Analytics so you can see how many people are visiting your site, where they’re coming from, and what pages they view.
Full written summary coming soon — watch the video above for the complete walkthrough.
Social Media & Content
Are You Using All Platforms?
A lot of dealers only post on Facebook. But Facebook is just one platform. You also need to be on Google, TikTok, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, and any other platform where potential customers spend their time.
Think About Your Future Customers
A lot of people under 25 right now will be buying sheds in the next 10 years as they start families and buy homes. Many of them don’t have Facebook or don’t use it actively. Facebook is an application — it is not a web presence. You need to leverage TikTok, Pinterest, Instagram, and other platforms to reach these people now and build brand recognition for when they’re ready to buy.
Create Unique Content
Take pictures of your buildings, record short videos, capture customer reviews on camera. Everybody posts pictures — that’s fine because it’s the industry standard. But if you’re not afraid to get on camera, make unique content that brings value. It sets you apart.
Use Everything Together
Your website has videos and pricing right on it. Share content from your website to your social platforms. Post pictures of your lot and your buildings. Even if you only have five buildings, take photos with good lighting and share them across Facebook, Google, TikTok, YouTube, and everywhere else.
Is Your Facebook Dead?
If your Facebook page hasn’t been updated in weeks or months, it sends a message to potential customers that you’re not active or engaged. This video covers how to revive your social media presence and get consistent again.
Full written summary coming soon — watch the video above for the complete walkthrough.
Facebook Is Down — Watch This
This video was recorded on a morning when Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger all went down worldwide. It’s a real-time reminder of why you cannot rely on a single platform for your marketing.
The Problem with One Platform
When Facebook went down, dealers who depended solely on it were dead in the water. They couldn’t receive messages, see comments from potential buyers, or get phone numbers from interested customers. Meanwhile, people were still out there looking for sheds, carports, and buildings — they just couldn’t find those dealers.
What You Should Do
- Make sure your website is up to date with current inventory
- Set up and optimize your Google My Business profile
- Consider posting on TikTok and other social platforms
- Train your staff on how to use all of these tools
Canva for Premier Dealers
Katlyn Burroughs from The Portable Dealer walks through how to fix your social media content using Canva, a free design tool.
The Big Three: What Every Post Needs
- Is it eye-catching? Most dealer posts are just standard building photos with a price and size — they look identical to every other dealer on Facebook Marketplace. You need to stand out visually.
- Is it informational? Put the most important details — price, benefits, durability, use cases — directly on the image, not just buried in the caption.
- Does it have a call to action? Every post needs to tell people what to do next: “Call our experts now,” “Message us on Facebook,” “Shop our website now,” or “Visit the lot today.”
Why Your Current Posts Aren’t Working
- They look like everyone else’s. Standard building photos with just price and dimensions don’t stop the scroll.
- They lack information. If you’re not telling people about the benefits, why would they buy?
- There’s no clear next step. Without a call to action, interested people don’t know who to contact.
Post Ideas You Can Create Today
- Need-based posts: “Need more storage?” with photos and your contact info
- Sale promotion posts: Highlight a discount with a clear deadline and phone number
- Dream builder posts: Record your screen using Shed View to design a custom building, then post the video
- Lifestyle posts: “Make your backyard amazing” with aspirational building photos
Getting Started with Canva
- Go to canva.com and sign up for a free account
- Browse templates for Facebook posts, Instagram posts, or Facebook ads
- Pick a template and customize it with your building photos, business name, location, and phone number
- Download and post to your social media accounts
Get More Visits to Your Website
Strategies and tips for driving more traffic to your dealer website so more potential customers see your inventory and pricing.
Full written summary coming soon — watch the video above for the complete walkthrough.
Want More Customers? Watch This!
A detailed look at strategies to attract more customers to your lot, covering both online marketing and in-person techniques.
Full written summary coming soon — watch the video above for the complete walkthrough.
Carport Marketing Advice
Tips for selling and marketing carports at your lot, including how to position carports alongside your building inventory.
Full written summary coming soon — watch the video above for the complete walkthrough.
Don’t Forget the Old School Way
While Facebook, Google, and your website are essential, building real relationships in your local community can scale your brand in ways digital alone cannot. When you combine local presence with online marketing, that’s when things really take off.
What Is Local Guerrilla Marketing?
Before the internet, the only way to market was through local relationships, newspaper ads, and community presence. These grassroots, community-level efforts ingrain you as a trusted local business. Most dealers today focus entirely on digital, but the old-school approach still works and gives you an edge your competitors aren’t using.
Partner with Local Businesses and Organizations
Look for businesses in your area that have a strong social media following and partner with them on community events. When you support a food drive or local fundraiser alongside a business with 40,000 followers, they start sharing your posts and your name reaches people you’d never otherwise connect with.
- Toy drives at your lot around Christmas
- Food drives for local shelters and food banks
- High school sponsorships — Joe sponsored the halftime show at Thompson High School for two years. Every Friday night 25,000–30,000 people saw “The Suddenly Structures Halftime Show”
- Church and organization partnerships for events and fundraisers
- Yard sales or open lot events — anything that brings people to your location
Why Local Trust Matters More Than Ever
During the pandemic, many carport companies went online and started selling direct to consumers, cutting out local dealers. When a customer can order from five states away at a lower price, the only thing keeping them shopping local is the trust and relationship you’ve built in your community.
Sales Tips
Relationships Sell Buildings — Always!
Why building customer relationships is the key to selling buildings. This video covers how to create trust with customers, follow up effectively, and turn one-time buyers into referral sources.
Full written summary coming soon — watch the video above for the complete walkthrough.
The Psychology of Sales
A deep dive into understanding buyer psychology and how to apply it to close more deals. Covers how customers think, what motivates their buying decisions, and how to present your products in a way that connects.
Full written summary coming soon — watch the video above for the complete walkthrough.
Do You Know Your Product?
Product knowledge tips to share with your customers. The more you know about what you sell, the more confident your customers will feel about buying from you.
Full written summary coming soon — watch the video above for the complete walkthrough.
Important Info for Trailer Dealers
If you sell trailers, you may have noticed there’s no standard copy-and-paste description available like there is for buildings. Here’s what to do about it.
The Problem
There is no company-wide standard trailer description from Premier, See the Shine, or other manufacturers. A lot of dealers have different descriptions, just a couple of words, or nothing at all.
The Solution: Use Sheds of Newport as a Reference
One dealer writes excellent, detailed trailer descriptions: Premier Sheds of Newport / Blue Ridge Buildings and Trailers at shedsofnewport.com. Their trailer listings include:
- Hitch size and features
- D-ring anchors and rub rails
- Stake pockets
- Trailer bike-away system
- Serviceable deck system
- Tire load range and axle information
- All key specs and features
Growing Your Brand
Are You a Consistent Dealer?
If your posting is inconsistent, expect your sales to be a roller coaster. As a dealer, your sales will directly reflect how consistently you are marketing.
How Often Should You Post?
Experts recommend posting every day on Facebook, five days a week. At a minimum, you should be posting at least 3–5 days a week on all platforms. The same applies across every platform — Google, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube.
What to Post
If you have inventory on your lot, you have content. Take a picture of a 10×20 Side Lofted Barn and post it on Monday. Post a 12×32 Cabin on Wednesday. Post another building on Friday. Rotate through your inventory throughout the week.
You can also take a single post and share it across platforms — take a post from Facebook and put it right on Google as well.
Your Competition Is Posting Constantly
Other dealers around you — including those who sell for other companies — are running ads and posting 365 days a year, 24/7. If you are not posting, just remember that your competition is. You will never build your brand unless you use all these tools consistently.
Look at Your Competition
Joe walks through a Google search for “sheds near Atlanta” and reviews several competitor websites to show dealers what the competition looks like.
Google Your Area
Start by searching Google for sheds or portable buildings in your area. Look at the websites that come up. Check out what your competitors are doing — some have good websites, some don’t. This helps you understand how customers shop and what they see before they find you.
Most Competitors Are Content-Heavy, Not Sales-Focused
Competitor websites are built around articles, blog posts, the history of barn styles, and other “fluff.” These are standard websites built by generic web designers. That approach works for blogs but doesn’t sell sheds. Your Premier website is different — it’s streamlined and built specifically for the portable building industry with sales in mind.
Your Inventory Is Your Biggest Advantage
A common theme across competitor sites is the lack of inventory. They may have nice-looking sites with photo galleries and specs, but no actual buildings available for purchase. When a customer finds your site with actual buildings sitting on your lot, ready to buy, that is a huge competitive edge.
Huge Opportunity for You as a Dealer
Most shed companies send customers to the manufacturer’s corporate site. But as a Premier dealer, you have something different: your own localized website that helps you build your brand alongside Premier. No other company in the industry is doing this for their dealers.
What Makes Your Website Special
Your site makes you legitimate, builds social standing in your community, increases your customer reach, and grows your brand awareness. It works around the clock — RTO forms come in at all hours (Joe mentions getting one at 3:15 in the morning). Customers can browse your inventory, check pricing, and engage with your business anytime.
The Value You’re Getting
A website like this would typically cost $1,000 to $1,500 per month to be fully maintained, kept up to date, and managed. You also get Google My Business management, seven-day support, and the ability to call Joe anytime.
No Other Company Is Doing This
This level of dealer support does not exist anywhere else in the portable building industry. Premier is the only company providing individual dealer websites that are maintained and managed for you.
A Look Into the Future
Joe shares his vision for the future of Portable Dealer and its commitment to innovation in the shed industry.
The Portable Dealer Mission
The mission is helping people. Joe is a dealer in Alabama with two lots who has been with Premier since 2018. Steven Stevens is the CTO with 20 years of experience at Fortune 500 companies. Together they’ve put thousands of hours into the platform.
More Than Just a Website
With Portable Dealer, you’re not just getting a website. The goal is solving the same problems every dealer faces — making life easier so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor, build your brand, and dominate your local area.
Innovation in the Shed Industry
The shed industry has been devoid of technology for 20 years. Premier always stands at the forefront and stays two steps ahead of everybody else. That’s why Premier is who they are, and as dealers you’re being taken along on that ride.
What’s Coming Next
- Google My Business Auto Poster — automated posting tools for GMB and Facebook
- Portable Dealer 2.0 — the framework is already being built
- More tools and ideas to make dealer life easier
Prepare for Tax Time
Tax time preparation isn’t about February — it starts now. Being consistent with your marketing through January means that when people start getting their refunds in February, your business is visible and ready to capture those sales.
Why February Is the Key Month
Right around February, people start getting their rapid refunds back. When they do, they’ll be searching Google, Facebook, and your website looking for buildings. Keep your website updated, your inventory fresh, and post consistently on Facebook.
Consistency Is Critical
- If you’re not posting consistently on Facebook, you’re losing business
- Nobody wants to visit your page and see a post from a year ago
- Keep hitting the groups, the marketplace, running your ads and Google Ads
- Post at least 3–4 days a week, get in the groups, get in the marketplace
Try New Things
- Try Pinterest, TikTok, or YouTube if you haven’t already
- Try video marketing — you don’t have to be on camera, just record your voice
- Sell different products: carports, furniture, grills, gazebos, chicken houses, dog kennels, storm shelters
- People looking at storm shelters end up buying a shed. Someone who stops for solar generators buys a shed or trailer or both.
The Power of Consistency
If you stay on it consistently and really market 3–5 times a week, you are in the top 1% of what people are doing nationally across the whole industry, not just Premier. Most dealers are not doing this. If you are, you have a massive advantage.