How important is trust to your customers? According to recent studies, trust is of utmost importance to the average consumer.
Many times, consumers or customers make decisions about whether or not to trust a particular company based directly on the recommendations of their friends and family members. Having an online presence is also key to establishing that trust.
Online reviews have the potential to be your best friend (or just the opposite!). They are an effective and practical way to market and grow your home improvement business.
Here are three critical questions you should answer when it comes to making online reviews work for you:
1. Do I have an online presence?
When today’s customer seeks information about a particular product, service, or company, they Google it. When was the last time you Googled your business? How about your competitors?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a marketing term and tactic that simply ensures your customers find you first when they search online. It can be a complicated discipline, but there are easy things you can do as a business owner to make sure you show up when a potential customer searches for a particular home improvement product or service:
- create social media accounts for your business and update them regularly with useful content
- build a website for your company
- write blogs (like this one) or create content that is useful to your customers
- enhance the pages of your website to include page titles and meta descriptions
These tactics are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what kinds of SEO activities might benefit your business. A robust online presence; however, goes a long way in building trust with potential customers.
2. Do I encourage customers to leave reviews?
When was the last time you asked a customer to leave a review? If you’ve taken any of the steps listed above, you’re in good shape to start asking for online reviews.
Whether via email, a Google business listing or on a social media page, soliciting reviews from satisfied customers helps to establish a robust online presence.
When prospective customers see these reviews, they’ll know they are from real people. They might even see a familiar name as the author. As mentioned above, recommendations from friends and family rank high on the trust scale.
Encourage customers to write about your customer service, timeliness, whether or not you offer Smart Financing, and more. By prompting your existing customers to leave reviews, they’ll be more likely to act, thereby making your online presence even stronger.
3. Do I monitor online reviews?
Once a customer leaves a review, however, it doesn’t stop there. Make sure you’re keeping tabs on what’s being said about your company and respond whenever you’re able. In fact, it’s good practice to respond to both negative and positive reviews about your company.
By showing that someone is listening, customers are more likely to leave positive reviews or remove negative reviews altogether. Negative reviews can even boost your credibility!
In responding, you’re letting potential customers know that you care what they think and that you want them to have a positive experience with your company.
Make online reviews your best friend
By being more proactive in promoting and soliciting online reviews, you can create a more solid online reputation. In turn, this will cause potential customers to feel like they can trust you; and therefore, give you their business.
Do you have any other questions about how we help home improvement businesses like yours? Contact us today, and we’ll be happy to chat.
