How To Get More Online Reviews For Your Contracting Business

As a contractor, you need to work twice as hard as everyone else to establish and maintain your credibility and reputation. You must aim to stand out from the competition who are likely to be offering the same or similar products and services as you. A great way to cement your status as a reliable and trustworthy contractor is through online reviews. After all, it’s been found that testimonials and feedback influence 68% of people’s buying decisions. Moreover, 74% of consumers reported that they trust a local business more if it has good reviews. (1)

It’s no wonder then that you should be putting considerable effort into generating online reviews for your business. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Provide sterling customer service

Before you begin this process, you need to be confident that your customers have something positive to say about your company. You can only achieve this through excellent customer service all the time. As a contractor, you will have to work hard to provide a consistently high level of service for every job. Your work and how you conduct yourself will be under direct scrutiny from your clients. Look at this as an opportunity to sell yourself and your company, to foster the growth of loyal customers who can become advocates of the work you do.

People like doing business with other people. Be professional and offer a personalized service to your customers who will reward you for it. Something as simple as providing regular updates on a project can go a long way to improving your credibility and reliability. It also opens up avenues to discuss anything the customer might not be happy about and address them before any issues become a problem.

This can be facilitated by using tools like the business management app developed by Jobber that can help you keep track of the progress of projects easily, prompting you to update your customers regularly, and allowing you to build in levels of communication such as to ask your customers for an online review a set amount of time after a job has been completed.

2. Contact previous clients for testimonials

The next step to generating more online reviews for your contracting business is to actively ask your previous and current clients. Some people won’t necessarily take the extra step of posting feedback unless you request it from them.

These days, it’s relatively easy to get reviews and post them on your website. For instance, your client can send a short email or chat message that you can screenshot. Of course, make sure that the customer knows that their feedback will be published publicly.

Another great medium is video. You can ask your most loyal clients to record a short clip of themselves talking about their experience with your company. Video testimonials have the most impact, with 70% of marketers saying that it converts better than other media. (2)

Getting testimonials will increase your chances of landing on lead generation sites, which will further increase your online visibility and reputation.

3. Claim your business on review sites

Third-party review sites are valuable platforms for consumers to find the best companies for their needs. It’s also useful for contractors to be there since you want to be visible to your target audience.

Taking active control of your profile on these websites allows you to reply to reviews and generate more leads since businesses with completed profiles have been seen to get five times more leads each month. Moreover, you can also provide first-hand information about your business by posting your opening hours, photos, and a compelling introduction. (3)

Take note, though, to watch out for fake online reviews. These can harm people’s perception of your brand, which can result in losing review opportunities and, worse, clients.

4. Scour the web for brand mentions

Sometimes, people may praise your products and services but forget to inform you or tag your company. Make sure that you’re able to keep track of reviews from these platforms:

• Search engines – The largest search engine allows customers to review a company, which will be posted on the latter’s Google Business profile. You can also set up Google Alerts for your business, which will pull up a list of mentions of your brand on any website in real-time.
• Social media – Social media sites also provide search filters that allow you to see who’s talking about your company. Just make sure that you have official accounts on channels where your clients are, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

5. Share positive reviews

People are more likely to share their experiences if they see that others are talking about your business, too. Knowing this, you should leverage the reviews you already have to gain more positive testimonials. Moreover, it can also serve as promotional material to let potential customers know that they can expect a high-quality service from you.

As mentioned above, you should inform your clients if you plan on sharing their reviews publicly. Doing so can exhibit how you respect their privacy and consent. Additionally, you can offer incentives, such as discounts and promos, if they allow you to share their feedback.

Takeaway

Online reviews are a contractor’s secret weapon in establishing a reputation and credibility in whichever specialist niche you may operate. Getting plenty of positive feedback can show your target clients that you’re trustworthy, which will encourage them to do business with you. Make sure to provide excellent customer service and be proactive in your quest to generate more online reviews.

References:

1. “17 Sobering Online-Review Stats Every Contractor Needs To Know”, Source: https://www.marketsharp.com/blog/17-sobering-online-review-stats-every-contractor-needs-to-know/

2. “30 Impactful Statistics About Using Testimonials In Marketing”, Source: https://boast.io/20-statistics-about-using-testimonials-in-marketing/ 

3. “Business profile and review best practices from TripAdvisor and Yelp”, Source: https://searchengineland.com/business-profile-review-best-practices-tripadvisor-yelp-276247