In the world of pole barn and steel building businesses, your online presence is everything. It can impact how many people can find you and the quality of your reputation. Using review websites to your advantage is not complicated, but it does take time and thoughtfulness.
The most popular review websites are Yelp, Google reviews and Facebook. The following tips can be applied to all of these and virtually any other review website, too.
Make a Business Profile
It’s free to make a business profile on Yelp, Google or Facebook. If you have taken over your pole barn or steel building business from someone else, you’ll need to make sure and claim the listing as yours on any review website.
Make sure you add as many details as possible to your business listing, including pictures. Nothing says quality like professional pictures of your recently finished pole barns or steel buildings.
You can choose to pay a little extra on Yelp to have a call-to-action button on your page (such as “Book a Consultation Now!”) or to remove competitor ads when people are visiting your page. You can also choose to pay more to have your listing move to the top of the rankings or for actual advertisements on Yelp, Facebook and Google.
Get Reviews on Your Business Page
The best way to increase the number of positive reviews on your review page is to prompt your recent customers to leave a review. A satisfied client is less likely to think of leaving a review than a dissatisfied client. So, to avoid having your star average negatively skewed, it’s important to proactively seek reviews.
Email your review website link to satisfied customers after their pole barn or steel building is finished, asking them to please leave a review. You can also incentivize them to leave a review by offering a discount or a free t-shirt with your logo.
Check Reviews Often and Respond Appropriately
Don’t let a week go by without checking your Yelp, Google, or Facebook page for negative reviews. When a potential customer sees a poor review, it will ease their fears if they see you have responded and tried to fix the problem.
If the negative comments were due to a miscommunication, or if the reviewer is outright lying, respectfully explain your perspective. Apologize for the miscommunication, even if you think you didn’t do anything wrong. Never respond rudely or angrily. That will only help to further sink your reputation.
If the poor review was due to a true mistake on your part, respond with an apology and an explanation of how you plan to make it right. Review readers will respect you more for taking responsibility and fixing a mistake rather than trying to shift the blame.
Attract More Customers with Contractor Financing
While you focus on improving your online presence, leave your pole barn and steel building financing to the pros at HFS Financial. Your customers will really appreciate seeing the best rates available to them after filling out our 60-second application right from your website. When you partner with HFS Financial, funding your client’s projects 100% up front is quick and easy. Call us at 1-800-254-9560 to learn more. When it comes to pole barns and steel buildings, at HFS Financial, “You Dream It, We Finance It.”