In the days before the information superhighway became the primary source of social traffic, local contractor reviews were largely a matter of word of mouth. Today people are more likely to trust the sum of many online reviews over the word of a few friends and relatives. This makes sense for the customer, as their friend may have had an isolated positive experience. The total score from many reviews is more likely to indicate consistency. Here are some reasons why online reviews are important to general contractor businesses.
Reviews Improve Search Engine Optimization
It’s no secret that most people will not look far past the first page when they search for anything online. As local contractor reviews go, the more reviews that pop up on sites like Google, the more likely Google is to queue that service first. This is an excellent reason why online reviews are important to general contractor businesses. Encourage your customers to leave positive reviews when they are satisfied with your work.
But what about those customers who are a little more… persnickety? That brings us to our next point.
Online Contractor Reviews Communicate Problem Areas
You might be worried about middling reviews, but if you can address those in a consistent, orderly manner, you can improve your business and turn a negative into a positive. This is especially true if you can show in your reply to the review how you corrected the problem and satisfied the customer. Other customers will see this, in combination with your many other good reviews, and be encouraged to use your service. We all know that sometimes problems come up. What impresses the customer is seeing the calm, congenial way that a general contractor solves those problems.
Good Reviews are Great Promotional Opportunities
Once all those good reviews start rolling in, you can pluck the best among them to use as promotional material for your website and other marketing avenues. This reinforces to others that you do quality work, but it also shows that you value your customers’ input. Use reviews to promote solid SEO to get potential customers to look you up. With consistent, positive communication you will convince them of your sincerity and integrity. Now you have a rolling cache of happy customers whose business you have acquired and can maintain. You’ll do a service to your customers and to your business, which employs people in the community. This is the American dream!
Customer Financing for Your General Contractor Business
You’ve worked so hard to attract the best customers in your community, so it only stands to reason that you want to help them find the best financing option for their home improvement projects. HFS Financial has years of experience helping people get the loans they need for their incredible home improvement projects. We do this in every state in the union. Apply now to partner with us so that you can offer contractor financing directly to your clients. Questions? Call us today at 1-800-254-9560 or use our handy form for more information. With HFS Financial, “You Dream It, We Finance It.”