Marketing Tips For Home Service Businesses
Today I want to share some tips to help the home service business attract and gain more loyal local customers through online marketing. If you have a garage door repair company, a window treatment company, pest control company—if you’re in the home and you’re helping out the homeowner with a service, these tips are for you. (And if not, please share this blog post with people who do own service businesses!)
1. Gain trust:
You have to be able to gain the trust of the customer. It used to be that people would just get a phone number and call a company. But now they’re doing research first. They want to know, “Who will be coming into my home? Who will be there when I’m away and my wife is at home?” (Or vice-versa.) People want to know who is going to be coming in the door.
This is why it’s good to list your credentials on your website, whether you’re part of the Good Contractors List, or Better Business Bureau or whatever certifies your business. But also, a good way to gain trust is to share your knowledge with people. That lets people know that they have an expert coming into their home, and not just some random person they found online. Be sure your online presence really matches what you do in real life, and that will help you gain the trust of your customers.
2. Show off your team:
This also has to do with gaining trust. Get the people on your team on camera, and put their pictures on Facebook or on your website, especially on your “About Us” page. This page is where you want to post the story of your owners and your employees, to let your customers really know who they will be dealing with. I’ve said this for years—people do not want to do business with a brand or a truck or a logo; people want to do business with people.
So on your web page and in your social media, celebrate birthdays and anniversaries! Make a short video or a post celebrating that person on Facebook! Get your team in the forefront because if people love your team, they’ll keep using you and they’ll refer to you.
3. Build good reviews:
You must start obtaining reviews—Google + reviews, Facebook reviews, Yelp! reviews, etc. I’ve said this before too, but it’s still true: People don’t care about what you say you’re going to do. People care about what you’ve actually done. Show yourself off by putting together a resume of past customers who especially loved your service.
This may go against some of the mythology out there, but I would much rather you have 10 five-star stories from customers who are over the moon about your services than 100 three- or four-star reviews with no story. Whenever you’re done with a job and the customer pulls you aside and says, “Wow, this was way better than I thought!” Or, “This was way cheaper than I thought!” Or, “You don’t understand what this means to me and my family! You just fixed my toilet—I’m having family in town and you just saved the day!” Those kinds of stories will resonate with people far more than just a thing where someone clicked three stars and didn’t leave a comment about the job.
You don’t need to necessarily ask your whole client base for referrals. Definitely, ask the ones who you know would rave about your services!
4. Be responsive and transparent:
In today’s marketplace, not having an online marketing strategy, or not having any kind of online presence, poses question marks for potential customers. They wonder, why don’t they have a Facebook page? Why don’t they have a website? What are they trying to hide? Just by having these pieces in place lets people know that you’re transparent and accessible. Also, if they see that you reply back to comments, if they see your little badge on Facebook that lets people know you reply back to messages quickly, they know that you’re going to be responsive to them. No one wants to do business with a company that doesn’t get back to them or takes a long time to do so. This also goes into the trust equity bank, if you will. When you’re transparent and responsive, people will trust your business.
5. Be seasonal with your tips:
If it’s wintertime and you are a plumber, you want to give tips on how to protect your pipes indoors and out. If you’re a lawn care company and we’re in the dog days of summer, you can give tips on things people can do to protect their foundation and their yard. If you own a garage door company and it’s cold, you may be able to offer some tips on how to handle doors sticking or freezing. (I say that because it’s happened to me before, and I know the perils of a frozen garage door!) Think about what role your business plays in whatever season we’re in, and what kinds of tips you can give to the homeowner for whatever issues or problems crop up in that season.
Remember, the more you help people, the more they trust you! We admire teachers and coaches because they’re great at educating and helping people. So be a teacher, gain the trust, show off your team, build those reviews, and watch your home service business grow!
If you’re a home service business owner who would benefit from these tips but you don’t have the time to execute them, request a quote below and we can help!