Today, we are here to discuss something especially important.  In today’s world, there are so many complex marketing strategies that are supposed to be there to get you what you want in terms of sales.  How are they working out for you right now?  Many of them work about as well as the average fad diet.

Companies that have risen to the top have to have done something right?  You are correct.  Business isn’t just one big game of chance.  There are so many working components that marketing strategies leave out or don’t consider.

Today, we are going to talk about one of them.  This one probably stares at you all day, but you don’t put too much thought into it.  “This one” refers to reviews.  Reviews can be the cornerstone to helping you build your business and today I’m going to show you why that is six different times.

1. Reviews build up your trust and credibility in the eyes of consumers

Imagine this. You are looking at two products.  Both are exactly the same.  They offer the same features.  They are the exact same price.  They are the exact same color.  They even have the exact same 4-star rating.  They are made by two completely different companies.  If you are trying to make a decision, how do you choose?

Let’s say you dive further into the reviews.  What did people like about the products?  What did people hate about them?  When you look at the reviews, you notice that one product has over 100 reviews and the last one was posted three days ago.  The other product has just five reviews and the last one was posted over a month ago.

Which product will you choose?  It’s likely that you will choose the product that has more reviews.  The increased number of reviews means that more people have tried and loved the product you are purchasing.  No one could be bothered to leave a review on the second product, so how good is it?

This is the thought process of many consumers as they go through their options to pick the best one that suits them.  They want to know who will serve them better.  If your reviews look like the second product, and your competitors look like the first, then you have a problem on your hands.

Surveys show that roughly 68% of people look at reviews before making a purchasing decision.  If your reviews are lacking, then you may be losing over half of your potential business.

2. Reviews will have a positive impact on local SEO

Let’s look at another scenario.  You are in a crowded business sector.  Your local area was booming with business at one point, but the more the internet grows, the less you do. A customer is looking for help and googles providers in your prospective field.  You are on page three because your field is so crowded.  What are the odds that the consumer will find you?  If your answer is close to zero, then you are correct.

If you lack in reviews, then your business lacks in the SEO department.  Google actually pays attention to how many reviews you get. Then, it uses that information to rank you on the search engine.

3. Your reviews deliver constructive criticism to you

As much as we like hearing nice things, we know they don’t always help us out.  Reviews that strictly praise a product, but neglect to mention what went wrong aren’t good.  Don’t believe me?

Let’s say you have a product with two functions, which we will name A and B.  Three customers bought it, only because they wanted function A.  They left reviews saying they loved it.  You take this as a good sign and have you team boost production.  You don’t know it yet, but there is a problem with function B.  Five more people buy your product for both purposes.  They leave reviews stating that function B isn’t working, and they are angry.  Those five reviews will outweigh the completely positive reviews.  That being said, now that you have them, you can fix the issue in the product and you can let people know that the issue is fixed by responding to the reviews and even offering them a replacement.

Constructive criticism doesn’t just relate to products you provide.  It can also relate to the speed of service, how good your customer service was, how well any AI you’ve integrated is doing, and so much more.  Having all of these notes in your toolbox gives you a great place to work when you want to talk about improvement.

4. Reviews can drive customer connections

What is a customer connection?  Simply put, it is anytime you interact with a customer, whether that’s during a transaction, an order placement, during delivery…any time you have any interaction with this customer.  Customer connection can be bad, which (let’s be honest) is probably how a bad review might end up on your page.

Now that you have that sad one-star review sitting on the page, what do you do with it?  Believe it or not, you can still use it to your advantage.

First off, when you see it, take a deep breath before you do anything.  The last thing you do is respond to this person with anger, accusations of lying (unless it’s clearly fake-we’ll talk about that in a sec), or any arguing no matter how tempting it is.

Tell the customer that you’re sorry they’ve had this experience.  If it applies, let them know what you’re doing to avoid situations like this in the future.  Finally, offer to fix it for them.  Get ahold of any order information (this is also a good way to get rid of fake reviews) and help them get the issue fixed.

This does a few things for you.  If your angry customer cooperates, then you have a future repeat customer.  Even if they don’t, future consumers can see your response and know that you tried your best.

Finally, if you can tell the review is fake, don’t accuse them of it.  You have an audience, and this may dissuade future customers.  Instead, say you are having trouble find their order and ask for the details.  Not having a response will tell you and your consumers all you need to know.

5. Reviews are the new word of mouth

We trust our friends and family, which means we trust what they tell us.  Today, a lot of discussion is around politics, gossip, and whatever else a group can find to talk about.  It rarely focuses on things like what business gives the best services or anything like that.  Unless someone specifically asks, it’s unlikely that a personal recommendation will be shared.

If that’s true, then how else do people get the information they need to know about a product?  The answer lies on your review page.  In fact, 42% of the people surveyed said that they trust the words of a review as much as they would trust a personal recommendation.  All of the reviews on your site are being taken as if they are a fact…for better or worse.

6. Reviews are a point of reference for consumers

Let’s talk about our final point.  Reviews are a point of reference for you potential future customers.  What was talked about above is a bit similar but let me illustrate the key difference with a scenario.

Let’s say a consumer is looking for information about how well a product works and what specific functions it has.  Your website can provide the basic details.  The reviews are what will tell the consumer more about the specific functions the product has, how they work, what the shelf life is, how it compares to other products, and more.

A lot of people also happen to have the same questions about a product.  If someone askes this question in the review section, and either you or another knowledgeable customer answers it, then they have the answer to this question without having to do too much research (which they will likely avoid by going with another product) and you don’t have to constantly answer the same question.

While 68% of people take reviews and what they see in them seriously, about 90% go as far as to at least skim them and see what sort of things they can learn for they spend money.

Your Business is your baby (or if you’re not a kid person, it’s your beloved pet).  You care for this thing a lot.  Much like a baby though, you can’t nourish one part and neglect the other, and still expect the business to flourish.  If you feed a baby, but never give it a bath, then you’re setting them up for failure.  Likewise, if you perfect your orders, you customer connections, and everything else about your business, but you don’t do anything to help nourish and maintain your reviews, then you may be setting your business up to fail.

20 years ago, if someone told you that in order to have a successful business, you would need to have great online reviews, you probably would have laughed in their face. In this time, everyone would have laughed with. In 2020 however, not only is this some serious advice, but it’s a vital piece of information that can dictate your business.

The past 20 years have seen a digital revolution that will likely go down in history. At first, it was easy to brush off the internet and things like social media as nothing more than a fad or just a passing trend. Many leading market analysts and lead professors did just that, only to be highly embarrassed as the use of both of these things exploded and change the way we do many things, including business. Some think that there are still certain industries that have not yet been touched by technological advancements. If that is true, I can promise you that The Home Service Industry isn’t one of them.

Where do digital products fit into the home service business exactly? Well, you may not work with them every day, but your customers do. Today, when people want to work with someone, they will likely look for reliable information, starting at the review section. The Home Service industry is no exception to this rule.

What the Statistics Tell Us

One of the gifts the internet has given us is the ability to reach a massive audience for surveys and data collection. These numbers all give us shocking insight to as to what reviews look like and how often they are used.

Did you know that Home services is tied in second place for the most reviews for a business sector on Yelp? In total, 17% of all yelp reviews are for the home service business. Shopping (as a general category) is its current challenger for second place. Unsurprisingly, first place (with 18% of all yelp reviews) goes to restaurants. It’s also worth noting that both the restaurant and the shopping industry have been heavily impacted by COVID whereas the home industry may see an increase in sales as people are forced to spend time in their homes.

When it comes to buyers, there are a few generalities. Did you know that 90% of all buyers look at the reviews before purchasing a product? Of those buyers, many trust reviews just as much as they would trust a personal recommendation, if not more. Of the 90% of those who look at them, 96% of consumers rate them as extremely valuable to the buying process. Many consumers note that they are willing to pay more to businesses with good reviews.

When we look at 90% for the home service industry in particular, we see that 68% of consumers say the reviews are extremely valuable to them. They actively use them as a guide to pick out the best option for them.

87% of consumers looking at the home industry service will check the reviews for quality references. This can be a little troubling. Past customers who’ve had a bad experience are more inclined to go leave a review than those who have had good experiences. There are ways to turn this around though, and some of them will be talked about below.

78% of consumers check online reviews for price references. This may shock you, since your prices are most likely on your website, but a lot of them aren’t looking for the flat rates. Do you have any hidden fees? Do you competitors have better prices? Is the work you do with the price? Does the competitor have a better deal than you do? Many reviewers who have shopped around will have answered these questions for them.

With those things in mind, we can see some of the things that are the most important to customers. There is still one more point that many reviewers have noted. A total of 56% of consumers look for recent reviews. These people want to see the newest reviews on your work, not a review from a year ago. Consumers are highly likely to only look at reviews from the last two weeks to get an idea of your business. There are also several people who have noted that they don’t trust reviews that are more than a month old. If you have a pile of reviews, that might not be enough. You also need to look at how recent they are.

Finally, let’s talk about where to focus. There are many different sites to leave reviews on and it’s impossible to keep track of them all. If your thinking about what areas to focus your efforts on, you need to look at yelp. The reason why? 74% of consumers look at yelp when they’re reading the online reviews. If all of your positive reviews are on your Facebook page, then you are missing about three-quarters of potential customers.

All of these statistics are unbelievably high. Today, it’s seemed impossible that anyone in the world would agree. They fact that they agree on this is a signal that we should pay attention.

Maybe you haven’t been focusing on your reviews, and that’s okay. There’s no time like the present to get started. Below are some tips to help you build up your platforms.

Quick Tips and Tricks to Bring Home Those Reviews.

Ask Customers if you can put out a sign

There are multiple bonuses to this strategy. First of all, it’s free advertising, especially if the service you provided was outdoors. But don’t just stick a sign with your logo in the dirt. Ask for a review right on that sign. Your customer will see it every day as they pass by and be reminded to write that review.

Leave your customers with a business card

Much like a sign, a business card is a visual reminder that they need to leave a review for the service. Include all of your company information on the front. Then, on the back, make a flashy design that can’t be missed, and ask your customers to leave a review that way.

Send out Emails

Today, many things require an email. If it’s a part of your service, then you already have a database to go on when it comes to emails. Use this to your advantage. When you’ve finished a job with a customer, send them a review request via email immediately. Let the job be fresh in their minds. A week later-send them another one. Then, send on final one about two weeks after the job was initially done. Don’t send anymore after that. By sending them three emails, you’re being persistent, but you’re not bugging them. By doing this within two weeks, your keeping the job fresh on their minds. If you ask them a month from now, most of their experience is forgotten.

Use a review generations software

There are more ways to reach your customer than just an email, but if you tried to do them all singlehandedly, it would take hours. One way to get around this is to use a review generation software. This will allow you to store customers contact information, such as an email and a phone number, and use it to contact them about reviews. In order for it to work, the person who completes the job for the customers would enter in the details and the system will take care of the rest.

Respond to your reviews

Whether they are good or bad, responding to your reviews will drive your site traffic and leave you with more happy customers.

Responding to good reviews will acknowledge that person and make them remember you, likely earning you a repeat customer.

Responding to bad reviews should be done carefully, but it should always be done. When you look at a bad review, give your self a second to breathe before you type the response. Don’t accuse the customer of anything. Try to resolve their issue. Even if they don’t respond, future consumer who are looking at your review page can see that you did at least try to work things out.

Finally, if you suspect a review is simply a fraud, handle it carefully. Respond to it in a manner that doesn’t outright accuse them of leaving a false review, but that does say something about not having them in your system. You should always try to get these reviews removed if you can. They won’t help your business.

Make Use of a review management platform

Your reviews give you an insight as to how your company is doing. They also provide testimonals you can use on social media. That all being said, how do you go through every single review and figure out what would be good for social media? A review management platform can help you with this. It will organize all of your reviews for you so that you can see what you need. Furthermore, it can also help you find the bad reviews so you can respond to your customers as needed.

The reason review responses are so important is because google actually pays attention to them. The more you respond, the more it reads the activity for your page. Therefore, you will come up higher in the search engine. Reviewers who see that you are actively responding reviews are also more likely to leave one themselves.

The home services business isn’t going away anytime soon. There are many people who need things done. But consumers have a lot of places to look when they are choosing the right company. It’s up to you to stand out.