Let’s chat about something you might not have thought about much: your online reputation. Why should you, as a tradesperson, care about it? Here’s the straight answer: more, and better reviews can help you get more work.
The Growing Influence of Online Reviews
Think about when you’re hunting for a good pizza place in your town. You’re probably going to check out what other folks are saying online, right? Well, it’s the same when someone’s looking for a plumber, electrician, or any other tradesperson. They’re going to look at what other people are saying about you. In fact, according to BrightLocal’s survey, about 9 out of 10 people trust online reviews as much as recommendations from friends.
Boosting Your Reputation as a Tradesperson
When you’ve done a top-notch job, you want people to know about it. Positive reviews from your customers show others that you’re dependable and skilled at what you do. It’s like when a happy customer tells their mates about you, but in this case, they’re telling anyone who looks you up online. A study from Podium even showed that 93% of customers say online reviews can impact their buying decisions.
Online Reviews as a Source of Customer Feedback
Hearing back from customers is like striking gold. It tells you what you’re nailing and where you could do better. Put it this way: reviews are like free tips from the people who matter most – your customers. They can help you do better, meaning even more chuffed customers down the line. Did you know, even if you have picked up a few negative reviews from disgruntled customers over time, showing you can respond in a reassuring way can be enough to drive new enquiries?
Leveraging Online Reviews for Increased Visibility
Here’s another thing: online reviews can help more people find you. How? Websites like Google actually use these reviews when figuring out which businesses to show people first. So, the more good reviews you have, the more likely you are to pop up at the top when someone searches for a tradesperson in your area.
So, there you go. Online reviews are a bigger deal than you might’ve thought. They help you win over more customers, build trust, get better at your job, and even get found more easily online.
How about collecting more of these reviews without any extra work? Stick around, because in our next article, we’re going to show you how to do just that with Revumo.
Sources:
BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey.
Podium, The State of Online Reviews.
Moz, Local Search Ranking Factors Study.
