People will believe the internet over what anyone tells them. It’s uncanny how much they will interact online versus talking with others and asking for their opinions. Here are five tips for a strong, relevant web presence.
1. Update your Google My Business page service areas
Before, there was a radius you defined on your page to let Google know your service area. Now they want other counties, cities, or zip codes. They’re changing the game. I’m located in a suburb just outside of a metropolitan area, but I service the entire area. If I don’t go in and update my service areas on our Google My Business page, we’ll be relegated to just my one little county versus servicing the entire area.
2. Start using video reviews
Search engines are coming out with new algorithms that don’t put as much merit into the traditional written review because anyone can write that. Now they want to see a video interview with the client. We conduct exit interviews with the client and we bring in a videographer and sit down and have a conversation about the project. They’ll speak about their experience, how they heard about us, and how the project went. We then upload those videos online.
3. Know why clients are searching for you...
A lot of times we get hired but we really don’t know why they hired us. Some of this comes out in the exit interview. Sometimes the major issues were security: They wanted to know that a remodeler they could trust was taking care of the house.
I check my analytics and people are looking at my page at 2 am.
For other people, it’s who’s going to be in and out of the house. You get to know why people are giving you that opportunity the more you ask. Using this information, we can tweak our marketing to the areas of importance to potential clients.
4. ...And when they are searching for you
The way we search for things now, it’s twenty-four seven. I check my analytics and people are looking at my page at 2am. They shop when they’re ready, so that’s where you need to be. When COVID hit, the contractors who did not have a strong enough online presence took a major hit since they were so reliant on word of mouth. Fortunately, we were positioned as a resource for those looking to do their projects.
5. Google is not the end all be all
We send out personalized cards with before and after photos. Clients carry that in their purse for years to show off to friends. It’s the best marketing that I can do under $5. It keeps us in the homeowners’ minds and keeps them talking to their friends, bringing in more business. Also, every four to six months, we’ll call to check in with our clients. Just in our last cycle, we brought in a quarter million dollars of work that wasn’t even a sales pitch.
Leo Lantz, founder of Leo Lantz Construction, was NAHB’s 2018 Remodeler of the year.