6 Tips to Develop Your Online Reputation (Most Plumbers Don’t Do No. 3)

published on June 01, 2016

While it’s true that running a plumbing business in a drifting economy like ours has become even more difficult in the past few years, we have learned through years of experience that in the majority of cases, companies close due to lack of organization and, believe it or not, bad online reputation.

It might sound simple, but developing (and maintaining) a good reputation online and on-site is one of the main pain points most plumbers have to deal with, because let’s face it, even when you excel at what you do, it’s hard to keep everybody happy.

So, why is it so important to develop your online reputation? Here are some reasons:

It can rescue you from vicious accusations, fake bad reviews from competitors or spammers that can hurt your business. Developing a good reputation online will automatically prove them wrong, and your real customers can give faith of it.
Creates a strong bond with customers, giving you the chance to stay ahead of the competition, especially in a crowded market such as plumbing.
Helps you evaluate performance. Online reviews provide you an objective way to measure if your goals of providing a good service to your customers are being met.
Helps you measure customer satisfaction. It is wrong to think that your customers are happy with your services if there’s no indicator that they’re bad, the only way to know for sure is through online reviews and feedback, but oftentimes, customers won’t leave a good review if they’re not asked for it, even if they loved your services.

Developing a good online reputation is more than a marketing strategy, it is taking the correct steps to influence the consumer’s perception of your business, it is a reflection of your business culture, and it’s not separate from the actions you take in real life to keep your customers happy.

It goes from simple actions such as the tone of voice you use when you take calls or the courteous greeting when you perform a job in their houses, to implementing complex online reputation development strategies.

Luckily for all of us, it’s not necessary to become a professional digital marketer to improve your online reputation.

What steps do I need to take to develop my online reputation?

1. Organize your contacts

Asking for your clients’ basic information such as full name and email after they schedule for one of your plumbing services will help you organize them and recognize your client’s needs.

This information is extremely valuable at the moment of sending out email marketing campaigns and offers, as it allows you to identify which customers are more likely to purchase a certain service and which are not.

2. Request feedback

Most plumbers don’t realize how important it is to request feedback after a purchase, but we’re telling you now: MAKE IT A HABIT!

Requesting feedback will help you analyze if your customer is happy with the emergency plumbing service your team provided, or if you need to improve it and what is that you need to improve in specific.

3. Always respond

And do it quickly. Keeping silence is not an option. If you do, your company will be perceived as aloof or uncaring. Responding to customers complaints can be the key to keeping or losing a potentially good and faithful customer. You decide.

4. Don’t be afraid to ask for a review

We know you don’t want to sound too pushy or obnoxious to your clients, but if you really want to build your online reputation and grow your business, asking for a review is key.

Keep in mind that online reviews influence 90% of consumers’ buying decisions, so, painful or not, this is something that you need to do on an everyday basis.

5. Showcase your ratings & reviews

For most homeowners, finding a good plumber online has become difficult due to the many tricky companies who are posting positive reviews about themselves on review sites.

The best thing you can do to stand out from everyone else is to turn your reviews into case studies, that way, on top of having great reviews, your potential clients can have an insider’s look on your work, making you more credible than the rest.

6. Show your trust badge

Trust badges are good for many reasons, one is to increase conversion rates and the other, to actually show your customers they can trust you. They both go hand in hand, and can help you build a good online reputation.

Many plumbers may not realize this, but when it comes to success, online reputation is king. People trust other people’s opinion, and in over 90% of the cases, they will close a deal with the plumbing company with better and greater online reviews, leaving other companies behind and unaware of the reasons of their failure, but we’re pretty sure, you will listen to us and this will not be the case.