It doesn’t matter what type of business you run. In this current digital age, it is vital for every organization to have some form of online presence. This includes your home inspector company.
Research suggests that 90% of US residents use the Internet and that their time on the web is also varied. They will check their social media feeds; they will play online games; they will even search for information about local businesses. The latter point is especially pertinent when it comes to online marketing for your company.
So before you start thinking about filling out a home inspection report for a client, you should consider methods to grab their attention as they browse the Internet. Referrals will only go so far for your business. You also need to generate direct leads to run a truly successful operation.
So, without any further delay, here are four important tips for boosting your home inspection company’s online presence:
An Up-To-Date, Responsive Website
The cornerstone of your online presence is your website. If prospective customers search for your business, this site should be the first thing they see in their Google results.
It will also be the first website they click on. As a result, your site is a representation of your business. If it’s responsive, modern, and aesthetically pleasing, guess what: people will judge your company as being a professional outlet.
The website should also be a hub of all things relating to your business. Provide a detailed “About Us” page, offer expert advice, give out your contact details, etc. The more information, the more informed your potential customers are about your company.
Social Media Strategy
Seeing as everyone is on social media these days, it is the perfect place to network with your audience. To generate interest in your business pages, have a social media strategy in mind. Be a daily poster of content. Ask questions. Make posts based around the latest trends. Engage. Most importantly of all, avoid all sales jargon.
If you struggle to find the time to constantly browse your social media platforms, there is a solution. You could utilize a dashboard such as Hootsuite, which allows you to manage the likes of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram all in one place. It even gives you the option to schedule posts, which is perfect if you have a spare 30 minutes to prepare a batch of social media content.
Communicate with Emails
Sending direct emails to clients is a great way of promoting your business — if it’s done right.
When planning a mass email campaign, it’s best to use specialist home inspection software. Not only is it easy to manage this way, the software also provides analysis for the campaign. This way you can study the open rate of the emails and decipher if the plan was a success or not.
However, before you can launch an effective email campaign, you will need to build up a sizeable list of emails. There are various ways this can be done — both online and offline — although your website could play a key part. For example, you could provide a newsletter to everyone that signs up with their email. Another effective strategy is to give away a free eBook in exchange for an email address. Competitions can also work well.
Once you have that list of email addresses, it’s about planning the right strategy with your mass email campaign. Firstly, the email needs to have a strong purpose. Why are you contacting clients? Do you have a special service to offer for those who need a home inspecting? Secondly, the email must grab attention. This is all down to the email’s title. You only have a few words to spark an interest before a client scrolls past, so you have to utilize a persuasive title.
Don’t Forget Local SEO
As a home inspection business, you’re not trying to target an international or even national customer base. It’s all about acquiring those local clients.
As a result, you need to place a focus on your local SEO efforts. Local SEO is just like regular SEO, except for the fact that you’re targeting keywords with a distinctly local flavor. For instance, if your home inspector company is based in Las Vegas, an applicable keyword would be “home inspector in Las Vegas”.
Local SEO isn’t only about keywords. In fact, optimizing your company listing on Google My Business is arguably even more important. Thankfully it isn’t too difficult to set up. You only need to follow the instructions on the GMB page. Simply enter your business name, address, contact details, and applicable category.
To further enhance the effectiveness of your GMB listing, try and push customers to leave positive reviews of your business. Not only will this serve as proof to other potential clients that you do a quality job, but multiple positive reviews will be looked upon favorably by Google.
Moreover, you should also respond to all reviews — even the negative ones. Regarding the latter, you could even turn the negative into a positive. If you respond in a respectful, informative, and considerate manner, others will view this in a positive light.
This article is a great starting point for how your business can improve its online presence. However, there are many more strategies available when it comes to online marketing. Don’t be scared to test all options to see which works best for your company.