As a business owner in the home improvement industry, you know the importance of word of mouth advertising. Just a few decades ago, this was the primary method of marketing a business like your own. Today, the Internet offers plenty of opportunities to market, but it’s also easy to fall through the cracks and deliver a poor experience to your all important future clients. Improving your online professionalism is a great way to market your business through continued word of mouth advertising.
How Can You Improve Your Professional Image Online?
While doing a fantastic job with each project you take on is important, there’s more to branding and building your business than just a hammer and nails. You’ll also need to embrace Internet marketing and building a brand that consumers appreciate. To do that, consider these tips.
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Do more than just create a website. Create a blog that allows for ongoing interaction and communication with customers. A static website that doesn’t offer any updates doesn’t create a relationship with the customer.
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Respond to consumers. Companies that need a professional image online create it by not just posting updates, but providing back and forth communications. If you respond to your customers, on sites like Twitter and Facebook, you’ll build a relationship.
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Don’t delete the bad. It’s common for business owners to notice a negative comment on their blog or social media, perhaps due to expensive services or poor quality workmanship on a job and then delete it. While that may help in some ways, it’s more effective to simply engage the customer and to find a way to resolve the problem.
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Answer inquiries. A common problem associated with poor professionalism online is not interacting with customers when they ask questions. For example, if you receive a request from a prospective customer about a quote for a home improvement job, you may react and contact that individual. However, you may put off contacting the customer asking about flooring options. Engage all of these opportunities.
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Be professional in tone, language, and attitude. Whoever is doing your marketing online needs to be professional. You shouldn’t treat online customers any different than you would traditional, in-office customers.
Online professionalism is no different from traditional professional. It’s up to you to ensure all of your customers get the type of attention they need from you to ensure your business benefits from that word of mouth advertising, even if it is online.
