As you know, having information easily accessible online for your customers is essential. Most companies will optimize their website and set up a social media presence, but often skip the fundamental step of setting up your Google My Business profile.  

Google is the most prevalent and used search engine globally; according to Global Stats, Google currently has 92% of the world's search engine market share, meaning when people need to find a company’s information quickly, it's going to be on Google. Ensuring you are fully optimizing your platform to align with the way Google works is a definite way to drive more traffic to your website. 

Google My Business allows you to verify your business with Google, which gives you two key features. It establishes your business's physical address that can be found both through search and through maps. Plus, it provides viewers with essential information about your service that may convince them to book with you and not your competitor. 

How Do I Set It Up?

Starting is relatively straightforward; head to google.com/business, and start the process. The actual sign up is quite simple, but the devil is in the details here. It's vital to set up your business correctly to maximize the service's potential. 

There’s a reason why so many people use Google My Business; it does a fantastic job of quickly providing relevant information—finding the most suitable businesses for the search terms provided. If you are an HVAC company, make sure you tag yourself as an HVAC service to come up when people need you. Use as many of the tags related to your service as possible; you want to appear for relevant searches as often as you can.

Tip: Make sure you have put in an address that can receive mail as google will send a postcard as the last step in the verification process.  If you are creating satellite offices for the purpose of appearing for hyper-local Google searches, ensure that the address you use is one you have access to.

Images

Along with the information on your Google My Business listing, you need to provide images. You want to make sure the photos you choose makes your business look stable and trustworthy. If someone is looking for a new air conditioning system, they want to ensure they are working with a reputable company. Suppose they type in the keyword “ Furnace Repair Toronto” into Google and see two results. One has a single exterior photo from google maps with no other information; the other is branded with a logo, pictures of their staff, photos of their fleet of wrapped vehicles and the office. The person will likely pick the branded company only because it looks more established, so they trust it more. They have no idea what type of service each company provides, but they have already decided which company has earned their business. 

Reputation

What's the best way to build credibility with both Google and prospective customers? Reviews. By gaining positive reviews on your Google My Business Profile, people will be more likely to contact you, and Google will also rank you higher; therefore, you will appear more often and higher on searches. Ask your customers to leave reviews if they were satisfied with the work you have done. This simple step can have a significant impact on your business in the long run. 

Tip: If you are running Local Service Ads (Google Guaranteed) your ad placement is determined by the number of reviews on your Google My Business account. Ensure you are always prompting your customers to leave their feedback. Don't stress as much about bad reviews lowering your ranking. Low star rating reviews provide you with a great opportunity to respond and show others how you will handle a poor customer experience.

How Does This Help My SEO Performance?

Google is continuously updating its software to ensure users get the best quality search results. Doing everything you can to optimize your content is the name of the game. Having your information available on Google My Business will boost your website traffic. Instead of a search engine having to scan your website for information, it already has a verified source through your Listing. Google My Business also provides optimization for all of Google's platforms, like maps. By making it easier for someone to find your company, you are significantly boosting your SEO score, getting you more booked jobs.

Final Thought

Make sure to continue updating your profile as your business changes and grows, because the last thing you want is ten negative reviews because your hours are wrong. As you continue to build your online platform taking advantage of Google My Business is the next step. The more effort you put into your listing, the more it will give back to you, so make sure to take your time when you fill it out. Make your presence known and reap the benefits. 

There are two main goals HVAC and Plumbing Businesses need to think about for Marketing. One is, of course, Lead Generation - filling your schedule today.  The other is "Branding" - make your business memorable for when a customer needs your service tomorrow. Generally, your brand should be composed of your logo, distinct colours representing your business, a tagline, brand voice, and other features to make your company stand out from your competitors. 

Branding is no longer about where you place your ad. It’s about who you should place your ad with and when. We can learn how to focus your branding investment only to target your ideal customers before they search Google for your keywords.

Let’s take a look at our client, Action Furnace, who has a very recognizable brand. Action Furnace has very distinguishable brand colours and a cartoon-like animated mascot that can be used on various marketing collateral to ensure their brand is easily discernible. Action Furnace also has a tagline, “Fixed Right, or it’s Free,” which further helps recognize the brand. However, this was not always the case for Action Furnace.

When we started with them, we saw that Women were less likely to call Action Furnace (70/30 Men to Women).  The data also showed us, however, that the gender of the people conducting the Google Searches for HVAC keywords was 50/50 Men to Women. If more women were searching than called the business, what does this tell us? When we first started working with the brand, the mascot was designed to look like an Action Hero (Superhero) with big muscles and a cape. We posed the question:

"Maybe if we changed the look of the mascot to look less intimidating to women, would we increase the number of women who called the business?"

We redesigned the mascot from a guy who will "save the day" to a nerdy-looking friend who will educate customers on the best solution for their home. Our prediction was correct, we saw the ratio of Men to Women conducting online research stay the same, but we saw an increase in the percentage of Women making the phone call.  We are now seeing 60/40 Men to Women calling Action Furnace.

Now, let’s get into some concrete reasons you need to establish a strong brand for your home services business. 

Your Brand can be A Deciding Factor for Consumers

In a survey conducted by Global Nielsen in 2015, almost 60% of consumers said they actively buy from brands they know, and 21% said they purchased a product because they liked the brand. 

Creating a brand for your business provides aspects your target market can connect with that is more than simply your services. If your brand can resonate with consumers, it increases your chances of being remembered. Even if people don’t need your services when they see an ad or your website, they are more likely to reach out to your home services business in the future when they require an air conditioner or have plumbing issues, for example. 

Provides Marketing Support 

We mentioned this above - creating your brand is one of the first steps to creating your marketing program. When you create a recognizable brand, all of your marketing becomes more recognizable to your target market. 

Take the example with Action Furnace above. They have a distinguishable tagline and mascot, that when applied to any advertisement or marketing collateral, makes it very easy for consumers to tell its Action Furnace. Often people may even see the mascot before seeing the logo and know who the company is. 

Makes Your Business Memorable

Creating a unique and recognizable brand for your home services business makes you memorable. When people are looking for home services, it’s the face and personality of your company that will help you distinguish yourself from your competitors, not simply your services. Create a cohesive brand prevalent across your marketing channels such as your website, social media, newsletters, print advertising, and other marketing communications. 

Brings Your Employees and Contractors Pride

Creating a brand for your business helps to create a reputable, highly regarded image for your employees and contractors to represent. If you create a brand that strongly resonates with your team, they will be more willing to stand behind your business and will be more satisfied with their job in the long run.

Just like your brand personality is vital to attract new clients, it’s also essential to attract new employees and contractors. People are more likely to work with a brand they feel connected with and are happy to represent every day. 

You can also try to create uniforms your team members will want to wear outside of work. Make sure your uniforms are not tacky, and consider using comfortable and breathable fabrics.  If you can get your employees and contractors to wear a branded hat or shirt on their day off and feel proud to wear and represent your brand, this will bring your business even more visibility.

When you create a brand your team can stand behind, you will always be confident your business is being portrayed positively and consistently among your target market, competitors, and peers. 

Creates Trust for Your Business

The idea around trust and your home services business is simple - the more people trust your business, the more likely they will use your services. But what’s really at the core of this idea is that people need to trust your business, period. If there is no trust, there is no purchase. This idea is especially true for the home services industry as you work within people’s homes and on equipment that significantly impacts their daily lives. 

Matthew Tyson wrote, “Millennials are kind of in control now, and before long, they’ll be the number one market influencer. This means that at some point, brands and businesses are going to have to nix it with the advertisements and find a new angle—one that’s focused more on authenticity and value instead of the sale.” Tyson continued to say that “Millennials need to know you before they trust you. They want transparency.”

You must develop a brand that is easy for your target market to trust. Let’s take a look at our client, Ace Plumbing. Not only do they have an accurate picture of an individual people can relate to and resonate with, but their tagline is also “Happy Today or You Don’t Pay.” I don’t know about you, but if your business can’t stand behind this statement and have confidence in the work your employees and contractors do, then you probably wouldn’t be making it. 

Helps You Generate New Customers

The goal of creating a consistent and recognizable brand is to help you gain more customers. We’ve touched on this point already - if people can easily recognize and resonate with your brand, they are more likely to trust you, and in turn, book an appointment with you when they need one of your services. 

Your brand is also great for referral business. As we mentioned, your brand creates a consistent way to represent your business among your team, which works the same with your customers. If your employees and contractors always talk about your brand the same way, your customers will too. 

Now that we’ve talked about the importance of developing and maintaining a consistent brand for your home services business, let’s go over some important brand terms you should know. 

Brand Awareness

How familiar is your target market with your business and brand? Will they recognize your business if they see your mascot or hear your tagline? Once your company has high brand awareness, the answer to these questions should be yes. Other terms for a business with increased brand awareness include “trending” or “popular.” Ultimately, you want your business to be popular for your services in your local area, and creating a unique brand will help you do this. 

Brand Extension

If your plumbing company extended your brand and created a bathroom essentials tool kit for minor plumbing issues - this would be a brand extension. Essentially, you are expanding your core brand from its primary offering, plumbing services, into other marketing-consumer products. Generally, this is an excellent idea once you have achieved high brand awareness. 

Brand Identity 

Your brand identity is the personality behind your brand. Think about it this way, if your brand was a person, who would they be?

• How would your brand introduce itself?
• If your brand was a person you just met at a party, how would you describe them? Funny? Educated? Friendly? Outgoing? Approachable? 
• What are their likes and dislikes? 
• What are their values?

Creating a solid brand identity is one of the most critical factors for ensuring your target market feels connected to your business. It lays the foundation of who you are and helps you build a reputation, and in turn, earn more customers!

Knowing how to properly build a brand for your HVAC and Plumbing business can be overwhelming.  There are a lot of options available, and there are better options than others. There are also many factors we haven’t covered here, such as creating your brand from scratch, where to start, how to build brand credibility, and so much more. At ADHOME, we can take care of all of the steps, from creating to maintaining your unique brand.

Reach out to us to learn more or book a demo.

As much as word-of-mouth is crucial, customers need tangible evidence that they can trust your services. Online reviews have become a critical deciding factor in potential customers choosing your business. 

In 2019, a survey indicated that 82% of customers read online reviews of local businesses. Not only that, but 94% of online buyers said that a negative review persuaded them to avoid the company. As you can see, a positive presence on the internet is essential to stay competitive with other home service businesses. So, You want more reviews?

Here are 4 tips for getting more reviews from your happy customers.

Be in the Right Place

Your home service business needs to have an online presence on prominent social platforms, especially where customers can leave and find reviews. 

The most relevant platform is Google. One of Google's benefits and what makes the platform different is that it can make your business reviews appear if it deems the search "local." Your target demographic is more likely to find your business by having your reviews pop up for local searches on Google. But, of course, they need to be positive reviews to motivate people to book with you.  

 About two-thirds of shoppers will read Google reviews before visiting a company's website. So, be sure your business is set up correctly as a business with google. 

Other than Google, some other places customers might seek out reviews are Facebook, Yelp and Yahoo! With the number of facets to leave reviews increasing and the process becoming more comfortable, positive reviews are easier to come by.

Simplicity is Key

When asking for a review, you want your customers to do the least amount of work possible; they are doing you a favour at the end of the day. Here's how you can go about asking for a review and making it as easy as possible:

• Within a week of providing your services, call your client. Ask them if everything is working and if they have any questions or concerns.

• Kindly ask them for a review. Be specific, ask them if they would be willing to give you a review on Facebook. Let them know if you are looking for a lengthy review, a simple rating or if it's closer to a survey layout where they will be answering questions.

Within no more than five minutes of getting their consent of leaving you a review, you should email your customer with a clear link and guide for them to follow.

Properly Incentivize Your Customers

Businesses are implementing all sorts of incentives to get their customers to give reviews. Be careful when deciding to use this tactic. The purpose of reviews is to get authentic feedback from customers. If your business’ strategy begins to seem like you’re paying for reviews, you need to reevaluate your reviews system. Poorly motivated customers can result in fake reviews- and that hurts your business reputation.

Try these:

• Hand-out point credit to discount your services in the future 
• Offer quarterly draws in which a review enters them into a chance to win

Respond to Your Reviews- Especially the Bad Ones

Using these tactics will increase positive reviews, but it would be naive to think that negative reviews will no longer exist. Online customers are not only expecting businesses to respond to their reviews, but they want to see a prompt response.  
Responding to your reviews increases the likelihood of customers choosing your business. 80% of customers feel heard and cared about when management responds to their review. It also helps web visitors who are reading your reviews.

45% of consumers say that they’re more likely to choose service from a company that responds to negative reviews.

To Summarize

Reviews are the key to success for your home service business. With these above-noted tips, you can find a way to increase the number of reviews you receive from your happy customers. Of course, getting negative reviews is a consistent challenge, but with the appropriate response to criticism, you can continue cultivating a brand that makes you stand out from the rest.