5 Tactics for Improving Your Online Reputation in 2023
Summary: The new year is the perfect time for property damage restoration and commercial cleaning businesses to hone their strategy for improving their online reputation. In this post, we outline 5 tactics they can focus on to accomplish this.
As the calendar turns from 2022 to 2023, businesses reflect on their results and look to improve upon them in the new year.
On the top of every business’s list of objectives is how to attract more, loyal customers. A key part of this is building a positive online reputation.
As we already know, consumers start their buying journey by going online to search for businesses that offer the products and services they seek. If you lack a presence online – no reviews, no conversations about your brand or incorrect location data – you don’t exist in the customer’s eyes.
For property damage restoration and commercial cleaning companies, what should your focus be for improving your online reputation?
Of course, you should always do the reputation management basics – such as asking customers to leave online reviews for your business, responding to all reviews and amplifying positive reviews.
However, we wanted to highlight ideas that can help you get ahead of the competition.
Below are 5 tactics for improving your online reputation in 2023.
1. Develop a customer experience field guide
Delivering a great customer experience consistently is important for getting more positive online reviews and driving more business. However, for businesses going into homes and commercial properties to perform property damage restoration and cleaning work, engaging with customers is more challenging for your employees than in other industries. And, even though they get the best customer experience training from you, it’s not uncommon for this crucial information to disappear from the top of their minds at the wrong time.
This is where having a customer experience field guide makes sense. It provides quick reference for employees to ensure they navigate critical customer interactions successfully in order to deliver that amazing experience every time. To design your guide, simply create a condensed version of your existing customer experience training. Include each step of your customer experience process and the keys to success your employees should focus on. Finally, ensure that your guide can be accessed by your staff via their mobile device.
2. Be the face of your business
Another effective tactic disaster restoration and commercial cleaning firms can use to boost their online reputation is for the business owner to be the face of the company. It’s important to remember that the old saying “people buy from people – not companies” is still true today. Further, they buy from people they like and trust.
A key part of this strategy is developing a personal brand that positions you as the go-to expert in your field. For this to work, you need to be in front of your ideal customers and referral sources all the time. Sure, we all get the opportunity to write an article or speak to a business group. But, for most, these opportunities are too few and far between to make the impact required in today’s hyper competitive environment.
You need to supplement these “offline” personal branding efforts by sharing your industry expertise online. Some effective ways of doing this are creating content on your LinkedIn profile, starting a podcast, producing a newsletter will help you stand out to your ideal B2B prospects and referral sources. Also, don’t forget the “personal” part of personal branding. That is sharing your why – what you are passionate about. (More on this in the next section.)
So, make a new year’s resolution to be the face of your business to help build a great online reputation 2023.
3. Leverage content marketing
Your online reputation is shaped by what people say about your business online – i.e., online reviews, conversations on social media, comments on blog posts, etc. If these conversations are not happening, it’s bad for your business.
With this in mind, businesses in the property damage restoration and commercial cleaning space should focus on content marketing in 2023. Your objectives are to get conversations about your brand and industry started online and you engaging with these posts. This will create more user generated content about your brand which is great for SEO and your online reputation.
What content should you create? Tell your story – what your business does, who it’s for, why you do it, etc. Demonstrate your expertise by highlighting you speaking at an event or leading a CE training. Include personal stories on why you got into this business and how you make a difference with clients.
How? Write blogs and articles, post videos, start a podcast (even if it’s just you talking to start). Also, frequently provide long form posts and downloadable docs. The key is to give this content away – don’t “gate” it.
Doing this will help you connect with your ideal customer and referral sources. The ultimate goal of your efforts is building a more positive online reputation.
4. Partner with a non-profit organization
Showcasing your businesses’ core values is another effective strategy for building a positive online reputation.
A great way to accomplish this is to partner with a non-profit organization that aligns both with your company values and the work you do. Since you work with consumers and businesses, disaster restoration and commercial cleaning companies are well-positioned for such a relationship.
When considering a co-branding partner, think of organizations that promote family home safety, disaster recovery, environmental protection. Many national organizations like the Red Cross or Habitat for Humanity have local chapters and representatives you can connect with to explore partner opportunities.
Work with your co-branding partner to come up with exciting events during the year that celebrates their mission and gets the local community involved. Once you find a partner:
- Get permission to use their branding on your website, social media and service vehicles.
- Invite customers, referral sources and local media to each event.
- Post photos and videos from each event as well.
Be sure to involve your employees to both participate in the choosing of the co-branding partner and get them excited about and involved in the program. These partnerships require lots of effort, but pay big dividends by boosting your online reputation.
5. Develop an online community with referral sources
It’s important to build a great online reputation to attract potential customers. However, property damage restoration and commercial cleaning businesses should also include referral sources in their reputation management strategy as well.
Referrals from insurance agents, property and facility managers, realtors, trades people and similar businesses play a critical role in the success of your business.
These referral sources want to send their contacts to businesses that will make them look good. If your business has a poor online reputation, these referral sources will know and are sure to send leads to your competitors as a result. That’s why working on building trust with this group is so important.
Your marketing and sales staff already regularly visits and provides continuing education and other training to referral sources. What you should do in 2023 is increase your exposure to this group by developing an online community.
LinkedIn is a great social platform for businesses to build online communities. Start by creating an ideal customer profile for each referral source type. Then reach out to those people and connect. Your online community can be formal, like starting a LinkedIn group, or informal, just you building a community through targeted connections over time.
The next step is to create content that is thoughtful and provides value to your community. Producing great content on a daily basis will build your credibility and grow your community. This in turn will lead to a positive online reputation for your business and make these referral sources want to send business to you.
Conclusion
As we look forward to 2023, focusing on strategies that improve your online reputation will again be critical to winning more customers.
If you operate a disaster restoration or commercial cleaning business, there are many options that you should consider pursuing in the new year to help you achieve this objective.
In this post, we outlined 5 tactics for improving your online reputation in 2023. What is your business doing or planning to do to build a more positive online reputation this year? Let us know in the comments below!
Need help with building your brand’s online reputation? ReviewIgnite specializes in helping businesses leverage their online reputation to get more positive online reviews, attract more customers and grow sales. See our online reputation management software in action. Click the button below to watch a demo now!
