I’ve written a few posts recently, and I guess the majority have been about one particular subject:
Marketing.
And with that in mind, you might be surprised to read my next statement.
Marketing isn’t the ‘be all and end all’.
I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s a bit of a strange thing for a marketer to say, but let me qualify it.
You see, marketing is important. VERY important in fact. Your business can’t really thrive without it.
But unless you combine it with something else, it won’t be anywhere near as effective.
You see, you can say whatever you want in your marketing. But, the reality is, whatever you say will very often be trumped by what your existing and past customers say.
People seldom buy in a vacuum these days, whatever it is they’re purchasing. This is especially so if you sell big-ticket items, with long sales cycles, which require a high degree of trust before purchase - which of course is the case for kitchens! It’s vital to remember this.
Your prospects might be consuming your marketing, but that’s not the only thing that informs their decision to buy or not buy.
Behind every single transaction is a hive of activity - fact checking, research and … seeking out relevant customer reviews.
Plus, what’s becoming clear to the digital marketing world over the last couple of years, is that Google favours businesses that acquire high volumes of reviews on their Google My Business platform. This activity gives Google greater confidence that those businesses are worthier of ranking higher in their search engine results.
So, what should you be doing?
Well, as a bare minimum, an established KBB business should have dozens of online reviews, with ideally, an average score of 4.5. If you don’t, the practical point is simple – you need to be more proactive and start soliciting reviews from your satisfied customers.
You should aim to do that when their gratitude is at its peak – soon after their kitchen has been completed. You need to be proactive, you need to be prepared to repeat your request, and you need to systemise the process as much as possible.
Having a large volume of high rating online reviews can make a big impact – in appearing in search results, and with the decision-making process. Good luck!
