Regardless of if you have ever considered it, in addition to whatever it is you specialize in, your company has a story to tell. Beginning from that perspective, are you controlling the story your company is telling, or are you allowing your potential clients to fill in the blanks for you? The digital footprint of your business is here to stay and the size of the foot is getting bigger! Rich Noonan, with Best of the Best Television, is an expert in investigating a business’s digital footprint and uncovering the best remodeling and construction companies in the nation. He knows how to sleuth the internet for businesses with the highest-rated and most honest reviews, the most personal and sincere websites, and with stories that need to be told — not only in words but with professional video!
Online review platforms such as Yelp!, Google, Facebook, Angie’s List, and so many more, have cemented themselves in our everyday lives and likely have formed lifelong habits for generations to come. As consumers, when was the last time you did not look at reviews before trying a new restaurant or hiring a contractor for your large remodel? All of these reviews, as well as your response to them, are telling your clients a story. As you begin your business, you are relying on any and all clients to write you a positive review, though the chances of this happening are small. When your company becomes established and you have 50-100 positive reviews floating around, clients should start to see common themes about your company’s positive attributes – communication, quality work, and professionalism, to name a few. Another story told to interested clients perusing the web is how your company responds to reviews – and you’d better be responding! When those occasional bad reviews come your way, don’t be shy – lean into them, try to fix the problem, and if you cannot, make another genuine effort to communicate with the client through the review. Noonan reminds us that, ultimately, the success or failure of any business’ online presence lies in the way a company chooses to respond – or not respond – to online reviews. “My really smart clients, who are very good at marketing, I noticed the common denominator when they get a bad review, is they say ‘I’m the owner of the company. Here’s my number. Call me. I will fix this problem,” Rich said. If you do not respond, you are allowing your customers to write the ending for you and it will likely not be a happy one!
When a client is looking for your services, they will likely end up on google or a review site, but most of the time, they will check one more thing before calling you – your website. If it is outdated, impersonal, too wordy, or unprofessional, you might not get the call. Noonan understands the difficulty of staying current, reminding us, “If we just keep our own house clean, (we’re asking) what’s our online brand? How often do you go to your own website? I’m guilty too. Sometimes I don’t go to my website for a month, then I look at it and think I just better make sure it’s still hot – (if) it’s still on.” Noonan also explained that he looks for pictures of the team and personal touches to make the connection between client and company more compelling. Oftentimes the website will be your only chance to make the best first impression – does the company look trustworthy, is the website professional, has it been updated recently? They are all pieces of the puzzle, and if you are missing one or two components, your potential client’s business could be going to a competitor.
Rich Noonan, using his experience as an investigative journalist in Philadelphia, is always looking for interesting stories to tell, and if you are not telling your story with a compelling video, you may be missing a chance to connect with your clients! Noonan explained that once he awards his video, along with the prestigious “Best of the Best” company, the recipients tell him that they had rarely if ever, considered producing a video. One such client told Noonan, “I would have never produced a video. That wasn’t even in my thought process, but when my wife and I cried after we saw the story that you did about the company that we built for 35 years with our sweat and tears and blood, how can we not have this video?” Sure, Noonan is an experienced storyteller, but he challenges us to see the stories that are all around us and share them with staff, fans, and clients! Noonan asks companies to consider: “What are the stories here? My construction supervisor son just won the State Championship in his Little League baseball. All those things boost the morale of the staff and make people like and trust you. In TV news we learned never let the facts get in the way of a good story. Kind of a funny thing. There are stories everywhere in companies. If you just ask yourself, are we telling our story? You’re too busy trying to make money to tell your story, but it’s simple.” Noonan has a way of stating what we all need to hear – in building a successful online presence, it is vitally important to remember that regardless of the size and nature of your business, you’re the one who gets to write your own story – either that, or somebody else will.
Listen to the episode here – https://usconstructionzone.com/ep-5-the-importance-of-writing-your-own-story-with-rich-noonan/
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