Regardless of the relatively “new” marketing tools now in use, particularly Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, word of mouth has always been, and continues to be far and away the most effective method of winning new business.
No integrated marketing campaign, regardless of how well planned and executed, will have the credibility associated with one client recommending your services to another interested party.
As a builder, you may be qualified, but consumers are now wise to “marketing speak”. They are bombarded on a daily basis with advertising, news articles, junk mail and promotional items. So much so, that many of the messages now simply do not register with them and their effect is lost They are aware that these are simply marketing messages which are being pushed out by the brand or organisation, and are not necessarily true.
For this reason, it is vital that you include genuine testimonials on your website, alongside the marketing copy, if you can. Don’t be tempted to publish fictitious recommendations, as these will stand out a mile and you’ll lose all credibility. Instead, when you take on a new project, ask the client if they would be happy for you to use their full name, town, recommendation and photo. Giving them an incentive of perhaps a £100 discount on their job would make the offer much more inviting, and would be money well spent. These types of testimonials offer the most credibility – try to collect at least one for each type of project that you carry out, from home extensions to large construction projects, for maximum effect.
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