There is significant chatter on the web today. Conversations are taking place every single day, no matter what. Also, recall that sending a message online is as simple as a few clicks, and the cost to type and talk is negligible for the user. Social media and other internet applications make it where someone can quickly send out a viral message that can build or destroy brands.
That is why brands of all sorts, even homebuilding brands like yours, must account for the conversations around your brand taking place today. These conversations might talk about your home’s quality, the interactions with your management team, or other representatives in your organization.
What people are saying about you as a home builder will matter significantly as it is part of the more in-depth research process consumers are using when dealing with your home building brand.
How are you accounting for your online reputation as a home builder? Are you part of the conversation that is going on in the digital realm today? If not, reputation management for home builders is one aspect you should seriously consider in an increasingly digital world.
The legendary investor and long-term thinker, Warren Buffett, said “it takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you will do things differently.”
Reputation is even more important for home builders in an era where tweets and Facebook posts can rage for days like wildfires. Customers in the home building sector require more professionalism because they entrust you with something near and dear to their hearts and their homes. Thankfully, the digital industry enables you to use different tools to implement reputation management regimens.
Here’s what you need to know about reputation management and its overall importance in your business.
As a home builder, you have many different aspects to worry about, from dealing with the customers to engaging with new clients and, of course, building homes. Reputation management is the last thing on your mind.
But proper reputation management for home builders can be a boon to companies that use it wisely. In essence, reputation management is the practice of viewing conversations taking place in the online world and participating in an appropriate fashion.
Yes, in some cases, conversations can be positive, in some it can be negative, when it is negative, you must act professionally and with grace. Everyone wants to gravitate to good companies and people, so when you see good reviews and conversations, highlight it and amplify it. Sharing their positive comments and posts can help your brand attract more fantastic audiences.
As you can see, reputation management is offensive and defensive in nature, and it is still one of the most straightforward ideas in digital marketing. The idea here is to promote good stories and experiences while minimizing the negative stories.Yet, one point here is that reputation management can only go so far, you must prioritize good customer experiences and quality work. Recall that lower quality work and poor customer experiences will take much more reputation management work due to the frequency of complaints.
With reputation management, you are delivering fantastic experiences while managing the odd negative stories that may harm your home building brand. The strategy allows you to understand what caused negative stories, enabling you to avoid such processes or interactions in the future.
Let’s take a look at some key areas where conversations may be happening around your
People can express themselves on multitudes of platforms today. These hubs of conversation include:
You also want to be aware of places such as Angie’s List, Better Business Bureau, and other areas where people can review your home building services. We at Home Builder Marketing always advise our clients to monitor Facebook, Twitter, and a few core platforms that might be more popular within your niche.
We have learned that it is best practice more activity in places where you can engage and participate in the conversation. Reputation management can be very effective when there is a misunderstanding between you and the customer. Anxious and frustrated are present that will stay unhappy regardless of your actions but a majority of customers are more interested in communicating and finding simple resolutions.
This practice is more about making sure to address concerns, staying professional and showing that you do have the ability to stay transparent and take responsibility if needed. The customer may seemingly “always be right” but with proper reputation management for home builders, you can portray professionalism.
Always remember to appreciate people for their great reviews, as they are more likely to think about you and refer you to friends and family who are also looking for your services. Responding to positive people helps you to close the feedback loop and reinforce positive relationships.
When it comes to negative reviews, you will only engage to state facts, paint a more holistic picture professionally, while sympathizing with the misunderstanding and the feelings of the client. Always offer to speak more about the issues by leaving your office phone number or business email so that they can reach out to you directly and resolve the issues that they think they have. Of course, you can also contact them by asking them to send over the best contact information.
Recall that by participating in the conversation you are showing that you are customer centric and do what it takes to please the customer.
As noted earlier, reputation management for home builders is something that requires constant vigilance, dedication, and time commitment. That is why we work with several clients to manage their reputation online and implement simple and sophisticated tactics and strategies to improve their overall profile online.
We at Home Builder Marketing realize that the work we do means a great deal to our clients and so we make sure to invest the right resources into what we do.
Contact us at Home Builder Marketing today to see how we can help you meet your goals.
