As the old adage goes — one bad apple can spoil the bunch. The same goes for reviews of your business; one bad review can overshadow 10 good ones. In the digital age, managing your reputation can be a challenge, but by proactively monitoring reviews, promoting the good and addressing the bad, you have the opportunity to gain customers. One review website —Angie’s List — focuses heavily on the service industry, and as a contractor, you would be remiss to ignore its benefits to employees in the tree care industry.
What it is
Angie’s List is a website that aggregates consumer reviews of service companies, including everything from doctors and dentists to lawn care providers and carpet cleaners. The site has about 1.5 million subscribers in hundreds of cities throughout the United States and Canada.
How it works
Subscribers to the service can pay a monthly or annual fee for unlimited access to reviews of businesses. Subscribers can also share reviews of any company they have hired for a service. Based on the compilation of reviews, Angie’s List grades businesses with report-card-style ratings —from A through F.
Getting listed
Angie’s List provides an opportunity for you to reach qualified customers who are actively looking for a tree care contractor. If your business is not already listed, the first step is to create a free profile through their registration page.
Creating a storefront
Once registered, you will be able to customize your “Storefront” with exclusive offers and deals to potential customers searching for tree care services. The site even allows subscribers to click on the offers and pre-pay for your services.
Managing your reputation
With exposure comes the opportunity for reviews, so you have to be prepared to monitor and react appropriately. Angie’s List will allow you to set email alerts every time a new review has been written about your business. You will get the chance to respond to reviews, both privately to the reviewer and publicly for all to see.
Leveraging the good
Giving a public “thank you” (and perhaps even a reward) to a positive reviewer shows the audience and the customer that you appreciate the business and are attentive after the sale. An excellent review may also be the ideal opportunity for you to utilize a testimonial quote for your marketing materials, but always ask permission of the customer before taking the liberty to do so.
Responding to the bad
Even one bad review can severely tarnish your reputation, so it’s in your best interest to try to get it removed. There are only three instances in which Angie’s List will remove a review: 1) If it was fraudulently posted; 2) If the reviewer asks Angie’s List to remove it; 3) If the reviewer successfully submits through the Angie’s List Complaint Resolution Process. If you feel you can solve the problem for the customer, it may be worth reaching out to them privately with an offer to do so. Under no circumstances should you tell the reviewer they are wrong — especially not publicly.
The sky’s the limit if you’re committed
Angie’s List also offers a number of add-on services such as online advertising, video listings and a complete toolkit to encourage happy customers to review your business. Joining Angie’s List could be an excellent way to find new customers, but once you’ve opened that door, you have to remain committed to managing the reputation of your
tree care business on the site.