There are many factors which affect how well you can impinge on your consumer/customer base and turn them from window shoppers into buyers. A revealing survey of 100,000 homeowners (seeking contractors) by Houzz in 2013 illustrates some of these which apply specifically to the web.
Price
Only a mere 8% of homeowners said that finding a company with the lowest cost was very important. This is as illuminating as it is shocking, as our gut feeling is that price is the most important and chief concern of our customers. Apparently it is not. This tells us among other things that the ‘solution’ to making our services more sellable isn’t necessarily related to lowering prices.
Reviews
What was most important in choosing a company? 81% of homeowners surveyed said that a company with good reviews (online reviews that is) was a very important factor in their decision. This is very good news to the business owner, since leverage over online reputation and PR is easily achieved, and to a large extent under the control of the company itself. This means that businesses should get busy gathering positive reviews on their Google+ and Yelp.
Expert
70% of homeowners state that it is very important that the contractor/business be an expert in their field. This is understandable and easily demonstrated on the web by doing the following:
1) Displaying awards, certifications, extent of training and experience on main website
2) Photos of staff and projects which are professional, and inspire confidence
3) Authoring white papers, treatises, e-books, etc; anything which establishes you as an authority
4) Positive testimonials & good reviews
Personality
67% of homeowners demand that the contractor/company have a personality they can work with. You might think it is impossible to exude your personality (or that of your employees) through the web, but in fact you can:
1) Keep all social media engagement professional, friendly, and human
2) Keep all contact form/request form communication professional and friendly
3) Show cheerful pictures of you and your staff with happy & satisfied customers
Read the full 2013 Houzz survey here:
http://info.houzz.com/rs/houzz/images/Houzz%20%26%20Home%202013%20Report.pdf
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