2. Sell Your Story
People go to your website to learn more about your organization and what you’re all about. Tell them your story! Are you a locally owned company? Are you a family owned company? How long have you been in business? What certifications do you have? Do you give back to the community and are you involved in local non-profits?
These can all be differentiators when a potential customer is trying to choose between two different restoration companies by reviewing their website. Someone who connects with your story will not only be inclined to call you, but also may be committed to your services without receiving any other bids. Be sure to also post reviews & testimonials on your website. Statistics show that 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation.
3. Up/Cross Sell
How many times have you heard a customer say, “I didn’t know you offer those services as well.” Probably often. Your website is a great place for existing or future customers to see and read about other services you offer of which they may not have been aware. One of the fastest ways to increase your bottom line as an owner is to sell to an existing audience that already gives you their money. Reason being is because you have already built trust with them, and the cost of acquiring an existing customer for a different service is a fraction of the cost for acquiring a new customer entirely. So your new website shouldn’t only have your main services, but all the services you offer. Even if the services are close in comparison, you should still likely have pages or paragraphs clearly describing each service.
For example, many restoration companies don’t add much or any information regarding flood damage cleanup to their site. They think they’re covering that information on the water damage page. A new restoration website allows you to separate those services on different pages.
4. UX (User Experience)
Have you ever landed on a website that wasn’t mobile friendly, took an eternity to load, had buttons too small to press, directed you to broken links, hindered browsing with pop-ups, or was not easily navigable? What did you do? You probably left the site, right? You likely went to the next site that had a better user experience and purchased from them. The same thing happens when a potential customer is looking for water, fire, and mold damage restoration companies. If your site isn’t updated and feels clunky, say goodbye to that potential online customer calling you.
5. Sales Tool
One area that is underutilized in the restoration industry when it comes to a restoration website is using it as a sales tool. It is common for a restoration company to have one or more salespeople on staff who do outside sales. Typically they’re targeting insurance agents, adjusters, property managers, plumbers, commercial facilities, and others. What if you could post and update information on your website that is specific and helpful to the target audiences your salespeople are marketing?
For example, you could have an events calendar with social events and continuing education classes where target audience can register, you can keep this page updated so they have to consistently come back each time they want to register. Or, for your commercial clients, you could have an ERP platform where your commercial clients log in through your website and store vital property information and contact information. Both of these examples provide additional value-added benefits for your sales people’s target audience and keeps them coming back to your website while having your restoration company top of mind.
Another example is to have a restoration blog where you provide helpful tips and DIY advice on restoration topics that homeowners will keep coming back for. Not only is this information a great tool for bringing people back to your site, but it is also great information for you to share on your social media profiles and attract new people into your sales funnel.
5. Tracking
You can track everything that happens on your website, from how many visitors you had to their age, gender, location, interest, and behaviors. Wouldn’t it be nice to know if say 2/3 of your website visitors were females over the age of 40? Would that change how you spend your advertising dollars elsewhere?
You can also track when contact forms are being submitted and when people are calling your restoration company from your website. Wouldn’t it be helpful to track and record all phone calls (and ultimately sales) that your website is producing? With website tracking, we can begin to see what our true ROI is.