7 Game-Changing Tweaks To Validate Your Trade & Construction Reviews.
How many times have you done this?...
Seen a review/s for a Trade and Construction company.
Could be on a website, on social media, even a printed brochure.
And questioned the integrity of it.
Whether it’s real or not.
100’s of reviews that all say the same thing…
‘Highly recommend.’ – Happy client.
Bullsh*t.
Well we wouldn’t blame you for thinking it.
We all do it.
Especially nowadays.
In a world where we know there are so many fake reviews out there.
I’ve been in earshot of companies asking others to leave them a review when all they’ve done is met each other once at a networking meeting – never worked for or with that person.
Insane.
So given the sceptical state of minds we all have, to part with our hard earned cash, we need to feel like what we are reading is all true.
And there are many, MANY ways of doing this.
But let’s start with the fundamental basics.
7 game-changing tweaks you can easily do to help validate your reviews when using them in your marketing.
1. Include Client Names With Your Testimonial.
I’ve seen so many Trades do this on their websites and social media.
Repurpose a review someone has left them on Google or Facebook or LinkedIn.
They do this by taking a snippet of it and create a graphic for social media or a section on their website.
Putting the words the client said about them, front and centre.
Great.
But that’s it.
No name for reference.
Now, you might think this isn’t anything major.
We got to read the words that were said about the Trade and Construction business.
But let me tell you, this is the worst way of repurposing a review.
Even when they are 100% genuine.
Actually, even worse when they are genuine.
As you are invalidating them.
Because the first thing we do, as potential future clients, is doubt its authenticity.
We think you’re making it up.
And you know what’s awful? I’ve seen agencies who manage websites and social media for their Trade and Construction clients and even they forget/don’t put a name against the review.
Shocking.
The first step in making sure we are on our way to build that know, like, trust factor – which is so important especially for a Trade and Construction business - is by not questioning the good things that appear to be being said about you.
So put a name against your review.
Suddenly, there’s a person associated to it.
And your business becomes ‘human’.
Good things come of it.
2. Include a Photo Of Your Client With Your Trade And Construction Reviews.
A great way to validate your reviews when using them in your marketing is by using a photo of the client alongside the text review.
When we can see a face with the written word, we instantly become less sceptical about whether it’s real or not.
Why?
Because suddenly your Trade and Construction business becomes accountable and transparent.
Every client’s dream.
Now.
Before you go using headshots you’ve plucked from your client’s social media profiles to use all over your business, here’s a couple of things to be mindful of...
❌ Never use a photo of your client without their permission!!
✅ ALWAYS get your client’s permission to use their photo in your marketing.
✅ Get that permission in writing.
✅ Let your clients submit their own photo to you.
So.
Never use a photo of a client without getting their permission first.
It could land you in serious hot water.
How might you feel if your face was plastered all over someone’s brochure and the first you find out of it is when it lands on your doorstep?
After landing on 10,000 other people’s first.
Likely, not too chuffed.
It's just common courtesy.
And there may be a very good reason why someone isn’t comfortable having their face all over the internet or in print.
Do the right thing.
Get permission first.
Once the client tells you they are happy, get it writing.
➡️ NON-NEGOTIABLE.
Why?
Because it covers you.
What if they change their mind?
After you have spent hundreds or even thousands of pounds having drop-dead gorgeous brochures designed and printed, featuring them.
What if they decide to take legal action against you?
Well, if you have it in writing that they gave their full permission to use their photo for your marketing and you have that document to hand, I’m going to guess any legal proceedings might lean much more in your favour?
🔴 This is not legal advice because we are not lawyers. Though a career change could be fun.
I’ve always encouraged our Trade and Construction clients to always be extra vigilant.
And make sure you get permission from clients when it comes to featuring them in your marketing, in writing.
To cover one’s arse.
And why is it better to let your client submit their photo to you?
So they feel more comfortable, considered and respected.
Choosing a photo of themselves they are happy for other people to see.
You, jumping onto their social media page and choosing an image they’ve been tagged in that they absolutely hate of themselves is not going to leave a great after taste with your them.
It could even ruin a relationship.
From a repeat customer.
Let them submit a photo to you.
It could also very much work out better for you anyway.
They may have some much higher quality shots of themselves that make your marketing look even stronger.
Win win.
3. Use Photos Of The Completed Work Alongside Your Trade and Construction Reviews.
A great way to validate the review but also to validate your work.
Use photographs of the work you have completed for said client alongside said client’s review.
These ideas are not rocket science. 🚀
And are super easy for you to do if you have taken the time, care and attention at the end of a job to document your great work on site.
And if you haven’t?
Ask your clients if they have any shots they can share with you.
You could always ask your clients if you could come back at a later date to take some snaps or – better still – bring along a professional photographer to capture the work for you if it’s an Ideal Client job.
How great does it look on your website when your client is saying how much they love their new teal kitchen – especially the gold finishes.
Because it matches the artwork they have on one of the walls that a family member created for them with huge sentimental value.
And next to that review on your website – lo and behold – is the photo of said kitchen with said gold finishing and said artwork on the wall.
Well.
You couldn’t make this stuff up really, could you?
Not only does your review appear well and truly validated, but we’re seeing the finished result in action.
And how you’ve now made someone’s kitchen meaningful.
👌🏽 Brand and marketing at its finest.
4. Include the Company Name Of Your Commercial Trade and Construction Reviews.
Perhaps you are a Commercial Trade and Construction business.
Or you offer Domestic and Commercial services in your business.
Where you’re dealing with companies instead of individuals.
And within each company, you deal with lots of different people.
(Did you know that if you do, you may have multiple review opportunities on the table? If this is you, find out how best to get more reviews for your business here.)
Well.
When you are showcasing your commercial reviews and testimonials across your marketing, make sure that you include the company name.
This is great news for you if the company you are serving are reputable or have a famous brand.
Why?
Because people are going to presume that a great company with an incredible brand areonlygoing to work with the best.
And they’ve worked with you.
Which is why you need to be extra careful about the reviews you promote.
🔉 If you have served a company who are currently receiving bad press or notoriety for the wrong reasons, think twice about using their review in your marketing.
Branding often works by association.
And you don’t want your brand to be associated with anything or anyone negative.
But for exceptional companies… then promote away!
Especially for the big guys.
We have Trade and Construction clients who have won contracts with Nando’s, Amazon, and Elstree Studios – to name but a few.
So for our clients to showcase reviews from big, established companies like these, aligns their brand with them.
💥 Use it for marketing leverage!
We usually also put the name of the person we were dealing with who wrote the testimonial along with the company too.
For all the reasons mentioned in point number one.
5. Include the Company Logo Of Your Commercial Trade and Construction Reviews.
Here's why…
⭐️ We identify the company more easily. (We may recognise the logo whilst not knowing the company name).
⭐️ Looks more professional.
⭐️ More eye-catching.
⭐️ Creates familiarity.
⭐️ Great visual addition to your piece of marketing (be it your website, brochure, etc).
Our brains take in images 60,000 times faster that text.
And time is everything in marketing.
We usually make up our minds about something in 3 seconds from impression.
So, use logos as visual aids to validate your testimonials to the fullest.
Courtesy is also to ask permission from the company to use their logo within your marketing.
Much will be the case that companies will be more than happy for you to (if they have been happy with your service) as it’s additional promotion for them.
Some may have strict rules about how and where their logo is used.
So always good to check.
And as before.
Get this in writing too.
Team the logo with the name of the client, a headshot and a photo of the work completed and you get a Gold Star.
Ticks all the testimonial/review boxes.
6. Include the Locations Of Your Domestic And Commercial Trade and Construction Reviews.
Easy one.
Include the location of your client.
For example.
If you’re a domestic Trade and Construction business serving individuals, you are not going to list someone’s address alongside their testimonial.
In case you were thinking of doing that… don’t. ❌
But to add a little more meat to the bone, add the location.
Denzel Washington, Enfield.
Tiger Woods, Croydon.
So why is this helpful?
Well let’s take a social media graphic as an example.
You’ve set up a branded testimonial graphic with the client’s name.
All looks great.
But if you add the location too, for those people on social media who are not in your audience, but who stumble across your graphic, they can see exactly where you serve.
If you run a Tree Surgery company and on your graphics we can see you have a happy Client in Central Birmingham, then other people in Central Birmingham who see it know you serve their area.
Meaning they are more likely to pick up the phone or jump on your website.
Adding locations to your Trade and Construction reviews is a great way to add a little more additional, but not too personal, information for Domestic clients.
For Commercial clients it’s REALLY powerful.
You may well have served the Leeds branch of a franchise business with your commercial cleaning business.
A company like Howdens.
Where managers are given the freedom to run their sites as if they are independent.
Meaning they get to choose their own suppliers.
Like their cleaning team.
If they go onto our client’s (who already works with a number of Howdens Branches) website, do you think they are going to be more likely to enquire with her if they see she has been working with other Howdens branches?
And to quickly and easily see what locations she has served, so they can touch base with the managers there (of whom they maybe know) and get a quick low down on her company?
Or if they already know that manager (that has been named with their accompanying headshot and a photo of the inside of their store that this person recognises), does it mean they might actually jump straight on the phone to make an enquiry, given our cleaning company is familiar with the layout of the store and the standards that are expected?
Most likely.
Or if they see MULTIPLE Howdens testimonials on the website with DIFFERENT locations stated, proving she already serves a NUMBER of sites, would that go in her favour?
Yes.
More than likely.
Highlight the location.
7. Capture Video Testimonials For Your Trade And Construction Business.
Here’s one form of testimonial that’s hard to argue with.
Video Testimonials.
Capturing your client themselves, on camera, telling us about their experience with your business.
Where the video even shows us the finished product or result that you have helped your client achieve.
📹 Done correctly, Video Testimonials tick every single box for Trade and Construction businesses in our opinion, because…
✅ We get to see smiling, happy clients.
✅ We hear exactly how you have changed their life or business.
✅ You can feature your finished work on the video.
Check out ‘The Ultimate Trades & Construction Video of All Time’ to see exactly how it should be done.
Professional Video Production is always a worthwhile investment.
You could have a couple of show-stopping, professional videos created for your business - that feature front and centre on your website or social media - and these bad boys will do so much of your brand and marketing heavy lifting for you.
Want to know more about professional videos for your Trade and Construction business?
Then take a look here.
But if your business isn’t at a place where you can bring a pro team in just yet, then no need to sweat.
Thanks to the modern world we live in, you can make your own.
Or better still, have your client make it for you.
📱 All you need to get started is a camera phone.
Ask your client if you can take a video of them (in their new kitchen or enjoying the new space in their office) and tell us exactly what they thought of your workmanship and the quality of service you provided.
Or ask your client – if they are a little more tech savvy – to make you a selfie video telling us exactly what they thought with a ‘walk through,’ showing us the job you completed in the background.
Not everyone will agree to getting on camera.
And we should never put pressure on anyone to do so.
But you won’t know until you ask.
Create yourself a library of these self-generated videos and, in the future when you’ve got a bunch of them, you might even feel savvy enough to stitch them altogether via a video editing app to make a medley video of all your very happy, ideal clients.
Talk about testimonials doing all the hard work for you.
Marketing? Sorted.
⬇️ 7 GAME-CHANGING TWEAKS TO VALIDATE YOUR TRADE AND CONSTRUCTION REVIEWS RUNDOWN:
1. Include client names.
2. Include a Photo of your Client (with permission).
3. Use Photos of the completed work alongside reviews.
4. Include the company name of your Commercial client reviews.
5. Include the company logo of your Commercial client reviews.
6. Include the Locations.
7. Capture Video Testimonials.
Need a little more help nailing reviews for your Trade and Construction business?
Course you do.
Want bite-size tip videos on how to get more reviews? Yes.
What about knowing where to put them, time-saving tricks to get them and ideas on how to they can do much of the hard selling for you? Let me at it.
How about done-for-you COPY & PASTE templates to get MONEY-MAKING reviews from your current and past clients? (Because ‘Great job. Highly recommend’ is dull and NOT a game-changing review for your Trades business). You read my mind!
You need our TRADES REVIEW TOOLKIT… your COMPLETE guide to managing reviews.
Ready to 2X, 5X or even 10X the number of reviews in your Trades business?
Get your toolkit now.
