I'm sure you know this, but let's get it out the way right up front. First, make sure you have the basics covered: You have professional-looking home inspection website that showcases your credentials and services, with an easy way for people to get in touch with you You have a logo, business cards, and brochures You have a commitment to networking with the people that can bring you business (realtors, builders, bankers, Chamber of Commerce) Your business is listed correctly in directories, such as Google My Business and other industry resources You always ask for referrals I'm going to assume you've got that down, and you've set up your social media (Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) in order to get your message out. Now let's leverage all those assets and platforms and add in some video ...Read More
Digital marketing plays a significant role in growing a business online, albeit when it is strategically done. When it comes to it, there are many acronyms business owners may find confusing, from SEO to KPI to SERP. However, apart from ROI, another basic acronym any business owner should know about is NAP. The BASICS What does NAP stand for? The acronym NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone number. Think for a moment about your business website like that of a brick-and-mortar store. You've got a physical location, your business name, and a contact number for customers to reach you. This information is essential for any business to get known for by customers or prospects when they look for your products or services The NAP for your business is a basic and essential component for yo...Read More
What is ADA Compliance? American business or company owners are becoming more aware that their online presence needs to meet Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance. Hence, the term "ADA compliant" in which the US Department of Justice has implemented enforcement efforts to prohibit discrimination of people with disabilities and provide them equal opportunities, whether it be for purchases of goods and services, job employments, and participation in State and local government programs. Americans with a range of disabilities include, but are not limited to, people with speech, hearing, and visual impairments who find it hard to access or use websites. Who needs to be ADA compliant? Since the ADA standards apply to entities that have "places of public accommodation," you might ask –...Read More
What is an ADA Compliant Website, and Why is it Important for Your Business? The ADA or the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities, including physical and mental conditions. It covers several areas, including, but not limited to, transportation, employment, public accommodations, and communications. It applies to things like adding braille to public signages or making buildings accessible by wheelchair. Although the law was written way back, it is now being applied to websites. What is ADA compliance for websites? ADA compliance requires businesses and site owners to have the necessary standards to make sure their websites are accessible to everyone. Its purpose is to ensure that all websites provide re...Read More
The answer is YES! Your prior clients are your best referral sources. When you do a good job for them, they want to sing your name out to anyone they know who is looking for a home inspector. But, if you don't stay in touch with them, after some time, they will forget you, even if you did a Spectacular Job! So stay in front of your prior clients with some sort of consistent email newsletter. The Savvy Inspector has a Great program that is almost like, Set It and Forget It! Click to learn more!
On our Member's Only Monthly FAQ Call, this question was asked about Google My Business: Question: What percentage of business should a home inspection company aim for from Google Search? Answer: According to a new report, 97% of people search online to find local businesses, and Google is by far the market leader. A typical business receives 59 actions from their GMB listing each month. Google identifies an action as a website click, call or direction request from users. 85% of Consumer Engagement Happens on Local Pages. The average business receives 1,009 customer searches each month, with 84% of these coming from discovery searches, and the remaining 16% from direct. This is one of our client's GMB Insights over the last 30-Days: 2,450 Searches (The average business receives 1,009 custo...Read More
Scammers use email or text messaging tactics to trick people into believing that their business website has been compromised. Some messages may demand that you remove what deems to be illegally acquired website photos. You may receive an email stating that your system has been taken over and can be retrieved in exchange for money. An "urgent" message from your bank may state that you've won the lottery. These schemes "bait" you with trust or fear and persuade you to take action with a sense of urgency to download and install unwanted software – often bundled with popular free downloads. These cybercrimes are referred to as phishing and malware attacks. WHAT IS PHISHING? Phishing is a cyber-attacking method that uses deceptive e-mails, pop-ups, banner ads, and websites to gain illicit...Read More
As technology advances, so do the scammers. They are becoming more professional in pursuit of obtaining access to user accounts and getting control of victims' devices to perform malicious intents. Recent client reports claim phishing emails have been received from a cyberattacker pretending to be a professional photographer or illustrator by the name "Mel" or "Mellie," "Melvin," "Melinda," "Melissa" or any other variations including the last name, aggressively claiming you have copyrighted images on your website. Some reported personas such as Loretta, Simone, and Christy. The sender writes and threatens to file a complaint with your hosting company and sue you. This classic phishing scheme has the intent to elicit an emotional response from users and trick them into clicking a link. The ...Read More
E-mail cyber attacks are on the rise. According to a case study, Google has registered over 2.1 million phishing sites as of January 2021. This is up by a staggering 27% in a little over 12-months and has become an increasingly common day-to-day struggle for businesses affecting over 75% of organizations worldwide. In Q1 and Q2 of 2020, scams related to COVID-19 have significantly caused the ramp-up resulting in an increased percentage (112%) of incidents involving payment and fraud. These cyber-attacks trigger business data breaches that result in severe consequences that include reputational damage, financial losses, loss of consumer confidence, and loss of company value, among others. For individuals, phishing and malware attacks lead to devastating results that include identity theft, ...Read More
Have you ever received an email saying you are violating someone's copyright-protected image(s)? Usually, it will come from a Contact form or some other type of form on your website. It will look something like this official notification email below: The purpose is to scam you into downloading a virus, so be aware of these types of emails. Look at the email, look at the email address, read through the email, do you see mistakes and bad grammar? These are signs that it's not a true email but a bot or phishing/spam/malware type email. Do not interact with the email at all. Especially, do not open or download anything in an email from anyone you don't know. The best thing to do is to Delete any email that looks like a Scam. If you're wondering, then it probably is… If you have questions...Read More
Have You Set Your Business Plan For Next Year? Businesses were among the first to feel the drastic changes that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. But, along with the rapid change is also the development of our adaptive capabilities. 9-months ago were full of uncertainties, and thriving turned to survival for most. Yet, now we have bounced back, adapted, and pivoted in a way that we never thought we could. With this "new normal," we can only anticipate the challenges that lie ahead. Nonetheless, going forward is the only option to harness ourselves and our business' growth for the coming years. Now that this historic year is about to end, a new question lies, "How Do I Get My Business Ready For 2021?" Before you answer that question, think first about how you can strengthen the remainin...Read More
From Zero To 500! Here's a guy with no formal Business Plan to guide him in his first year in business and yet he conducts over 500 inspections that year. When I talk to students who are graduating from the major Home Inspection Schools I tell them if they can do 100 inspections in their first year in business then they are "Superman". So Bill must be King Kong! Bill's gut instincts and raw determination to succeed carried him through the tough days he had in his first year. While the sound quality of this recording might not be perfect, the material is Gold. I know that you will want to listen to this CD more than once because Bill lays out tons of "Information Nuggets" you can use to grow your own business.
What's Working Now With Melissa Rodgers Of SEC Inspections! Today we're talking Relationship Marketing. Here are some of the things Melissa shared in this information packed interview… What type of marketing SEC did before they started their Relationship Marketing Campaign. What made them decide to start doing Relationship Marketing. What specific Relationship Marketing Strategies they are engaged in. Which Relationship Marketing Strategies are working well and which didn't work so well. What implementing Relationship Marketing has done for their firm's sales. Plus a whole bunch more… So grab your pen and a piece of paper, so that you can capture all of the 'Gold Nuggets" in this interview!