Using Your Environmental Company's Website to Build Consumer Trust & Sales

Tuesday, August 18, 2009 by Paul-Cochrane

It's no big secret that customers buy from companies they trust.  Many indoor air quality (IAQ), mold and environmental businesses get good results from their brick-and-mortar business, but far fewer are as successful utilizing their website to create new business opportunities.  Certainly getting people to visit your website is important, but before you spend a great deal of time and effort driving them to the website, be sure it builds trust and gives them a reason to buy from you.

What exactly do I mean by this?  Well take a look at the web statistics for your website and view the number of people that actually buy your environmental service or products online versus those that just visit a page or two and go away, never to be heard from again.  For many companies the numbers may surprise you if you haven't previously done this exercise.  Prepare yourself because the percentage could be in the very low single digits or worse.

Also keep in mind that many consumers (both commercial and residential) may comparison shop on your website but ultimately buy from a more well known company.  If you are not known to the potential buyer then you are often automatically 'suspect'.  Most customers are willing to pay more to buy from a known and trusted entity on the internet.

It can be hard for a small or midsize company to compete on the internet with much larger and better branded companies.  There are however simple steps you can take to make your website build your brand and create consumer trust.

Your website needs to be able to make your potential customers confident that you will provide what you say you will provide in a way that will not disappoint them.  This is done by building trust.  Below are some basic areas, often overlooked, to consider on your website for the purposes of building trust with your visitors:

·  Review Content - Your website has to be error-free.  Misspelled words or incorrect grammar is not acceptable and immediately decreases your credibility.

·  Simple Navigation - Keep your customers in mind when designing navigation and keep it simple and clear.

·  Contact Information - When you visit a website and can find nothing but an 800 number and an email form do you have a great deal of trust in that company?  Most consumers don't either, so be sure to include your phone number, email and physical address.  This builds your credibility.

·  No Ads - Some websites include pop-ups and Google ads on their website.  Avoid this as it usually tends to cheapen the look and feel of a website.

·  Professional Design - Even a one man operation can have an affordable professionally designed website.  Consider using a professional if you are not skilled in this area.

·  Graphics & Content - The graphics need to be relevant and eye catching and the content short and to the point.  A website can easily be designed to have layers of additional information for those buyers that need more technical information.  Don't try to cram it all on one page.

·  Privacy - Most customers want to know their information is safe, both contact information and purchasing information if an online sale is to be made.  Consider clearly stating your policy online.

·  Follow Through - If your website allows customers to request additional information or have someone contact them, be sure to have the mechanisms in place to do it,  ideally immediately or at least within a few hours.

·  Testimonials - Ask customers for testimonials and permission to include them, and their names, on your website.  Testimonials without names or just partial names do not have the same ability to build trust as those that include a full name.

·  Certifications, Accreditations & Awards - List, ideally with logos, any special training or certifications your company and its employees possess.  Also consider joining trade organizations and such well known groups as the Better Business Bureau.

Cochrane & Associates, LLC, the environmental, mold and indoor air quality industries' only dedicated marketing, public relations and business development consulting firm has been working with clients in our industry for years to redesign or launch new websites.  "Taking the time to constructively critique your website can have huge payoffs down the road," reported Paul Cochrane, President of Cochrane and Associates.  "Quite often many of the changes that need to be done are quite small and simple, but the rewards could be huge," he continued.

These are just a few tips to help you market an environmental or IAQ business on the internet.  I hope you take a few moments to review your website and perhaps ask others not involved in your company to give you their input.  For those few of you who still don't have a website you could be missing one of your greatest marketing assets.