The first thing a potential client will see is your homepage. Since your client won’t get to meet you until after you’re hired, your homepage will define your image. So, make it a good first impression. Consider putting images of yourself in action, performing different types of inspections, or maybe a simple image of you standing in front of your inspection vehicle. Be sure to smile and appear confident. Look at some sample images at
https://www.nachi.org/images.htm.
You can’t judge a book by its cover, but many readers do, so reconsider using your picture if you:
- look very overweight. It implies that you can’t inspect the crawlspace.
- look very young. It implies that you are inexperienced.
- look like a mass-murderer.
Keep your picture as simple as possible. Consider using digital air-brushing to touch up your picture. Don’t wear a tie. Don’t wear a t-shirt. Try to find a middle ground, such as a nice collared shirt with the top button undone.
Here are some images
inspectors should use on their websites:
- The inspector is lying on his back in a crawlspace with his flashlight aiming upward. What message does that image convey? "I look carefully in places that most people don't."
- The inspector is wearing eye protection and gloves while opening an electrical panel. What message does that image convey? "My work is dangerous, but I'm careful."
- The inspector is holding an IR camera or a gas leak detector. What message does that image convey? "I bring specialized tools to the inspection."
- The inspection report pages are fanned out on a table, and some have annotated color photos. What message does that image convey? "My report is detailed, yet easy to understand."
- The inspector is being presented with the Certified Master Inspector® award. What message does that image convey? "I am the best and proud of it."
- A wall is shown covered with inspection course Certificates of Completion. What message does that image convey? "I value training and Continuing Education."
- The inspector is standing next to the sign on his dedicated inspection vehicle while wearing a shirt with his business logo. What message does that image convey? "I'm a full-time inspector."
Remember: A picture
is worth a thousand words.
Try this experiment
when you start building your inspection website: Do the entire thing using only
images and no text. Imagine that the images you use are chapters in a book, and
that each image has to tell part of your story. Don't use any text at all—just
build your entire website using images that convey a series of messages, and
together tell a story... your story.
If you can do that, you're really only one small step away from having an awesome website. Your next step would be to add supporting text.
Tool #9: Download My Inspection Brochure Button
Tool #10: Inspection Agreement Link
Embed HTML code into your website to allow clients to access their inspection agreement. If you cannot embed the HTML yourself, send this code to your host/web designer, and she/he will know what to do with it. Visit
https://www.nachi.org/onlineagreement.htmTool #11: Consumer Guide Videos
Tool #12: What Really Matters Video
Tool #13: Illustrations
Add illustrations to your website to help communicate details about the systems and components included in your home inspection. Visit
https://www.nachi.org/gallery to download illustrations.
Tool #14: Facebook
Create a Facebook page to drive traffic to your home inspection business website. It’s a great way to connect with existing clients and attract new clients. It’s like an informal blog. Messages can be informal and quick. Make sure you have the URL to your inspection business website in your profile. You want folks who visit your Facebook page to click through to your business website, where they can find much more information about your services.
People on Facebook
do basically three things:
- make friends;
- tell friends what they are doing; and
- get updates from friends on what they are doing.
It’s a great idea to ask each of your satisfied customers to post a quick referral to friends, which can lead to referral after referral. The power of Facebook is amazing. No other advertising tool comes close to making so many people look at your brand every day. Facebook friends read each other's messages every day. Posts are read daily. And friends trust each other. What is being said is trusted as factual, because they trust their close network of friends.
You can imagine many
years ago, before Facebook, when your satisfied client would tell a couple of their friends about their home inspection experience. They’d share in passing what they
thought of your service. There would be very little chance that a short conversation would have any significant, positive impact on your business.
But today, that same satisfied customer can share their experience on Facebook
with a hundred of their friends.
Here are some general tips to follow:
- Keep your business Facebook page interesting.
- Don’t post more than twice a week.
- Keep your posts short and fun, but relevant.
- Don’t write personal stuff.
- Pictures or video of satisfied clients are excellent to share.
- Special events or offers often work well.
Tool #15: Link Your Website to Google+ and YouTube
You'll want to upload video testimonials and short inspection videos to your YouTube Channel.
Tool #16: SEO Listing Tool
InterNACHI has developed our
Local SEO Listing Tool for Home Inspectors (members-only login required). This tool makes it easy to tie your InterNACHI listing to your Google Places listing, which will help ensure that you get the most benefit possible from your listings on our
Find an Inspector page,
InspectorSeek, and the thousands of other sites that InterNACHI operates.
Tool #17: Embed a Custom Online Video
Embed a custom online video ad on your website. InterNACHI produces custom online video ads to help inspectors market their home inspection businesses. Order your video by visiting
InspectorOutlet.com For more information, contact Erik at
erik@internachi.org.
Tool #18: Ancillary Services
List your individual
inspection services for which you may charge extra, and write a brief
description for your clients if the
service is not self-explanatory. These inspections may include mold,
radon, deck, garage, commercial property, pool & spa, WDO/pests,
thermal imaging, child safety,
aging-in-place, green building/features, private wells, septic systems,
outbuildings, historic homes, mobile/manufactured homes, new home
construction
and/or draw-down inspections, multi-unit housing, rural properties,
Move-In
Certified™ Seller Inspections, etc.
Read about our ancillary inspection marketing campaign at
nachi.org/ancillary (free for members).
Tool #19: Specialties and Features
List the other specialties and features of your business not stated previously that make you unique or unusual compared to other inspectors in your service area. For example, do you have a wraparound on your truck that readily identifies you? Do you offer One-Year Builder's Warranty Inspections on new builds? Do you inspect built-in and/or portable appliances (if not required by your state)? Do you offer referrals to green contractors who can perform energy upgrades? Do you offer consultations for EEMs or HUD 203Ks? If you're a Florida inspector, do you perform Wind Mitigation or 4-Point Inspections? Do you offer fast turnaround of lab testing results for mold sampling? Do you inspect for special types of events, such as earthquake preparedness or post-disaster inspections (floods, storms, etc.)? Do you offer energy inspections, green building inspections, or log home inspections? Be sure to let your prospective clients know about them.
Tool #20: Customer Service Conveniences
List your customer service conveniences. For example, do you have staff that answers phones during regular business hours while you’re out on inspections? Do you offer evening and/or weekend appointments? Do you take payments by credit card? Do you encourage clients to attend your inspections so that you can answer their questions? Do you provide a free copy of Now That
You’ve Had a Home Inspection, the home maintenance book, with your report? Are you pet-friendly? Do you include a $10,000 Honor Guarantee™?
Tool #21: Credit Cards
Accept credit card payments from clients by getting free merchant accounts at
nachi.org/free-merchant-account (free for members). Put the credit card images on your website, particularly on the page that is about scheduling their home inspection.
Tools #22: Home Maintenance Book
Give each client a copy of InterNACHI's
Now That You’ve Had a Home Inspection, the ultimate home maintenance book, which you read about at
nachi.org/now Put the image of the book's front cover on your website.
Tools #23: $10,000 Honor Guarantee™
Provide each client with a $10,000 Honor Guarantee™ at
nachi.org/honor (free for members). Put the logo on your website.
Tool #24: "We'll Buy Your Home" Guarantee
Tool #25: $10,000 Negligent Referral Guarantee
InterNACHI is so sure of its inspectors that it will indemnify any licensed real estate agent in an amount up to $10,000 if a third party successfully sues the agent for negligent referral of an InterNACHI inspector. Visit https://www.nachi.org/agent-indemnification.htm Put this information on a page of your website that is just for licensed real estate professionals. Tool #26: Inspection Reports
Put a downloadable sample report on your website. Below that sample report, you can list the unique and special aspects of your inspection reports and/or features of your report
delivery. For example, do you deliver on-site or same-day reports? Do you offer
electronic reports that can be emailed or downloaded? Do your reports include narratives in
addition to checklists? Do your reports include digital photos and/or thermal
images for comparison? Do you provide online videos or DVDs of your
inspections?
Tool #27: Home Energy Report™ (U.S. members only)
Tool #28: Certificates of Completion
Personalized Certificates of Completion are available for use by all InterNACHI members every time they complete a course and pass its final exam. Each comes with the member's own name.
Download custom certificates and add the certificate images to your website.
Tool #29: Education Transcript
Add your InterNACHI education transcript to your website. You will have to be able to edit the HTML code of each page you want to add it to. If you cannot edit the HTML yourself, send this code to your host/web designer -- he or she will know what to do with it. Visit https://www.nachi.org/account.htm to access the embed code.
As you complete more courses, your transcript will automatically update on your website.
Tool #30: Words That Sell
Use words that sell. There are certain words that sell inspection services:
- "You" and "Your": Talk directly to the reader. Instead of writing, "Our clients receive the inspection report..." try, "You will receive your report..."
- "I": If you are a one-man operation, say so. Customers seek personal service. Instead of writing, "Our company's goal is... " or "We at ABC Inspections seek to..." try, "I will perform..." Visit https://www.nachi.org/promise.htm.
- "Easy": Home buyers don't want their lives made more difficult at this time. So, write: "The report will be easy to read and understand."
- "Certified": Anyone can say whatever they want about themselves. The word "certified" is the ultimate testimonial. Use this word.
- "Benefit": Most home inspection brochures state the benefit of a home inspection. However, they neglect to actually include the word "benefit." So, perhaps write, "As an added benefit, ABC Inspections..."
Tool #31: Veteran
List some of the personal details relevant to your business that you think may be of benefit to your marketing. For example, are you a veteran? Have you been a resident of your community for many years? Do you give back to your community by volunteering for or donating to local nonprofits, sports teams, youth organizations, etc.? (This may also be considered part of your business philosophy.)
Tool #32: Tagline
Do you have or use a tagline, your own or one of InterNACHI’s?
Tool #33: Languages
Are you (or anyone on your staff) fluent in any language(s) besides English? By the way, many of InterNACHI’s inspection-related articles at
nachi.org/articles are also in Spanish and French. And InterNACHI’s home maintenance book,
Now That You’ve Had a Home Inspection, is available in English and Spanish at
nachi.org/now.
Get the Spanish edition of
Now That You've Had a Home Inspection, InterNACHI's home maintenance book for your clients, at
nachi.org/now.
Tool #34: Discounts
Don’t include an attached discount coupon as part of your website. Don’t make your client print out and present a $20 coupon when they are buying a several-hundred-thousand-dollar house. You should also visit
https://www.nachi.org/convert.htm.
Tool #35: First-Time Home Buyer-Friendly
Advertise yourself as First-Time Home Buyer-Friendly at
nachi.org/first-time (free for members). Put the logo on your website.
Tool #36: Video Testimonials
Here’s how you get your client to give you the testimonial. Before the inspection begins, say to your client something like, “When we finish the inspection, I’m going to ask you for something -- a video testimonial. I’d like to take it with my camera here -- just a few seconds about your home inspection. So, what I’m going to do right now is my best inspection. I’m going to do the best home inspection that I can do. My goal is to earn that testimonial. Okay?”
Then, at the end of the inspection, turn on your camera. Don’t worry about the audio or video quality. It doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, it SHOULD look and sound rough because it’ll be more authentic-looking on your website.
Video testimonials: almost no one is doing them. On your website, upload 10 videos, and when you’re talking with a potential client, say, “Visit my website and see for yourself. I’ve got a hundred testimonials, but I put up just a few…”
Having someone else speak highly of you and your services is absolutely the most effective form of marketing that exists on the planet.
If you don’t have video testimonials on your website, you’re going to lose to someone who does.