According to a survey by BrightLocal (a marketing software development company), 86 percent of consumers read reviews for local businesses. As a contractor, you’ll want to pay attention to this statistic. Most people look at online reviews before they decide what products and services they will buy and from whom they will buy them. Therefore, online reviews are essential for doing business in this digital world.

Some customers—being proactive—will post reviews on websites such as Facebook, Google My Business, Yelp, Angie’s List, Houzz, and others. But some may need prompting.

How can you get more of your customers to share about their stellar experience with you?

Just ask!

Seventy percent of customers that are asked to write a review will write one, according to BrightLocal’s survey.

Some tips for getting customers to leave reviews include:

• ASK PROMPTLY. Customers will be more likely to leave a review when the details of their interaction with your company are still top of mind.

• SEND A REMINDER. If it has been several days or a week since you requested a review and none was written, consider sending an email reminder.

• MAKE SURE ASKING FOR A REVIEW IS ALLOWED. Although some review websites encourage businesses to ask for reviews, some (Yelp, for example) prohibit it. Read a review site’s terms of service before asking customers to leave reviews on it.

Source: https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/#local-business-review-habits