I’m always on the hunt for companies that are making the Internet work for them, and I recently came across U.S. Waterproofing, in Chicago.

Engage Directly

Let’s start with the company’s blog — actually built into its website — where it establishes itself as a thought leader on “controlling basement water seepage.”

Instead of hard-to-read text, it’s a “virtual classroom” with easy-to-consume illustrations and YouTube videos. Most important, the content and replies to comments and questions are all handled by the company’s technicians rather than being outsourced to a third party.

34% of marketers have generated leads using Twitter

If you expect to get any real value, i.e., increased sales or referrals, out of social media, you must engage directly with customers. If a consultant claims he can do that for you, great, but he should be willing to be paid based on the number of sales generated, right? You won’t write many checks because in the five years we’ve been dealing with social media, I’m yet to see “canned” posts generate a single sale for a remodeler.

U.S. Waterproofing’s site:

  • plays on company experience and strengths. There’s no question about what the firm does or how it does it. The short, memorable domain name also ties in with other advertising and service vehicles.
  • is structured to teach, not tell. It’s experienced technicians demonstrating what they’ve seen that works or doesn’t work, without a hard-sell and never going negative on competitors.
  • ties together the company’s blog, YouTube channel, and Facebook business page.
  • is presented in a problem-solution format that encourages action. Users can identify their issue and the solution and can schedule an appointment. Testimonials and industry affiliations are in plain sight and satisfy the logical and emotional parts of the purchasing decision.

I’d love to hear from readers about their Web successes (or failures). Drop me a line at [email protected] or at our business technology forum. —Joe Stoddard is an industry consultant helping remodelers be successful with their technology.

Source: Digital Buzz Blog