It’s tough to generate moving leads online. Your company needs to be visible on Google, with the right reputation, and with an easy-to-navigate site. With such a tough competitive environment, where huge companies like Two Men and a Truck and Yelp seem to be colluding against you, you need to nail your online presence. Here’s a quick, 3-step guide to do it.

1) Your company needs reviews.

This can’t be overstated. Consumers are increasingly filtering their search for a mover based on what people are saying about you online. The trick is, even if you provide a great service 9 times out of 10, reviews can be hard to manage. Sites like Yelp filter your reviews, making it harder for potential customers to see your excellent service.

What can you do? Cut Yelp out of the loop, and put authentic reviews on your own site! It will increase the proportion of folks who come to your site and ultimately choose you for their move. Once you have a few excited reviewers, ask them to review you on Google Local, too! A good reviews process lets you find out who your best promoters are, so that you aren't surprised by a one-star review later on.

Bonus points if you have reviews slotted directly into Google search. We have software that does exactly this, get in touch with Tony Morelli at tonym@spectruminc.com if you would like to demo it!

2) Your company needs to appeal to folks on smartphones.

You’ve seen this every time you sit down to watch TV at home, and I bet you’ve seen statistics about it, too. If you’re like me, you’ve got the TV show playing in the background and your smartphone in your lap. Your customers are doing the exact same thing, and it’s primetime for them to find your service!

In case you haven’t seen the stats, Google recently keyed us in – 43% of folks getting ready to move use their smartphone to research moving companies. That is almost half of your potential buyers!

3) You need a referral program.

In case you’re wondering why some moving companies completely crush it on reviews, let me invite you in on a moving industry secret. Great moving companies stay in touch with customers after the move. Black Tie Moving, for instance, uses our specialized software to stay in touch with their customers. That’s why they have 100+ 5-star reviews on Yelp – they’re asking for them!

An easy way to stay in touch with your customers is through a referral program. Offer it as a win-win, where they win something and they do their friend a favor by putting them in touch with your excellent movers. The more your customers are thinking about how great their experience was, the more likely they are to leave you a nice note on Yelp.

So, there you have it! A 3-step plan to get more moving leads this year. If you don’t have processes in place to take advantage of these recent changes, check out our referral guide or read our guide on how to request moving reviews!