[fakie99]

Lately i have been getting calls from potential clients who found us on Angie's List. (We only have one review, but it's very good). The concept behind Angie's List is excellent - homeowners basically grading contractors that they've used.

I know this came up as a marketing tool a while back, but has anyone been getting any business though Angie's List lately? I have discussed advertising opportunities with them (somewhat expensive) and I am thinking of sending out a quick letter to past clients mentioning my affiliation with Angie's List and would they mind filling out a report on our company (if they are members).

Any thoughts on obtaining new leads this way?

Thx,

[Stonehenge]

I've talked about this in some detail somewhere on the site. Maybe Gold Oak section? Don't recall.

[papercutter]

at the last company I worked for, we did the Angie's List ad package- the email newsletter, printed ad, and listing. $500 maybe? Nada. I think someone called from DC to weed her flowerbeds and that was it. Like any other marketing, though, I'd say don't let their staff "graphic designers" create the ad. I don't think that helped matters.

[NCSULandscaper]

i dont see how it could possibly work well, i mean how many consumers are going to pay a membership fee in order to write a review for a company, i dont even see many consumers paying to get info about a company, too many free sites for that

[intheyard]

We get about 90% of our business through Angie's List. You need to know your area if you plan to advertise. They clump different sections of town together. I have used them for several years now and would be glad to answer questions, but the best advise I can give is: If you are going to use Angie's List, you MUST be organized and follow through with customers. One bad review can cause some damage whether it's true or not.

[fakie99]

intheyard,

do you do web/call center advertising with Angie;s list, or are you just getting calls becuase you have been reviewed?

[papercutter]

Originally Posted by NCSULandscaper

i dont see how it could possibly work well, i mean how many consumers are going to pay a membership fee in order to write a review for a company, i dont even see many consumers paying to get info about a company, too many free sites for that

You would be amazed, apparently. Someone posted a rave review of us on Angie's List, and for about 9 months I'd say 40% of new callers said they heard about us on Angie's List. Keep in mind, this was before the economy softened, so that was 40% of a fair call volume.

[NCSULandscaper]

So to see if you have reviews do you have to pay the membership in order to view it?

[papercutter]

I was able to call the toll-free # and talk to someone, let them know I was with a contractor who had been reviewed, and they gave me a guest login name and password. I feel like we may have also been sent a "congrats, someone on Angie's List likes you!" email from them, but I may be mis-remembering. Mrs. Papercutter says that happens a lot.

As someone in the industry, I don't feel like the reviews really tell you a lot about the contractor; it's a lot of "they showed up when they said they would, didn't screw me, I like my deck" sort of stuff. But, I guess that's enough to make some folks feel confident in a contractor.

[HRLand]

We got the same "congrats" email with a link to sign up free of charge. Apparently the customer has to pay up to complain but you can view the complaint for free. Luckily there were two positive messages for maintenance work but I'm not sure that any of my clients would pay to post that.

[Stonehenge]

We also recently got two reviews, but they appeared to be auto-generated ones by Angie's List, because there was really no info in either review, except that the reviews were positive. They don't have much market penetration here, so the impact is pretty slight.

And ultimately, I believe it's the positive reviews that have the biggest influence on people. But my preference is to request for reviews from clients at sites other than Angie's List. Those of you who were Gold Oak members back in February or March know why.

[fakie99]

ok, why?

[Stonehenge]

hint.

[fakie99]

uh...ok.

[poipoi]

pretty useful if you're trying to figure out if its worth the sub gabwith.us - Angie’s List regional coverage by city but what i want to know is why bother if you have craigslist