The number of trade directories and lead-generation websites seems to be ever-increasing! Just when you think you know them all, a few more pop up.
I've even done my own market research to try and figure out which ones the general public know about and trust.
Recently UIL has joined the following pages:
- My Hammer
- Houzz
- My workman (bit of a sexist name that one eh!?)
- Next Door
Before that UIL mainly focussed on Rated People and My Builder. But I am now pondering, is online "chatter" replacing good old word of mouth or is it working alongside it?
Personally, if someone I know recommends a tradesperson then I'm quite likely to get them in to quote, whereas online forums can be completely hit and miss and without knowing the credentials of who is saying what how do you know if you can trust their opinion or not?
Check A Trade is a directory, a bit like the yellow pages - a business pays to advertise and then a customer could look up the tradesperson and then contact them directly. The customer chooses the builder.
My Builder and Rated People are lead generation websites, whereby the customer advertises the job and then the tradesperson pays a fee to "buy" the customer's contact details and provide a quotation. The builder chooses the customer.
Is printed advertising dead now, do people still respond to ads placed in local newspapers and magazines?
What about local blogs, has this replaced the good old "small ad" in a newspaper?
Then there are local Facebook pages which are like virtual word of mouth, personally, I respect what a local person says more than a random forum I might have found. Maybe that's because I trust a local tradesperson more, but I don't know why. Is there logic behind it?...