Testimonials are almost as good as a one-on-one referral. And there’s no better time than now to start building up your comment base.

According to a 2012 study by Search Engine Land, the majority of responders said they believe online reviews are trustworthy. Of them, over half said reviews drive them to local businesses. That’s an impressive number.

So if you want to get in on the testimonial action for your home inspection business, here are 4 pointers that work.

Grumpy customers are more likely to go out of their way to leave a review. But happy customers tend to leave testimonials and positive reviews if the process is easy. That’s why you should take advantage of every possible channel for promotion.

Social media is a great platform for testimonials. It takes very little time, and your customers are probably already there. KISS Metrics says you should list your home inspection business with local search directories, too.

For example, Yelp and Google Places reviews pop up when new customers search for home inspectors in your area. Some of them are connected, too. That means reviews at one local search platform can show up in the results for another platform.

No, we aren’t talking about paying for good reviews. But rewarding customers for their time, not for a positive review, is rarely a bad idea.

Fast food chains offer incentives for leaving reviews. So do some retail stores. So it stands to reason that your customers will take a few minutes to leave a testimonial if you make it worth their while.

You could offer coupons, or host a giveaway where every reviewer is automatically entered in a contest for a prize such as a gift card. Just remember that the reward is for taking the time to review, not for leaving a glowing report.

In every life, some rain must fall. Bad reviews happen to the best of home inspectors. What’s important is how you handle them. Conflict resolution can build public trust and solidify your company’s good reputation.

Some businesses ignore bad reviews. But American Express Open Forum says that’s a bad strategy. It’s also a missed opportunity to build goodwill.

Probably the best way to inspire more home inspector testimonials is to be a great home inspector. When customers get what they pay for, they’re more likely to be happy. When they get more than they expected, they might be thrilled.

Be punctual. Send the home inspection report as soon as possible. Use great images. Make yourself available for phone calls or emails. Invite the customer to the home inspection.

The importance of professionalism and dependability can’t be overstated. In the home buying process, your inspection could be one of the few pleasant spots.

Most of your customers are probably up to their ears in paperwork, not to mention all of the goings on of daily life. It’s easy to get too busy to remember the little things. So if you want more testimonials, don’t forget the most obvious way to get them: ask.

If you want more testimonials, be the home inspector that you’d want to hire. Provide a great service and work on building your company brand.

You might see and hear the buzzy little aircraft in parks, on TV and around your own neighborhood. Drones are everywhere, and they’re making their way into the home inspection industry. They’re a perfect combination, too.

Unmanned aerial vehicles or drones can reach the roof in under a minute, as opposed to the amount of time it takes a person to set up and climb a ladder. And they can zoom around to take finely-detailed images as well as wide-angle ones that paint a comprehensive picture of the roofing system. Try that in a pair of work boots.

Are you thinking about a drone for your home inspection business? Here are 4 ways it can make your service more marketable and your company a leader in the industry.

Most home inspectors do a good and thorough job. Unfortunately, climbing a ladder and walking a roof comes with inherent limitations. Slippery surfaces, steep pitches, and obstacles such as chimneys and vents limit where the inspector can go. But what if there’s a significant defect in the one spot that’s out of reach?

With a drone, no spot on the roof is out of reach. Not only can you see it all, you can also take detailed photographs for your report. Your customers can view the whole roof system, too, and not just certain parts of it.

There may be some inspectors who charge extra for drone-assisted work, but that comes with a risk. Charging an additional fee could place you in the position of an expert. And as an expert, you could take on additional risk. But using a drone without charging extra gives you a marketing edge.

If you avoid raising the price for your work, a drone makes your inspections a better value. Customers get a more comprehensive service for about the same cost charged by other inspectors who don’t use a drone.

Every inspector is supposed to walk the roof, but a very steep pitched or tall roof might turn some inspectors away. That’s what happened to Jonathan Zeissler from Iowa. His home inspector couldn’t access his steep roof, but that gave Zeissler the idea for a drone-assisted inspection business, says Inspector Pages.

Drones don’t get nervous about heights and they aren’t in danger of slipping on a steep roof. For customers who have either been turned down by an inspector or have received an incomplete inspection that didn’t include the roof, your drone makes a big difference.

One area for additional income that you might not have considered is real estate photography. If you’ve seen one horrible real estate ad with crummy photos, you know how they can affect a buyer’s impression. But with great photos and even aerial video, the ad turns into something special.

Home inspectors and real estate agents already have a long and mutually beneficial history. Aerial photography can help agents produce better and more attractive ads while it helps you earn a little extra income.

Drones are the ambitious new kids on the block in an industry where change is usually slow. And so far, they appear to live up to the hype. There are channels that inspectors must go through to use drones for commercial purposes. But the FAA has clearly outlined them in their new regulations. And if you’re a prospective inspector, programs such as ICA School offer a drone module that covers drone use in depth.

You, too, can be an early adapter. Drones will likely become mainstream for home inspections. But if you add the service now, you’ll be a go-to seasoned pro while others are still learning the ropes.

Every home inspector needs insurance, but you might not have all that you need. General Liability doesn’t cover everything. In fact, it specifically doesn’t cover some of the most serious claims. That’s why you also need Errors and Omissions insurance.

If you’ve considered working without Errors and Omissions insurance, it’s a good idea to rethink that approach. It’s available and affordable. And the combination of both insurance policies could protect your business from substantial loss.

General Liability Insurance Protects Against Certain Damages

Imagine that you’re inspecting a house. You’ve moved a step ladder to reach a fixture, but the ladder tips into an expensive mirror that’s mounted on the wall. Who’s going to clean up the mess? More important, who will pay for it?

Liability insurance covers you against accidental damage and bodily injury that you’re responsible for. If you accidentally track mud into a white rug, scratch a painted wall or cause other damage in or around a house, this insurance ensures you don’t have to come out of pocket to reimburse the homeowner.

GL Insurance Considerations

Accidents, by definition, aren’t predictable. The safest and most conscientious inspector in America could make a misstep and find himself holding the bill.

Claims against GL insurance are usually moderate, according to ASHI Reporter. But bear in mind that GL policies usually contain a “professional liability” exclusion. Read the fine print. And don’t be afraid to shop around. As ASHI explains, what one insurer covers, another one might not.

Errors and Omissions Insurance Gives Broader Protection

Errors and Omissions, more commonly called E&O insurance, covers problems with your work. What if you overlook a defect that turns out to be costly for the buyer? Or what if you make a mistake with the scope of a defect and inadvertently influence the sale? That’s where E&O steps in. And it’s a good thing, too.

Everyone is capable of an oversight, and anyone can misinterpret a home defect. But instead of a clear and defined repair cost like you’d have from visible damage, the scope of what E&O covers is much broader. It’s an unpleasant topic, but it’s also an important one. E&O insurance could one day save your business from the sweeping effects of a lawsuit.

E&O Insurance Considerations

Most of the costly insurance claims fall under E&O, says ASHI. That’s because the scope of potential damage is broad and difficult to calculate. While GL insurance covers bodily injury in your scope of work, E&O covers bodily injury as a result of your work. For example, if you drop a tool and hit the homeowner’s toe, that’s a GL claim. But if you advise that a staircase is safe and it later collapses underfoot, that could be a claim against your E&O.

The potential for an E&O claim is throughout every home that you inspect. That’s why GL insurance isn’t enough. An oversight could be as simple as a defective appliance or as frightening as a severe injury. And the financial ramifications without E&O could be at least as damaging to you as the injury or omission is to the homeowner.

GL and E&O insurance make up the well-rounded home inspector’s coverage. While it’s possible to work with only GL, at least in some markets, it’s not a good idea. Home inspector attorney Joe Ferry says going without E&O puts everything that you own at risk. All that it takes is one oversight or accident to create a snowball effect that causes loss to the homeowner and ultimately to you.

Insurance can be expensive, but it’s worthwhile. Just remember, the investment that you make now could save your business and even your home if the worst should ever happen. GL and E&O work together to keep your business and finances safe.

There’s a disturbing trend in areas where home inspections aren’t required by law. Some buyers skip the inspection in a misguided attempt to streamline the purchase process. That doesn’t just put buyers at risk; it could undermine the foundation of fair and equitable real estate transactions.

Where inspections aren’t mandatory, they should at least be de rigueur. There’s too much at stake for both parties. Sellers could take on the risk of a lawsuit after the sale. And buyers could be stuck with a property that’s little more than a money pit.

Probably the strongest argument for home inspections is the dangerous nature of many home defects. Electrical problems can be life threatening. And a cracked foundation could be benign, or it might indicate the need for broad, sweeping, expensive repair to prevent collapse.

Buyers usually don’t have the skills or know how to identify every dangerous defect within a home. That’s why inspectors are so important. It’s also why public education needs to happen across the board, especially in areas where inspections are optional.

Hoping for the best is fine, but a home inspection also helps customers prepare for the worst.

Not every home defect has a direct impact on the safety of the occupants. Some defects are just expensive, wasteful or annoying. For example, the average homeowner might not know just by looking whether an attic has adequate insulation. If there’s too little, winters may be plagued by excessive heat consumption and bone-chilling rooms below.

Appliances that don’t operate properly, slow-running drains and plumbing leaks are other defects among many that could cost the buyer dearly in the months and years to come. Without an inspection, most of these will rear an ugly head at the worst possible time. As if there’s ever a good time for an expensive home repair.

For the most part, inspectors work on behalf of home buyers shortly before a sale is complete. But that’s not always the case. Any person with a bonafide interest in the property can hire an inspector. In some situations, the customer is the homeowner. But inspectors always represent the customer, regardless of who that happens to be.

When the customer is a buyer, the inspection report helps make an educated choice about whether to commit to the sale. If the customer is the homeowner, the report might bolster a sale or help direct home improvement efforts to the most important defects. The market might not realize how versatile a home inspection and report really are. But there’s a good opportunity for educating customers about the numerous defects that could be lurking.

Home inspecting is still a relatively young industry. And while it has gained important ground in the past few decades, some parts of the country either remain unconvinced or they prefer to avoid legislation that would mandate the practice.

But considering everything that’s at stake, regardless of who the customer happens to be, inspections make solid financial sense. Knowledge really is power. And a home inspector empowers people to spend money wisely.

Certainly, many home inspectors build a thriving business that focuses on one area, pre-sale home inspections. But with so many different avenues for business growth, it’s a shame to leave them unexplored.

Whether you’re dedicated to building your business no matter what it takes or you only have a little time to focus on brand awareness, you’ve got plenty of options. Here are 4 ways you could become a stronger and more profitable brand in the home inspection world.

Most home inspectors are generalists that cover a home from top to bottom. But there are still many parts of a home that don’t fall under most Standards of Practice. For example, your customers need to know whether the roof is in good condition. But they might also appreciate information about how much energy is wasted when heat rises through the shingles.

Niche areas solidify your name as a local expert in issues that matter to homeowners. Maybe you’ll decide to provide home energy assessments. Or perhaps indoor air quality is a big deal where you live.

There are many niche markets where you could carve out your name, from radon and asbestos to termites. Find one that matters to customers in your area and focus on learning everything that you can about it.

Most inspectors work in a specific area and focus on inspections prior to the sale of a house. That’s pretty much the standard. But there are more potential customers if you step outside the norm.

If you live near a state border, think about licensing in two states instead of just one. And if you confine your services to one or two counties, there are customers a few more miles down the road who need inspections, too.

Untapped markets are another important consideration. Inspections aren’t just for selling a house. Homeowners could benefit from them, too, especially if they’ve lived in the home for a while. People on the verge of retirement make up another market, as they prep their homes to handle repairs before they’re living on a fixed income.

Niche expert services are great, but you don’t have to be renown in an area to provide more services. So the Standards of Practice say that you aren’t required to move furniture to inspect a home. If you do, your service is a better value than that of an inspector who doesn’t.

There are lots of ways to make your inspections more appealing than a competitor’s. Invite clients to participate. Offer an unbiased list of contractors who can assess repair costs.

You could even host informative focused seminars for people such as those approaching retirement, people who are expecting a new baby and those in the market to sell.

If yours is the better inspection value, it’s time to get the word out.

Marketing was once limited to word-of-mouth, print ads, billboards and direct mail. But there is virtually no end to the marketing possibilities in this age of information. You’re really only limited by your own creativity and the time that you want to devote to it.

If you want more referrals, give an incentive. You might offer a special service, such as a free chimney inspection, to every past client who sends a new client your way. Use social media. It can be free marketing, and you can also use paid social media ads to boost your marketing reach. Check out these simple strategies from Social Media Examiner.

Don’t forget about newspapers. Although the print paper industry is shrinking, many readers only read the paper in print form, even if only on Sunday.

Competition is a tough nut to crack, but there are more ways to do it than there ever were before. Digital marketing one elps, and so does a simple examination of what clients might want and how you can provide it.

Another important brand builder is your report. It is your product, and the better it looks and performs the better the service you provide. Home Inspection Report is straightforward software that has all of the functionality that you need without the unnecessary fluff that makes some software more trouble than it’s worth.