Look, I’ll be blunt. Most people who land on your website or social media page are looking for a reason to leave.
They don’t know you. They don’t trust you yet. And they’ve probably been burnt by a dodgy operator in the past.
If you want them to actually pick up the phone or whip out their credit card, you need to prove you’re the real deal. In the marketing world, people call this social proof. I just call it showing people you aren't rubbish at your job.
Here is how you actually do it without wasting a month of your life on it.
Why Your Opinion Doesn’t Matter
You can tell people you’re the best plumber in Brisbane until you’re blue in the face. Nobody cares.
When you say it, it’s a sales pitch. When a customer says it, it’s the truth.
If I’m looking for someone to fix my roof or bake a cake for my kid’s birthday, I’m looking for proof that you’ve done it before and didn't mess it up. If your social media is just photos of your truck or generic 'Happy Monday' posts, you’re leaving money on the table.
We see it all the time with our clients. The ones who share real photos of happy people and honest feedback get way more enquiries than the ones trying to look like a corporate giant.
The Quickest Win: The 'Ugly' Screenshot
Most business owners think they need a professional camera and a film crew to show off their work. You don't.
In fact, the more polished a testimonial looks, the more people think it’s fake.
One of the best ways to get more sales is to take a screenshot of a nice text message or email a customer sent you. Crop out their private details, obviously, and post it.
It’s raw, it’s real, and it works. People trust a grainy screenshot of a text more than a shiny graphic with five stars on it.
Google Reviews Are Your Lifeblood
If you aren't actively asking for Google reviews, you’re basically giving your competitors a head start.
Google likes this stuff. When you have a steady stream of people saying nice things about you, Google is more likely to show your business to people searching for your services in Brisbane.
Don’t wait for them to remember to do it. They won't. You need to ask as soon as the job is done. Send a text. Send an email. Make it easy for them.
If you’re running ads and they aren't converting, check your reviews first. Often, why your Facebook ads stopped working has nothing to do with the ad itself and everything to do with the fact that your profile looks like a ghost town.
Video is King (Even if You Hate Being on Camera)
You don’t need to be the star of the show. If you finish a job and the customer is stoked, ask them: "Hey, do you mind if I grab a 10-second video of you saying what you thought?"
Most people will say yes if you’ve done a good job.
That 10-second clip of a real person standing in their renovated kitchen or next to their freshly painted fence is worth more than ten grand in advertising. It’s the ultimate proof.
Stop Guessing and Start Listening
You might think people care about your '20 years of experience.' But if you actually listen to what they’re saying in your comments or messages, they might actually care more about the fact that you show up on time and clean up after yourself.
"Stop trying to guess what your customers want to hear and just look at the questions they keep asking you—that’s your entire marketing strategy right there."
— Rachel Wong, Marketing Director
When you use social listening to win customers, you stop shouting into the void. You start answering the actual concerns that are stopping people from booking you.
The Power of 'As Seen In'
If you’ve ever been mentioned in the local paper, or even if you’ve done work for a well-known local business in Paddington or the Valley, shout about it.
Borrowing the trust that people already have in other brands is a massive shortcut. It’s why people pay for local influencers to talk about their stuff. If someone I already trust says you’re good, I’m 90% of the way to buying from you.
Show the Before and After
This is bread and butter for tradies, but it works for almost any business.
- Accountant? Show a graph of a messy tax situation versus a clean one (with names blurred). - Gym? Show the transformation. - Cleaner? Show the grime vs the shine.
People want to see the result they are paying for. They don't want to buy a service; they want to buy the 'After'. If you don't show them what that looks like, they'll go to someone who does.
Handling the Bad Stuff
You’re going to get a bad review eventually. It happens to everyone.
The worst thing you can do is ignore it or get into a shouting match in the comments. That makes you look like a nightmare to deal with.
Reply calmly. Offer to fix it. Move it to a private phone call.
Future customers aren't looking for perfection; they’re looking to see how you handle things when they go wrong. If you’re professional and fair, a bad review can actually help you win more business because it shows you’re a real human who takes responsibility.
Where to Put This Proof
Don't just hide your reviews on one 'Testimonials' page that nobody ever visits. Sprinkle them everywhere:
1. Your Homepage: Put a big, fat quote right near the top. 2. Your Contact Page: Remind them why they’re calling you. 3. Your Social Media Bio: Mention how many happy customers you’ve served. 4. Your Email Signature: A little link to your Google reviews goes a long way.
Is it Making You Money?
At the end of the day, social media shouldn't just be a hobby. It should be a sales tool.
If you’re spending hours posting and nobody is calling, something is wrong. You need to be asking yourself: is your social media actually making you money?.
Social proof is often the missing ingredient. You might have the best service in Brisbane, but if you don't have the proof to back it up, you're just another person making noise on the internet.
What You Should Do First
Don't try to do all of this at once. You've got a business to run.
Start here: Spend 10 minutes today looking through your old emails or texts. Find one nice thing a customer said. Screenshot it, crop it, and post it to your Facebook or Instagram with a caption that says: "Loved helping this client out last week."
Then, tomorrow, make a list of your last five customers and send them a polite text asking for a Google review.
That’s it. No jargon, no fancy software. Just real proof from real people.
If you want a hand getting more enquiries through the door without the headache, give us a shout at Local Marketing Group. We’ll help you sort the wheat from the chaff.