Nextdoor Neighborhood Favorites are the only local business awards solely determined by those who know your business best – your neighbors. Becoming a Neighborhood Favorite not only shows how important your business is to your community, but the recognition also builds trust and credibility.
Being a Neighborhood Favorite also means increased visibility for your business on Nextdoor. In fact, Neighborhood Favorite winners have 30 times the number of recommendations on their Business Pages, 3 times the number of Business Page views and clicks, and 4 times the number of saves on their Local Deals.
You may be wondering how your business can become a Nextdoor Neighborhood Favorite? We spoke to several 2021 winners to learn their stories and get their tips for success. Read on to learn the secrets that helped these businesses become Neighborhood Favorites.
#1 Get recommendations
Neighbors actively talk about their favorite local businesses – especially on Nextdoor, where they have made over 50 million business recommendations. Getting neighbors to talk about your business is highly important in building your business's reputation and attracting more customers and clients.
Take it from Meagan Kile of Legacy Plumbing in North Texas. Recommendations were foundational for their growth on Nextdoor.
“Our customers themselves were our introduction to the Nextdoor business community. In 2017, we began hearing over and over from homeowners who discovered us through the recommendations of their neighbors on the Nextdoor platform. It wasn’t long before we were all-in! Nextdoor seemed like an organic extension of the word-of-mouth recommendations which had always been the foundation of our growth.”
3 things you can do to get more recommendations
1. Offer an incentive for a recommendation
Joseph Lambert started his business, Joseph’s Junk Removal, when he was just in high school. In less than 2 years, he’s been able to grow the business to 25+ employees and 5 trucks.
The key to his growth? Getting recommendations on Nextdoor. Joseph’s number one tip to getting more is to incentivize with a special offer. Ask your clients and customers to leave you a recommendation and offer a small discount on their next service or purchase as a way to say thank you.
“I have used Nextdoor since day one of my business. In fact, I would not be here today without Nextdoor. Early on, we did everything in our power to get Nextdoor recommendations from every client. The results were unbelievably effective!”
- Joseph Lambert, Joseph’s Junk Removal
2. Ask
Another way to get more recommendations, according to our Neighborhood Favorite winners, is to simply ask for them. It’s a strategy that has been successful for A1 Garage Services. The Business Page for their Phoenix location currently has over 630 recommendations.
“Mention Nextdoor to your customers as a place for them to leave a review or recommendation. This will help expand your reach into new neighborhoods.”
- Andrew Mussio, A1 Garage Door Services
3. Respond when your business is mentioned
Another way to gain recommendations from neighbors on Nextdoor is to show you are involved. An easy way to do that is to respond when your business is mentioned. Home contractor Christopher Mills of Apopka, Florida, who has over 250 likes on his Business Page, shares this tip for success.
“Stay active in your community threads - start building a good reputation within the community. Reviews are important!”
- Christopher Mills, Master Tradesman
Get additional tips on how to get more Nextdoor recommendations in our guide.
#2 Leverage paid tools like Local Deals and Neighborhood Sponsorships
Use Nextdoor’s paid tools to build your reputation and increase traffic to your business – both online and offline. If you’re looking to drive more sales, consider sharing a Local Deal. You’ll be able to promote special discounts and offers directly to customers in the neighborhoods that matter most to your business.
Along with asking for recommendations, A1 Garage Services also leans on Local Deals to get their name out and attract new customers.
“Local Deals are a great way to get your name out and make initial contact with potential customers. Who doesn’t love a good deal, right?”
- Andrew Mussio, A1 Garage Door Services
If you’re looking to build your reputation within your community and engage directly with neighbors, consider a Neighborhood Sponsorship. With a Sponsorship, you’ll be able to get your name in front of neighbors in the ZIP codes that matter most to your business. You’ll also be able to engage with potential customers and clients through unique ad formats like Conversation Starters and Tips and Tricks.
Neighborhood Favorite winner Patty Vergano – owner and broker at County Cottage Realty in St. Louis, Missouri – first started using Neighborhood Sponsorships in 2019 and has continued to find success. Her pro tip to other businesses who want to use Neighborhood Sponsorships? Broaden your reach by sponsoring multiple ZIP codes.
“I was a member of Nextdoor prior to 2019 but decided to begin utilizing the business sponsorship in September of 2019 after seeing what an amazing tool this was. The connection to "neighbors helping neighbors" was highly impressive to me. A real sense of community!”
- Patty Vergano, County Cottage Realty
#3 Share valuable information
When you claim and verify your Business Page, you’ll have access to two free Business Posts each month. According to our Neighborhood Favorites winners, an effective way to use these posts is to share relevant updates from your business and valuable information. This can be anything from tips and advice related to your specific industry, alerts about your new products or services, and updates on your business information. When you use your Business Posts to share valuable information, you show neighbors that your business is active in the community and you care about helping them with their needs.
Aside from Business Posts, a Neighborhood Sponsorship is another way to share information and showcase your expertise. With the Tips and Advice ad format, you can show off your expertise while showcasing how your business can help nearby neighbors. Neighbors will be able to send you a message directly by clicking on your ad.
This ad format has worked successfully for Neighborhood Favorite Winner Legacy Plumbing, whose Business Page boasts over 1,250 likes.
“The sponsored “Tips & Advice” ads are a great way to both serve potential customers and spread brand recognition. As Legacy Plumbing continues to grow and serve more neighborhoods, we never want to lose the grassroots approach to service that we started with. Nextdoor is a great way to do that!”
- Meagan Kile, Legacy Plumbing
#4 Showcase your products and services with photos
Adding high-quality photography on your Business Page and your Business Posts helps increase the visibility of your business on Nextdoor. In fact, Business Pages with profile photos and photos in the “photos” section are the most visited. Similarly, adding imagery to your Business Posts can help increase engagement. Because images are more attention-grabbing than text, neighbors are more likely to stop scrolling to read and engage with your post.
Photography is key for Neighborhood Favorite winner Cami Carmody of Antioch, Illinois. After spending years making cheesecakes for her family events, her uncle encouraged her to start her own business. In 2016, she started The Rustic Cheesecake. Cami’s business relies heavily on photos to showcase her different cheesecakes. These images not only give neighbors a sense of what their cake will look like, but they also help build trust in Cami’s talent and expertise.
“I started off using Nextdoor because people in your neighborhood are the ones who get really excited and want to support your business. Because of all of the wonderful comments and compliments on Nextdoor, I pushed myself to expand my marketing efforts.”
- Cami Carmody - The Rustic Cheesecake
#5 Put your clients and customers first
While this last tip goes beyond Nextdoor, it’s perhaps the most important for a successful business - put your clients and customers first. Our winners advise other small businesses to prioritize giving the best customer experience. Outside of the quality of your products or services, neighbors will remember your customer service the most.
“Focus on providing the best customer experience and people will talk about you on Nextdoor.”
- Joseph Lambert, Joseph’s Junk Removal
Grow your business on Nextdoor
The businesses who shared their tips above are Neighborhood Favorites for a reason. They are businesses that neighbors not only recognize but want to recommend. They also know how to leverage paid tools on Nextdoor, share valuable information, utilize photography, and put their customers and clients first.
Follow their tips above so your business can be one that neighbors want to vote a Neighborhood Favorite. Get started by claiming your free Business Page.
