Managing reviews is a crucial aspect of maintaining a strong online presence, whether you’re a teacher, doctor, store owner, religious organization, national fitness center chain, global design agency, or a fully online technology company.
This task is especially vital for local businesses. Positive word-of-mouth marketing, often manifested as online reviews, can be the lifeblood of these businesses. A store that doesn’t engage in marketing won’t attract customers, while one that does and gets positive feedback will see increased foot traffic.
The benefits of good review management are evident, but how do you go about obtaining reviews for your business? The following guide provides a foundation to get you started.
Precursor: Ensure Your Presence in Important Local Directories
First, assess your business’s online presence. Use tools like Synup or Yext to check if you’re listed in the most important local directories. Identify any gaps and claim all your unclaimed listings. This process will help you ensure your business is represented accurately wherever potential customers may find you.
Step 1: Keep Track of All Your Reviews
This might seem overwhelming if your company has reviews scattered across various websites. However, using a review monitoring system makes it manageable. Free options are available that track reviews from major sites like the Yellow Pages, Yelp, Google, Foursquare, and Citysearch.
Step 2: Encourage Your Customers to Review You
Encouraging customer reviews can significantly impact your business’s credibility and attractiveness. Here are several effective methods:
- Simply Ask: Send a newsletter to your customers asking for a review. For example, a pediatrician’s email request led to nine new reviews, helping them stand out from competitors.
- Use Posters or Postcards with QR Codes: Make it easy for customers by providing QR codes that link directly to your review page.
- Include a Pop-Up on Your Website: Attention-grabbing pop-ups can prompt reviews, but be sure to limit their frequency to avoid annoying visitors.
- Run Check-In Offers: Offer incentives to customers who physically visit your business, encouraging them to leave a review.
Step 3: Ask Your Walk-Ins
Don’t miss the opportunity to ask your walk-in customers for reviews. For instance, when someone leaves your flower shop with a beautiful bouquet, kindly ask them to review your business online. Capitalize on their satisfaction while it’s still fresh.
Step 4: Respond to Reviews
Handling reviews, especially negative ones, is a common concern. Always respond professionally, without letting emotions guide you. Apologize when necessary and offer a resolution to restore faith in your business. This approach demonstrates that you value customer feedback and are committed to improvement.
Step 5: Optimize Review Sources Where Needed
Focus on well-known review platforms like Yelp and Google, as these are often the first results in searches. However, don’t neglect lesser-known sites, especially if they contain negative reviews. Encourage positive reviews across all platforms to ensure a balanced and positive overall impression.
Conclusion
These steps should provide a solid understanding of how to leverage reviews to your business’s advantage and how to address any negative feedback effectively.
Have any review management tips? Share them in the comments.
Image Credit: Death to the Stock Photo and Free Range Stock
