The importance of reviews for your business can’t be underestimated. I’ve only reviewed a few businesses on Google this year, but here’s the impact – the pictures I included in the reviews have been viewed by over 18,000 people just in the last year alone. That’s free marketing!
My daughter and I recently dined at a tea shop in Indiana. The owner came up and checked on us. She asked how our food and service was, and if there was anything we needed. We assured her everything was wonderful. Then she did something that made my business coach heart sing – she asked us to write a review on either Google or TripAdvisor. Then she explained why…there was going to be a new feature in TripAdvisor on her type of business, and she really wanted to be on that list.
We wrote reviews immediately!
Here are 3 things you should be doing to maximize your reviews:
1. Regularly Ask for Reviews and Make it Easy.
Reviews don’t just happen magically. So Ask! Even if you aren’t able to verbally ask like the tea shop owner did, you can find other ways. Make it easy for people to leave a review by providing a QR code. Send an email to follow up on their customer experience and ask them to leave a review. Have a contest to get more reviews. You get the idea.
2. Don’t be Afraid of Negative Reviews – Deal with Them.
Inevitably you will get a bad review. Do not ignore it! Acknowledge it immediately, even if it was for something beyond your control. Acknowledge the problem and try reaching out to them. Ask them to contact you if you don’t have their information. Apologize and ask if there is anything you can do to remedy the situation.
If you are able to address their concerns, ask them to remove or revise their review.
Negative reviews are often opportunities to learn about and address legitimate issues with your services or products, things that you may not have noticed. The sooner you see them, the sooner you can make the necessary improvements.
There may be a few frivolous or unreasonable negative reviews here and there. That’s OK. Respond to them carefully, but never let it deter you from continuing to ask for feedback.
3. Acknowledge Positive Reviews.
Positive reviews need to be acknowledged as well.
These reviews may hold valuable insights, such as mentioning team members you need to recognize, or particular aspects of your products or services that you need to highlight in your marketing.
The positive reviewers are the kind of customers you want to keep – so always be sure to thank them and invite them back.
If it’s been a while since you’ve looked at your reviews, Google your business now and take action. Reviews are powerful – be sure to use them to your advantage!
Author: Sandy Merritt, Business Coach in Louisville, KY