Generating business through word of mouth has set the best companies apart from the rest for centuries. If your product or service is so good that people have to tell their friends, you will succeed for a long time.
In the internet age, word-of-mouth marketing is amplified across social media, influencers, and, most importantly, online reviews.
Reviews are not only a ranking factor on Google, but everyone who finds your business online will come across the average of your reviews.
With that in mind, getting more positive reviews is important so your business can thrive. Here are four ways to get more customer reviews.
Ask for Reviews
This one is a little obvious, but many business owners never get reviews because they don't ask.
It's important to understand it is in people's nature to want to help others. If you provide exceptional service, people naturally want to help you.
The best way they can help you, other than telling their friends directly, is to leave a review on Google.
Here's a quick story:
A recent client has been in business for decades but had single-digit reviews on his Google Business Profile. We encouraged him to reach out and ask his former clients to leave a review, and guess what.
He got three reviews in just two days!
That increased his total review count by 50%, shooting his Google Business Profile ahead of some competitors for his keywords.
If that doesn't make you want to go out there and ask for reviews, I don't know what will!
Make It Easy for Customers to Leave Reviews
While it is in people's nature to want to help others, people are not likely to go out of their way.
That is why we have to make it as easy as possible to leave a review.
If you're a restaurant, have a QR code that links to your Google Business Profile. Leave that QR code at the table, or bring it when the customer brings the check.
Home service and beauty industry businesses should follow up with clients after they complete the work to request a review by sending them the link. We set up an automated email follow-up for all our beauty industry clients with a link to leave a Google review.
Respond to All Reviews
Responding to good and bad reviews is vital in connecting with your customers. Show gratitude for the good reviews, and address any negative ones.
Potential customers will read reviews. When they see that you are actively reading and responding, it encourages them to leave a review because they know it is a great way to connect with you.
Not only will it encourage more reviews, but it will build the trustworthiness of your business. According to Google, businesses that respond to reviews are 1.7X more trustworthy than businesses that don't.
Not sure how to respond to reviews? Take this free training through Google to learn the best practice.
Promote Your Reviews
Use your reviews as content for your social media. Create a template on Canva and share your reviews on your Facebook and Instagram.
By sharing reviews on your social media, you're not only going to build trust and confidence with your community, but you'll also encourage others to leave a review.
You should also prominently display reviews on your website. Whether you manually show reviews on your site or use a widget like Repuso that updates automatically, make sure you make them visible.
All four of these suggestions work together. Make sure you're always asking, responding, and promoting your reviews, and you'll create a system that builds on itself.
Look at any online listing. The companies with the most reviews rank the highest, so go out there and start building your reviews today!
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