How can your business dominate local search and truly stand out from the competition?
What would it do for your business if you were able to dominate the first page of Google and have a constant stream of new customers coming into your business?
You need a constant stream of positive reviews posted online where customers are looking for businesses like yours. And we are going to cover several more ways to get positive reviews posted online, raise your local search ranking, and take your business to the next level here in PART 2 of “5 Proven Ways to Earn More Positive Reviews.”
You Need More Positive Reviews to Outrank Competitors
Research shows that reviews are a strong ranking factor for search results. Search engines like Google are analyzing your online reviews from several angles. They look at quantity, how quickly new reviews are posted, how many sites have reviews for your business, and product keywords.
With proven ranking influence, it is crucial to consistently gather and post positive reviews to help your business rank higher in search results.
Another clear benefit of reviews management is the strong influence customer reviews have on the purchasing decisions of future customers. Online reviews posted on review sites and your business website give buyers the social proof they are looking for when searching for reliable products and services.
1. Execute a Review Management Plan That Gets Reviews Across ALL of The Review Sites That Matter To Your Business
Be where your customers are!
Would your customers look at the local Chamber of Commerce website to find a business like yours?
Does your local television network run a popular “Best of Your City” contest where customers can leave reviews to vote for their favorite local businesses?
Identify the review sites used most in your industry and your location. Start with this general list for well-known review sites, but don’t forget to research where your local customers turn when they want to know the best of the best in your town. If your customer base is hanging out on niche review sites, you need to be actively funneling reviews to that site.
2. Ask Happy Reviewers For Referrals or Reviews On Other Sites
Customers who have left five-star reviews for your business can be your greatest brand ambassadors. Reaching out to these happy customers is an easy-ask situation. Having taken the time and effort to praise your product or service shows an investment in your business doing well.
Reaching out with an email or a phone call can bring valuable referrals and get good reviews on popular sites from a customer who has used and has a high level of trust in your business. Personalize the messaging to each customer, and be sure to thank them for the online review.
3. Have a System in Place That Ensures Employees are Asking Your Happy Customers to Leave Positive Reviews Online
Previously we discussed how training your employees to ask for reviews is a top priority. Depending on the size of your company, the complexity of getting all your employees onboard can vary, but ROI is huge.
Without an internal system, it will be near impossible to get consistent results whether you have two employees or 200. Develop a system your employees can understand and implement that makes it easy to ask your happy customers to leave a review at the end of every interaction.
4. Use Feedback Forms to Give Customers a Way to Voice Their Concerns and Protect Your Business From Receiving Negative Reviews Online
Bad customer reviews can have a lasting negative impact on your business. Knowing that… it might seem careless, if not scary, to send every customer directly to your Yelp profile to leave a review.
There is a way to put an extra layer of security around what is being posted online that improves customer service at the same time: feedback forms.
With just one click from a customer and you get the good, the great and the not so great feedback you need before the customer has had a chance to post negative review sites.
What about all that great feedback you get from happy customers in this process? Simple: You send them an email full of gratitude and a direct link to your preferred review site to leave a glowing review where it matters most.
5. Build Trust and Raise Your Authority Online By Responding to Customer Reviews
Managing your customer reviews isn’t just constantly generating fresh reviews and monitoring review sites for activity. Responding to online reviews and interacting publicly with customers shows the importance you place on your customers’ experience.
Customers are more likely to leave real and useful reviews on business accounts that show activity from the owner. And less likely to leave mean-spirited, negative reviews where the owner will respond.
Take this opportunity to thank customers who took the time to leave you positive reviews and highlight what made the experience so great for other readers. More importantly, you need to be prepared for the not so great review.
Make Your Reviews Work Harder for Your Business
We can’t overstate the importance of online reviews and protecting your positive online reputation. With several sites to monitor and working to gather good reviews while handling negative reviews, this whole online reputation management process can seem overwhelming.
Luckily, it’s simple to outsource or automate most, if not all, of your reputation management and marketing processes and activities. Contact us to find out how to leverage your positive online reputation and protect future revenue without any extra work.