You know that online reviews are making and even breaking businesses these days. They are powerful. We read that “If a customer has a negative experience in the real world they are going to tell at least 5 people, if they have a negative experience and they post online, they will tell 500 people.” That is the power of the worldwide web.
With Yelp and Google+ dominating in Google, Yahoo, and Bing as the most visible review sites and thousands of other review sites climbing in search engines, its no wonder businesses are freaking out. When someone searches your business, what do they find? What will they find? Make sure its good.
If people are finding positive reviews, high ratings, 4-5 stars, you’re safe and you’re probably doing pretty well. Statistics show that businesses with 4 -5 star ratings on Yelp convert 75% more often than businesses with ratings below 3-4 stars and/or without a Yelp profile.
Your business NEEDS those positive reviews. So how do you get them? We help our clients with monthly campaigns to engage new and current customers to leave positive feedback. Here are our tips for getting good reviews and what to do with the bad ones:
Engage Customers Often
This is your time to shine. If your customer had a good experience in your place of business, don’t be afraid to ask for the review! Make it easy for them, tell them to just leave a couple positive words and a high star rating, “It makes all the difference! Thank You!”
Put up a Yelp or Google My Business sign (that says “Check In!”)
Customers have come to recognize, know, and trust these brands. Not only will this elicit a trustworthy relationship but it will also remind them to check you out on these sites, check in, and leave a good review!
Offer Deals, Discounts, and Special Offers
Many of our customers have become very successful from putting deals, discounts, and special offers on their Yelp profiles. Not only does this pump up your relationship with Yelp but it will also give them real incentive to check in to your business, leave reviews, and engage with your business.
Ok, so what do I do about the “Less-Than-Positive” reviews??? HELP! If your business already has a couple of these reviews, its time to face the music.
Publicly Engage with Reviewers
Sincerely apologize for their experience, CALMLY explain the situation, and move forward in a positive fashion. Try offering a discount next time they come in, who knows you may gain NEW customers when others see how well you handled the situation online.
Publish Positive Content
– Get blogging! Publish press releases! Consistently posting positive content on many different platforms can help increase your search visibility and can often push negative results down in search engines. Mind you, this takes work – post at least 4-5x/week!
Play The Emotional String
You can get real, positive reviews for your business by asking those customers closest to you to help out. Just make sure these people have legitimate accounts with the review sites and that they aren’t just putting up fake jolly reviews. They need to be real customers of yours. If you get enough positive reviews, they can sometimes push down negative ones.
