There’s been a lot of discussion about online reviews lately and we wanted to take a bit of time to address some do’s and don’ts about how to go about getting them.
Do: Ask for them!
Or rather, don’t be afraid to ask for them. We firmly believe that customers WANT to help businesses that they like and want to see succeed. A happy customer will gladly leave you a positive review – but they may not think of it until you ask them. One retail client we worked with went from 12 reviews to over 60 in just a month when they started asking for reviews.
Do: Make it easy for customers to leave reviews.
Embed a link in your email signature, put a QR code on the back of your business card, a sign at the point of sale…all good ways to both ask and then guide your customer to the right spot.
Do: Respond to reviews.
One of the most important things you can do once you begin getting them – respond. A response acknowledges that you care about reviews – both good and bad, and shows that you are attending to any negative ones in a way that is positive and will further your business. No reason to be afraid of the bad ones – show the public how you respond, and if you have a location that gets bad ones consistently, use that information to train staff and address issues that will meet the customer’s needs.
Do: Attempt to get consistent frequency.
Frequency is important for reviews – so devising a way to gain reviews on a consistent basis is best. Start with a goal, and with your current customers. 1 per week, one per day, or 1 per month might be adequate depending on how many customers you have, but if your most recent one is more than 3 months old, studies show that consumers will question the credibility of your business.
Don’t: Ask employees to leave reviews.
Unless it’s an employment site, don’t ask employees to leave reviews on your Google My Business page, Facebook or other properties. It’s best, and ethical, to get them from customers who can truly leave a review on the service or product you have provided.
Don’t: Promise incentives to leave reviews.
This is a very important point – we came across a company recently that openly claimed that they had asked customers to leave reviews in exchange for a $50 gift card. Depending on the platform, this activity is frowned upon. As a business you want to gain genuine, trustworthy reviews.
If you are struggling with gaining quality reviews for you business, or you are struggling with overall poor reviews, or need a Google My Business tune-up, Big Picture Productions can help with that. We have a system that works to grow your reviews on multiple platforms, informs and instructs the customer on the process and then monitors those platforms so that you or an employee can easily respond to the reviews.