Traditional marketing for our businesses was done via word of mouth, but times have changed.
Now all a person needs to do is run a simple google search to discover who you are, where you are located, what services you provide and how to reach you. Additionally, they should also be able to see how others have reviewed your business.
In today’s world, a good review from a prior client goes an incredibly long way. Recent studies indicate that customers are willing to spend 31% more on businesses that have good reviews. There is a certain trust that comes with a personal review that is more valuable than anything you may have to say about your company or services.
Getting “stars” on a google review listing can boost your site traffic by 30 – 60%. Positive reviews give you a favorable ranking in search engine algorithms, which in turn boost visibility for your company.
Think of a google review as a chance to make a great “first impression”. When you think about the fact that so many consumers are discovering you via a google search, it just makes sense to make that first interaction with you as powerful as possible.
There are a couple of ways to get your business set up to receive google reviews. They are both best accessed on your laptop versus your cell phone. The easiest steps I have found are to claim your business profile using google maps.
- Go to Google Maps on your laptop.
- Enter your business name in the search bar OR click on the 3 bars in the upper left corner and click on Business Profile. Then add your business.
- Follow all of the prompts to set up the details of your business.
- Once complete, your business will be verified by Google.
Once your business is verified, you will want to begin the process of asking for reviews. The easiest way to do so is to log into your google business account by searching “googlemybusinessaccount”, select your business and scroll the icons to find “ask for reviews”. When you do this, you should get a customized url that will serve as your invitation to begin collecting reviews. Send this link to customers with a request to provide a review.
All they will need to do is click on the link and follow the prompts.
Once you start getting reviews, it will be important that you respond to them in a timely fashion. Here is a link to some coaching on how to respond to both the good and the “not so good” reviews. https://blog.hubspot.com/service/online-review-examples.
