We all know that Google is a powerful search engine, but are you doing all you can to make the most of this robust platform? Google Reviews are a vital piece of your overall online presence, but in order to leverage them correctly, you need to know what to do when you get both good and bad feedback from your customers. Read on to learn more!
What are Google Reviews?
Do Google reviews add any value to your business or products? Is it worth it to invest in customer reviews? These are probably some of the questions that you have been asking yourself concerning your online marketing venture. Notably, customers trust online reviews more than they trust advertisements. The answer to these questions is, therefore, an astounding yes.
If you can put money into advertising your business online, getting Google reviews should be on top of your priority list. Google reviews should form part of your marketing campaigns if your business is to move to the next level.
Google reviews act as proof that the business is genuine. In digital marketing and online selling of products, customers are interacting virtually with the sellers and the product. Building trust in such situations can be hard, hence the need for customer reviews as new customers will be able to gain trust in your business.
How Can You Get More Google Reviews?
The following are some of the strategies that you can adopt, to get more Google reviews for your business.
Claim & verify your GMB Listing
This strategy entails the use of the Google My Business tool to get listed. The process is fairly simple for businesses operating locally like yours. The first step is to login into Google My Business and create an account. This step is followed by adding the business address, choosing a business category, inserting contact information, and finally verifying your business. GMB is the platform that your customers will use to leave a review for your business.
Ask your customers to review your business through word-of-mouth
Asking the customers to leave a review is an effective way of getting more Google reviews. The customers should be talked to about leaving a review after buying the product. To elicit positive reviews, efforts should be made to ensure that the customers are satisfied with the services they receive. In this way, it will be possible for them to review the business positively.
Send requests via email and text
Your business should also consider requesting customers through texts and emails to review the products or services they’ve received. These emails and texts should be well formulated to ensure that the reviews given will serve the envisaged purpose. Therefore, it is important to expressly request the customers to leave positive reviews.
Set reminders
Customers should be reminded to review the business positively if you’ve noticed they have opened the email but haven’t clicked. The sales agents who interact with the customers directly should strive to ensure that the customers are reminded to review the business positively.
How Can You Manage Google Reviews?
Businesses employ different strategies to manage Google Reviews. The key regardless of your industry is to respond to all reviews you receive.
On your Google My Business page, there are a few points that you should focus on in your management reviews.
Notifications
First, you should be prepared to monitor your Google Reviews daily. Your goal should be to respond to a new review within 24 hours and getting that notification in real-time makes all the difference.No excuses!
Second, respond to the reviews in the most honest way possible, particularly the negative reviews.
Proper management of Google reviews calls for a consistent approach which entails:
- Consistency in responding to reviews guided by your core business values.
- Perpetual monitoring of your website and Google My Business profile.
- Read all the reviews of your customers, whether good or bad.
- Report all reviews that you consider fake
When you start monitoring and responding to Google Reviews, you will realize that positive and negative reviews come in equal measures. To guarantee customer satisfaction, you should have tailor-made strategies; one for positive and another one for negative reviews.
Responses for positive and negative reviews
Responding to positive reviews
Writing a response to positive Google reviews is easy and enjoyable compared with responding to a negative review from an angry customer ranting about how they received poor service from your company. As a norm, businesses tend to respond to reviews as a means of damage control. So, why would you get bothered by reviews that are praising your business or the services you offered?
It is paramount to acknowledge your customers by offering a warm response to their reviews. Even when there is no immediate implication, just knowing that their opinion is being heard can create raving fans and translate to new deals.
You can follow the tips below to respond to good reviews:
1. Respond promptly.
Getting a positive review from a customer should not be taken as a ticket to sit back and relax. You should seek to make the customer happy by sending an immediate response. This way, the customer will know that you are interested in their feedback and are happy that they took their time to leave feedback.
Moreover, an immediate response may give you a chance to start a live chat with the customer. In the chat, you may get a chance to hear more from the client, such as any points of friction, personal experiences, or specific points of improvement.
2. Address your customers by their names.
Avoid using generic salutations when responding to your customers’ reviews. You get your customers’ attention by greeting them by their names.
3. Express your gratitude.
If your customer takes time off their schedule to say a positive thing about your business, you just can’t act as if it did not happen!
A ‘thank you’ is a simple way to express your gratitude and build a rapport with your customer.
Showing gratitude to your customers in your responses is a sure way to maintain a good public image, which may lead to sales for your business.
Responding to negative reviews
Most business owners hate responding to bad reviews as it is seen as a form of digital confrontation. Nonetheless, you should look at negative reviews as an opportunity to improve customer experience and drive your brand visibility. If anything, customers show 1.7x more likelihood of visiting your website if you offer satisfactory responses to negative reviews.
This is how to handle negative reviews:
1. Assess the feedback first.
Never rush to respond to a negative review. Customers have a lot of influence online and any not well-thought response may fuel the anger of your customer.
Notably, offering a negative response to a negative review is a sure way to lose your customer. Do not allow emotions to rule you when responding-develop a logical procedure and follow it through before replying. Take your time to think about the best response; of course, don’t take too long. A customer who leaves a negative review expects a fast response from you.
2. Respond to the review publicly.
Never hide or try to respond to a customer’s negative review in private – they may use your strategy to hurt your business. Respond directly to the platform they posted their review. This shows the reviewer and other customers that you are keen and care about the services they receive from your business.
Process to resolution
While responding to Google reviews, you must offer solutions or practical actions to mitigate the issue. A mere apology without a solution is not a good response.
Whether you are encountering positive or negative Google reviews, Surefire Local Marketing Platform for small businesses will help you build a 5-star reputation and ease the process of getting and managing Google reviews for your business. The results: loyal customers, higher revenues, and unlimited growth for your business.