"Any business that has delighted customers has a salesforce out there. You
don't have to pay them, you don't see them, but they're talking to people all
the time."
- Warren Buffet
In my previous blog, Six Steps for Small Businesses to Handle Negative Reviews Online, I ran you through what to do when bad reviews happen to good businesses. Now that we’ve covered off damage-control, let’s take a look at what small business owners can do to boost their positive online review hit-rate.
Considering the adage, ‘time is money’, giving much thought to what a happy customer is saying online about your small business may seem like a waste of a precious resource. If it ain’t broke… right?
At Tenfold we take a different approach; I mentor my small business coaching clients to play the long game when it comes to encouraging online reviews. Even a small investment of your time can really pay off in the form of:
1. Free advertising
Paid promotion has its place – you can control the conversation about your
business and target the right people. It’s like walking up to someone at a
party and introducing yourself (and, ok, having a little brag). It’s a great
way to show the confidence you have in your business and get your name out
there. (Downside: it can cost a fair bit of moola!)
A positive online review, on the other hand, is like someone at the party grabbing
you by the hand and making the introduction. They will do all the work for you,
raving about how happy they are with your product or service! No bragging
necessary and you don’t have to pay a cent!
2. Social Proof
Psychology describes a phenomenon where human
beings behave in similar ways to each other (also known as "the norm") because, well, we just want to know we are doing
the right thing! This is called Social Proof and it has a powerful influence
over almost all the decisions we make.
For your small business, this basically means that if people can see that other
customers have chosen your brand over your competitors’ (and have been happy
with the experience with you), they are more likely to make the same choice.
Another interesting (and useful) effect of social
proof is that if a customer sees a positive review of a business they have
used, they are more likely to:
a) leave a review, AND
b) leave a similarly positive review.
So good reviews generate even more good reviews.
You can imagine what this could do for your sales and profits!
3. Boost in your online search rankings
The 2017 Moz survey found that in addition to building greater trust and a higher Click Through Rate (CTR), review ‘signals’ (quantity, quality, etc) influence your Google ranking by as much as 13%!
Why does that matter? For every increase in rank (e.g. moving from 9th position up to 8th position) equates to a 50% increase in traffic. The more positive online reviews you have, the higher your business will rank and the more likely people are going to find you online.
Google reviews have the most clout with 81% of customers using the site, so it makes sense to focus your efforts there. That said, other sites such as Facebook, productreview.com.au and industry specific review sites can play a key role as well.
4. Credibility
for your marketing efforts
There are lots of practical ways you can leverage the power of a positive review in your small business. You can add quotes from reviews to your:
If that’s not enough to convince you, research shows that displaying reviews can double or even triple a business' conversion rate! (h/t the Spiegel Research Centre)
Stats and facts
There are some compelling stats about online reviews and customer behaviour; here’s a quick rundown:
A note on fake reviews
Don’t “fake it ‘til you make it.” It may be tempting to get your family and friends to go online and
write a few glowing reviews on your behalf. Don't. Just don't. I mentor my coaching clients to avoid this dubious practice because it is often easy to tell which
reviews are fake, and many sites have strict rules and processes to encourage users
to report them. If you get caught you may get suspended from the site and it
can damage your reputation.
It is also important to note that paying your customers (or even offering other
incentives like a discount or freebie) in exchange for positive reviews is not
acceptable, and even breach of some commercial laws in some places. Don’t worry, there are genuine
ways to encourage customers to spread the word about your business.
Give them something to talk about
As Warren Buffet says, focus on really delighting your customers and “don’t settle for satisfied”. If you go the extra mile for them, they will tell people about it!
Claim your digital storefronts
You likely already have a Facebook page and an official website, but you may be surprised where else your business pops up in the online marketplace. Do a search and you may find that you are already listed on Google reviews, productreview.com, WOMO, TrueLocal or other industry specific review sites.
Make sure that you claim these listings and treat them as the online storefronts they are. Check that your contact details and hours of operation are correct and add your websites, photos and other collateral. You will then be able to use this profile to respond to any reviews now and in the future (if you have read my last blog (link last blog) you will know how important this is).
Bonus tip:
You can manage your Google business listing and reviews via Google My Business.
This guide outlines how you can do this in 3 easy steps: https://www.reviewtrackers.com/claim-business-google/
Make it official
I coach my Tenfold clients to add “Ask for a review” as an official step in their sales process. This helps to position it as an important part of every customer interaction.
It can be nerve-wracking the first few times, but remember, 77% of customers are happy to do it they may just need to be asked.
There are a few things to keep in mind when you ask for a review:
A few more tips:
- Keep reviews current. When including customer reviews in testimonials, websites, pamphlets etc make sure they are not getting stale, or they risk losing credibility. As a guide: for online use, try to refresh reviews every 3 months or so. Updating your printed materials this often is likely too difficult (and expensive) but each time you do a new print-run, use the opportunity to change your review quotes too.
- Just a reminder from last time about setting up Google Alerts; if you haven’t set that up yet, then definitely put it on your to-do list – you won’t be sorry! Here's how to set up Google alerts.
- Bad reviews are not always so bad after all. Visit our previous blog to see how you can use the negative reviews to improve the customer
experience and invite them back.
I’m sure that just a few minutes ago it was February. Suddenly we’re halfway ...
"Any business that has delighted customers has a salesforce out there. You d...
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Phone: 03 9813 8777
Address:
5/1949 Malvern Rd
Malvern East VIC 3145