Even in this day and age, word of mouth is still the best form of advertising. Thanks to online review sites like Yelp, it’s easier than ever for customers to write reviews of businesses to help others make decisions about where to purchase a product or whether to sign up for a service. Not only that, but having a number of positive online reviews for your company can seriously help boost your local SEO and improve your rankings. But how do you get your clients to post glowing reviews about your company? Here are some helpful hints for how to get your satisfied customers to share their positive experiences with your business so you can attract even more potential clients.
Just Ask!
Even though Yelp and other online review forums are immensely popular, people don’t always think about writing a great review for a business they like; unfortunately, consumers can be far more motivated to write a bad review after a subpar business interaction than they can be to sing the praises of a place where they received great service. By simply asking each customer to write a review about their experience, you not only stand a better chance of gaining positive reviews, but you are also motivating yourself and your staff to try their best to give every customer world-class service. You can ask your clients to turn in a great Yelp review when they are paying for their product or service, or you can remind them with little signs posted near the register or exit door. Some businesses even put a little note asking for a review on their receipts! Don’t be afraid to get creative with how you remind your clients that a little Yelp goes a long way.
…No Bribery, Though
Keep in mind that there is a huge difference between simply asking your clients to write an online review if they feel they had a great experience and paying people for positive reviews. The latter is quite frowned upon, and can even get you into trouble with Google or Yelp if they find out you’re offering incentives for glowing reviews. Bribing customers to give you good reviews, either with free products or actual money, is simply not ethical, since the reviews are supposed to be organic and come from people who truly like your company. Make sure to steer clear of incentivizing your online reviews so you and your business can stay above board!
Link it Up
People sometimes fail to submit positive online reviews because of a simple lack of convenience. After all, it can be pretty time-consuming to go to Yelp or Google Plus, search for the business and write a nice review for a company they like, no matter how much they want to do it. Why not make it easy for your clients by including a direct link to your online review pages? You can put the links to Yelp, Google Plus, and Facebook right on your website to ask for likes and positive reviews. This gives your clients the opportunity to say a few nice words about your company without having to go to each review site and social media platform separately to show the love.
Online reviews can make or break the success of your small business, and having very few or no reviews at all can be just as bad as having bad reviews! Make sure your company is well-represented on Yelp and Google Plus so your potential clients have the information they need to choose you over your competition, and so you can boost your local SEO and come out on top of the search results page. Great reviews of your company are just around the corner, if you know how to ask for them!
Contact our Social Media Marketing Experts Today!
Need help boosting the amount and quality of your online reviews? Echero can help! Contact us today to get started!
Leave a Reply