4 Ways to Maximize (& Deflect)
Deflecting negative feedback can help enhance your Google Reviews.
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In service-based businesses, Google Reviews are liquid gold.
In fact, studies have shown that 60% of consumers place significant importance on the volume of reviews a company has.
So, the golden question arises - how does one amass more reviews?
With over eight years of hands-on experience and meticulous testing of various strategies, I've been able to amass over 2,100 reviews for a local service-based business.
The secret? Capitalizing on Google Reviews.
As an SEO veteran, I've observed the landscape shift since 2012.
In the early stages, Google Reviews was a crucial tool for local businesses to establish legitimacy and bolster local rankings.
Fast forward to the present day, and their importance has only grown.
⏮️ REWIND: While the Google Business platform faced some hiccups in the past, with scams flooding businesses with hundreds, if not thousands, of counterfeit reviews, Google has since refined its system.
Nowadays, it's increasingly difficult for businesses to "game" the system through spam reviews, leading to greater trust in Google Reviews.
This edition will explore four proven strategies your business can employ to garner valuable Google Reviews.
These techniques have stood the test of time and continue to bring significant results for service-based businesses, especially those serving a regional area.
Strategies for Gaining Google Reviews
1. Post-Transaction Follow-Up
Strategically timing your request for a review can significantly boost your success rate. Customers will most likely leave a review immediately after a transaction while their experience is fresh. To capitalize on this:
Implement an automatic email or SMS that goes out to customers after a purchase or service completion, politely requesting a review.
Consider using their first name and include specifics about their transaction to make it more personal.
As a plumber, if you just completed a job fixing a toilet, you should contact the person the following day knowing they have used tha toilet a few times since you fixed it.
2. 'Are You Happy with Us?' Widget
A well-placed, attractive widget on your website can work wonders. The key here is to intelligently channel happy customers to Google reviews while internally taking unhappy customers' feedback.
Customize the widget with your brand colors and fonts to integrate it with your website.
Include a direct link to your Google My Business review page for positive responses to streamline the process.
Pro Tip: For negative feedback, provide an internal form or email to capture their issues, allowing you to resolve them directly.
This allows you to keep negative feedback away from your public forums (i.e. Google Business) and allow you to resolve them internally with your team and the customer.
3. SMS Loyalty List - Requesting Reviews
In today's mobile-dominant world, SMS is a highly effective communication channel for customers. You can leverage this for review collection by:
Building an SMS loyalty list with customer consent, offering them updates, exclusive deals, and more.
Every once in a while, send a text message with a friendly request for a Google review. Be sure to include a link to make it easy for them.
Segment your list based on their interaction with your business and personalize the request to enhance response rates.
Remember, most people don’t want to be bothered by SMS by businesses, so use your list wisely. Spread out messages every few weeks.
4. Email Marketing - Quarterly Review Requests
Regularly contacting your customers via email is a great way to stay top of mind, offer value, and gently request reviews.
Design a beautiful, mobile-friendly email requesting a review. Make sure it aligns with your brand style.
Time these reviews request emails to go out quarterly or after specific interactions, ensuring you're not overwhelming your customers with requests.
Pro Tip: In the email, provide a direct link to your Google Business review page to make leaving a review as effortless as possible.
But don’t forget…
Remember, the success of these strategies largely depends on the quality of your service or product. Provide an excellent customer experience, and these tactics will serve as catalysts, enhancing your online reputation and SEO through Google Business reviews.