One of the biggest questions I get asked by business owners is how to increase their number of positive Google reviews. It's a great question and I’m always glad to hear that Google reviews are being given the respect they deserve because they serve a very important role in whether a customer/client chooses to spend money with you versus another business.
In fact, one study has shown that 88% of consumers consult reviews before visiting a business or making a purchase.
Ok, are you ready for me to give you the magical solution to increasing your positive Google reviews?
ASK!
Now, before I lose you, I do realize it’s sounds overly simplistic, and you won’t have a 100% success rate but without asking,
I also asking can be scary, because in asking people to review your business, you’re making yourself vulnerable to bad reviews as well. But, we'll also teach you about when and who to ask for reviews as well. And, we give you yet another resource in our blog about The Do's and Don'ts of Managing Your Google Reviews but first things first, let's focus on getting those reviews first.
So, we’ve tackled Step 1: Ask.
Sidenote: Before we get into ways to ask, there are two things to always keep in mind:
1) Provide as many opportunities as possible for customers/clients to leave a review
2) Make it as easy as possible (we’ll go over that later in this article)
Now for Step 2: How and When to Ask for Google Reviews
If your business has a physical location . . .
Ask before your customer/client leaves (assuming they’ve had a good experience).
Otherwise, while they may be well-intentioned, once they leave, they’ll likely forget.
Out of sight, out of mind.
If you own a business with multiple employees, give them a script for ways to ask (obviously it will need to be adapted, based on the type of business you own, how you speak to your customers/clients, etc)
“I hope you enjoyed your (insert service/product purchased) today. If you don’t mind, we’d really appreciate you sharing your experience with other potential customers by giving us a Google review.”
Post signage in various locations of your business.
Keep the wording simple, conversational and consistent with your brand’s personality. One word of caution, consider that by posting a sign like this, you could open yourself up to negative reviews. One way to negate that is the wording you use on your sign.
Examples:
1) Whether it was your first visit with us or you’re one of our regulars, we hope you enjoyed your time with us today. Just like everyone, we love a good compliment.
We’d be honored if you would leave us a Google review and brag on your favorite (insert relevant language: staff member/service provider/server/item on our menu)
If you have concerns about your visit today, please let us know immediately so that we can address them before leaving today. Client satisfaction is our No. 1 goal so we’d appreciate you sharing your feedback with us.
2) Enjoy your experience us today? We’d appreciate you giving us a Google review and helping other potential customers know how great we are. If there’s anything we could have done to improve your experience, please let us know so that we can address your concerns.
3) Thank you for visiting us today! Leave us a Google review and help us spread the love! Not happy with our services? Please let us know immediately so we can address your concerns before leaving today.
Now, we realize you may not be able to personally interact with each customer who walks through your door or you your business may not have a physical location so other opportunities to ask for reviews include:
Social media accounts
Create a post using a a client testimonial that left your business 5 star review. And then in your post text, include something like: Had a similar experience you’d like to share? We’d love to hear all about it!
Email newsletters
Make this a permanent part of your e-newsletters and test out different language and placement to see what works best.
Text messaging
Have a text messaging program in place where customers can opt in to receive special offers, new arrivals, etc.? Yet another great place to solicit reviews.
Your company website
Depending on your industry, it’s perfectly acceptable to solicit reviews on your website.
Your email signature
Hopefully by now, you’re getting the message. Provide as many opportunities as possible because getting people’s attention is harder than ever.
Hopefully these have spurred some good ideas for you to incorporate into the way you communicate with your customers already. And again, we realize it seems so simple but that's because it really is. It can just feel uncomfortable until you get comfortable with your particular style of asking.
Making it easy for people to leave a review
So, you've asked someone to write a review and surprise, surprise, they said yes! So, it's your job to make it as easy as possible for them to do so. If it’s not easy, it’s not going to happen. Think about the many surveys you receive as a consumer.
My favorite? The customer service surveys at the bottom of fast-food restaurant receipts that I immediately throw away. Too many words in tiny print and I'm expected to type in a website address. Nope, not going to happen.
Instead . . . try these methods instead:
1) Thanks to the pandemic, QR codes have made a comeback. So, create a QR code they can scan that takes them directly to where they can leave a review. There are so many free QR code generators out there if you just Google them. You can even brand them, include your logo, colors, fonts if you want to get super fancy.
2) Create a short URL (either a bit.ly link or a custom URL) that also takes them directly to where they can leave a review.
Tip: For both of these options, make sure you’re giving people the DIRECT link that takes you specifically to the area of your GMB account where the white box will pop up to write a review Luckily, Google gives you very specific instructions on how to do that
Have additional questions or another topic you'd like us to cover?
Send me an email at kellywooley@314-solutions, I'd love to help!