It used to be word of mouth that helped people to find trusted products or services. Well, today’s “word of mouth” is better known as the almighty online review.
According to this spiffy infographic, 88 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation, and a whopping 90 percent say they read online reviews before visiting a business. Your business can only benefit from cultivating online reviews, so you’d better start learning a thing or two about them. Or these four things, even.
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The Top Ways to Review
Yelp is perhaps the most well-known website for reviews, but Google and Facebook can also be powerful tools in the online review feedback loop. When cultivating online reviews, one platform really isn’t enough. The more review platforms you’re on, the greater your exposure and the broader your reach.
When deciding which businesses to feature in its local listing results, Google checks out the reviews on Google+. Most business owners would love a spot in the coveted 7-pack of Google’s local listings, and inviting customer reviews is a giant leap toward that goal.
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How to Reach Out for Reviews
Remember your mother saying, “If you want something, just ask”? Nowhere is this truer than with soliciting positive online reviews. If you provide the platform, your most ardent supporters will be happy to give you some internet kudos. So just how can you harness the power of the positive review?
After a customer interaction, quickly follow up. Consider sending a follow-up survey, and for sure send an email within 24 hours or less. You can share links to your review sites via email or slap ’em up on your business cards. Although most people won’t take the time to leave a review, the majority of people who do write reviews only have good things to say.
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Dealing with the Downers
Into every life a little rain must fall, and when navigating online reviews, you’re bound to get at least a little wet. So how to handle bad press? You can’t avoid the occasional negative review, so your best move is handling it like a pro. This means respectfully reaching out to the reviewer to express your concern over their negative experience.
Waste no time in trying to turn their proverbial frown upside down. Sure, it’d be great if the reviewer softens their feedback. But it’d also be great if they’re so impressed by responsiveness and your dedication to problem-solving that they stick around as repeat customers… and tell their friends.
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Don’t Skip the Reviews
Online reviews are a clear indicator of your company’s online health, which is something equally important to search engines and human users. The statistics are already on your side, with most reviews being positive ones, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by cultivating reviews and building up a solid online reputation in your field.