How To Get Reviews The Easy Way

Online reviews are essential to businesses for a variety of reasons. They can help you attract new customers, boost your SEO, and improve customer service. But getting online reviews can be a challenge.

How many times have you asked a satisfied customer for a review who readily agreed? But what happens? Crickets.

When customers say they will leave a review, they mean it, but like everyone else, life gets in the way, they’re busy, and they forget.

Don’t despair. You can do things to increase the chances that customers will leave a review and that those reviews will be positive to help you shine.

Why Online Reviews Are Important

When it comes to making purchasing decisions, online reviews are increasingly playing a role.

A study found that 88% of consumers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations.

There are a few reasons why people trust reviews. First, studies provide unbiased opinions about products and services.

Unlike ads, which are paid for by companies, reviews are written by everyday consumers with no vested interest in promoting a particular brand making them trustworthy sources of information.

Second, reviews offer valuable insights into the quality of products and services. With so many online options, reviews can help narrow down the choices and find the best option for each consumer.

Reviews also help level the playing field between big and small businesses. In the past, big companies had an advantage when getting the word out about their products and services.

But with the rise of social media and review sites, small businesses now have a platform to showcase their offerings and compete with the big guys.

Establishing Trust

One of the main reasons why reviews are critical is because they help establish trust between customers and businesses.

Reviews can help customers feel more confident in purchasing from a business they may not have had experience with before.

In addition, reviews help companies identify areas they need to improve to serve their customers better.

Improving Customer Satisfaction

Online reviews can also help improve customer satisfaction by providing businesses with feedback from their customers about the products or services that they offer.

Feedback can help companies to identify areas where they need to make changes to meet the needs and expectations of their customers.

Enhancing Marketing Efforts

Businesses can also use reviews for marketing purposes. By monitoring positive customer reviews and negative feedback about their business, businesses can use this information to create marketing materials that highlight their company’s strengths and how they differ from their competitors.

Encouraging Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Finally, reviews can encourage word-of-mouth marketing by providing satisfied customers with an easy way to share their experiences with others. This can help increase the reach of a business’s marketing efforts and ultimately lead to more sales.

The Benefits of Having More Online Reviews

Now that we’ve gone over why customer reviews are critical let’s look at some benefits businesses can enjoy from having more reviews.

1. Boost Your SEO

One benefit of local businesses’ reviews is that they can help boost your SEO. Search engines like Google use online reviews as a ranking factor in their algorithms. Therefore, companies with more positive reviews are more likely to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), leading to more website visitors and, ultimately, more sales.

2. Increase Your Click-Through Rate

In addition to helping with your SEO, customer reviews can also help increase your click-through rate (CTR). CTR is the percentage of people who see your listing in the SERPs and click on it. A higher CTR means more website visitors, leading to more sales.

3. Build Social Proof

Another benefit of having more positive customer reviews is that it can help build social proof for your business. Social proof is the idea that people are more likely to purchase from a company others have previously purchased.

Having reviews helps show potential customers that other people have had positive experiences with your business, which can encourage them to do business with you.

4. Improve Customer Satisfaction

Another benefit of customer reviews is that they can help improve your customer reputation. As we mentioned earlier, online reviews give businesses feedback from their customers about the products or services they offer.

Feedback can help companies to identify areas where they need to make changes to meet the needs and expectations of their customers.

5. Enhance Your Marketing Efforts

Finally, customer reviews can enhance your marketing efforts. By monitoring the positive and negative feedback about your business, you can use this information to create marketing materials that highlight your company’s strengths and how you differ from your competitors.

Consumers Read Online Reviews

A recent study found that 95% of consumers read local business reviews before hiring a company or making a purchase. So you could miss out on sales if you’re not monitoring and managing customer reviews.

Here’s a closer look at why online reviews are so important for consumers.

You Could Be Missing Out on Sales

You could miss out on sales if you’re not monitoring and managing your online reviews. A study found that 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

That means if you have positive reviews, you’re more likely to convert leads into customers.

On the other hand, if you have negative thoughts, you could be driving potential customers away.

You Could Be Losing Valuable Feedback

Online reviews are not only a way for customers to share their experiences with your business, but they’re also a way for you to get valuable feedback. You can use positive reviews to see what customers like about your business and negative reviews to improve your products or services.

Monitoring your customer reviews is crucial to managing your reputation and ensuring customer satisfaction.

How To Get More Positive Customer Reviews For Your Business

Now that we’ve gone over why local businesses’ reviews are critical let’s look at how you can get more reviews for your business.

1. Do Good Work

The best way to get more customer reviews is to do good work. Ensure you provide your customers with quality products or services and deliver on your promises. If you do good work, your customers will be happy to leave a positive review.

2. Make it Easy for Customers to Leave Reviews

The second step is making it easy for customers to leave reviews using Reputation Rooster. Customers who don’t have to hunt and peck where to leave a review are likelier to do it.

3. Remind Customers to Leave Reviews

You will increase customer reviews by providing automatic gentle reminders through text and email. Customers appreciate these reminders, and it’s been shown to increase customer satisfaction.

4. Respond To Reviews

Another way to encourage customers is to respond to your reviews. Responding to reviews shows that you care about your customers and their experiences. It also shows that you’re willing to make changes based on feedback.

Personalizing your responses is also important instead of copying and pasting the same comment to each review, which shows a lack of interest and laziness.

5. Monitor Your Reviews Regularly

Monitor your reviews regularly. When you use our app, you are notified once a review hits one of your review profiles.

6. Use Positive Reviews in Your Marketing Materials

Finally, use positive reviews in your marketing materials. For example, you can showcase customer testimonials on your website or social media pages or use them in your email marketing campaigns or offline materials.

How to Respond to Positive Reviews

Acknowledge the customer by thanking them for their positive review. By taking the time to recognize their experience, you are building goodwill and helping foster a community of customers who feel valued.

Here are a few tips on how to respond to positive reviews: 

✰ First, be sure to thank the customer for their positive review. This simple act of appreciation can go a long way in building goodwill.

✰ Secondly, avoid sounding like a script or automated message. Instead, take the opportunity to personalize your response and connect with the customer on a human level.

✰ Finally, keep it short and sweet. A brief but sincere response is often more effective than a long-winded message.

How to Respond to Negative Reviews

Negative reviews are inevitable whether you’re a small business owner or a large corporation. While feeling defensive when confronted with criticism is natural, it’s important to remember that how you respond to negative reviews can significantly impact your reputation.

✰ The first step is to stay calm and avoid getting defensive.

✰ Next, take the time to listen to what the customer is saying and try to understand their perspective.

✰ In some cases, reaching an agreement or compromise may be possible. However, if the customer is simply unhappy with your product or service, the best course of action is often to apologize and offer to make things right.

How to Get More Google Reviews

Google reviews are one of the most critical factors in local search ranking. Reviews provide valuable feedback and help your business stand out against a crowded marketplace.

Getting more reviews should be a top priority for any business that wants to improve its online visibility and attract more customers.

When you have a healthy Google Business Profile showing many glowing reviews, potential customers are more likely to trust your business and choose you over a competitor with a less favorable online reputation.

There are a few simple things you can do to encourage your customers to leave Google reviews:

1. Make It Easy

Using our reputation management software app, you can send automatic review requests to customers after purchasing or completing a project. Automation eliminates the hassle of manually asking for reviews and ensures you’ll always have a stream of new, engaging reviews.

2. Encourage Google Reviews

Reputation Rooster’s app prominently displays Google as the first choice for customers to leave a review. By making Google the primary focus, customers are more likely to leave a review on your Google Business Profile.

3. Send Reminders

If a company ever prompted you to leave a review, you know how effective reminders can be. Our app sends automatic review reminders to customers who still need to leave a review.

You can also send manual reminders through the app or your Google Business Profile.

4. Respond to Reviews

When you receive a new Google review, take the time to respond. A personal response shows that you care about your customers and value their feedback. In addition, you can use our app to respond to reviews directly from your inbox.

5. Monitor Your Reviews

It’s essential to monitor your Google reviews and address any negative feedback immediately. Our app makes it easy to stay on top of your reviews with notifications whenever someone posts a review on your Google Business Profile.

6. Value All Reviews

While positive reviews are great for your business, pay attention to negative feedback.

Use negative reviews as an opportunity to improve your customer service and show that you’re willing to make changes based on feedback.

Customers are more apt to do business with a company that shows it listens and wants to do what’s right.

Can I Incentivize Customers to Leave Google Reviews?

According to Google, “Business owners shouldn’t offer incentives to customers to leave reviews.” Google wants reviews to represent real customer experiences accurately, and they don’t want businesses manipulating the system.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also has strict guidelines in place regarding the use of incentives.

For example, any time you offer something in exchange for a review, that review is considered “sponsored content” and must be disclosed.

The Power of Getting Reviews For Your Business The Easy Way

Everyone enjoys “easy” in life. There’s the easy button at Staples, the “1-Click” ordering on Amazon, and now there’s a new way to get reviews that’s just as easy.

At Reputation Rooster, we eliminate the hassle of asking customers to leave you a review.

How? By automating the process, so you don’t have to.

With our easy-to-use app, you can:

✰ Automatically send review requests to customers.

✰ Encourage customers to leave reviews on your personal review sites.

✰ Send reminders to customers to leave a review.

✰ Respond to reviews directly from your inbox.

✰ Monitor your reviews and get notifications whenever someone posts a review.

By automating the collection of customer reviews, you can focus on running your business while we help you build a 5-star reputation.

Get started today and try it for free to see the power of getting reviews the easy way. Text us at 512-994-2904.

How often do you ask customers for reviews? Are you happy with your results? Let us know in the comments below.