What people say about your business is of very high importance in deciding the reputation of your business. We remember the time when social media was not so popular and neither was digital marketing. During that period, we used to trust what people say about a particular business or brand and accordingly the decision used to be made about choosing that brand.
The time has changed and so does the technology, but one thing that has not changed is the way we choose a brand or business. Earlier it used to be physical interaction between people now it is the online medium. What people say about a business online is known as a review and it holds the key to success.
When it comes to grabbing the attention of local customers, reviews play a very important role in giving an edge to your business above competitors. Imagine having 20 people posted positively about your brand on the website, which will help attract more customers who are looking for the same product or service that you provide. On the other hand, instead of positive if the reviews are negative, not only you’ll lose your existing customers but also downgrade the reputation of your business. Thus, it is necessary to get good reviews locally so that people can recognize you.
Ways to get good reviews of local business
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Quality service
Getting genuine reviews must be the only priority for businesses to ensure trust and long-term results. While one of the best ways to get such reviews is to provide excellent service and make customers satisfied. The quality of your service will decide how happy customers are and how long they’ll choose you for your product or service.
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Collect email address of customers
This is a smart technique that could be highly effective if done right. It is advised to ask the customer for their email address and contact number during billing. Later, you can use the details for sending follow-up emails or texts to ask the experience of customers. It is likely that people who have shared their contact details have a satisfactory experience and chances are high that they’ll share their experience as well. Thus, you can get a number of positive reviews and post them on your website.
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Reviews then and there
Now you must be thinking that how you’ll get customer reviews on the spot when they are buying your business or service. But yes, this could be done smartly and can do wonders for your business. There are several ways by which you can request customers to review their experience with you and believe us, not many will refuse.
You can have a kiosk in your store with a set of pre-made reviews from satisfaction to dissatisfaction that customers can choose accordingly. Doing this will help you get genuine reviews from the customers before they leave your store. Another strategy that you can adopt is to ask customers to give a review at the bottom of the bill.
Asking customers about how you can improve your service will be a great step in increasing their trust and satisfaction level.
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Say how much you appreciate their reviews
Not only by digital means, but it is also important to approach customers face-to-face for reviews when they visit you. Telling them humbly how customer reviews are important for your business and how they will help you improve will also do it for you. Do consider the tone in which you are approaching customers as if it is not right, you might face serious harm to your business.
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Waiting might not be a good idea
We know patience is the key, but not always. Imagine a situation where you have contacted a person who bought your product or service 4-5 months ago. This is a sign that you are not serious about what your customers think about your brand. When it comes to asking for a review, be smart and don’t wait much time. Depending upon the services or products you provide either ask for customer review right after the purchase or in a follow-up mail or text a few days later. This will bring the positive side of your company and tell customers how important they are for you.
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Social media is the king
Social media has become an important part of people’s lives and this is also the same case for businesses. It won’t be wrong to say that businesses are incomplete if they do not have a social presence. It is easy for businesses that are there on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to see what people say about them and what are their pain points.
Thus, for getting reviews, social media is best as well. You can post a series of questions about your brand in an interactive, unique, and engaging way on the social platform. Interested people will happily give genuine answers and it will reflect a positive image of your company.
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Show what people say about you on other platforms
One person influences others and this process keeps going. Thus, if you want to create a good image of your business and get positive reviews, this strategy might work. For this, you can post links of third-party review profiles on your website’s testimonial page. In this way, people visiting directly on your website will come to know how wide your reach is and how satisfied the customers are.
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Respond smartly
No one likes being unnoticed and neither does your customers. They want to get heard and if you don’t respond, it will hurt your reputation. No business has experienced only positive reviews, there are negative ones as well and they are important too. It doesn’t matter whether the reviews are positive or negative, you must respond to both strategically with a humble tone. There should not be any difficulty while replying to good reviews but when it comes to bad ones, you must be extra careful. Bad reviews can also have a positive impact on your brand if you turn them into good ones. This could be done by asking the customer about the reason for dissatisfaction and following up after clearing the issue. Compensating customers in case of major problems will also do it for you.
By these smart ways, you can get reviews of local businesses and focus on the parameters where you need improvement. If locals are happy with your service you will always outshine your competitors. While we have covered what you should do, here are some points that you should avoid while going for the reviews.
Review practices you should avoid
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Don’t buy reviews
Buying fake reviews is considered a black hat SEO practice and this might let you face penalties by Google. If people find out that you’ve got paid reviews, even the genuine ones will be of no use. Thus, you must avoid paying for marketers who buy your reviews. True reviews must only be targeted and they are the only ones that’ll have long-term benefits.
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Don’t tell your staff to review the business
There might be some brands or companies that review their own business and that is not a good idea to build a reputation. In this way, you are misleading your audience and customers. Only reviews that come directly from customers by genuine means are best.
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Don’t review your competitors negatively
Harming others for your own benefit is never a good idea and this should be avoided. It is always advised not to negatively review your competitors as this will show how unprofessional you are.
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Don’t focus on a single platform
It is important to have a multi-platform presence as only getting reviews on one platform will narrow your reach. Plus, it will also make sure that if due to any reason if reviews on one platform are lost, you have them on other platforms as well.
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Don’t respond arrogantly
You cannot avoid negative reviews as not all customers are satisfied. But that doesn’t mean you’ll respond in an unprofessional way. Doing this will have a bad impact on your existing customers as well as new ones. Thus, your response to a negative query must show empathy towards the customer and should convince them by any appropriate means.
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Don’t ignore the guidelines
You must follow all the terms & conditions of the platforms you are using for getting reviews as ignoring them will be harmful and in some cases might become serious.
Just like do’s, it is also necessary to focus on don’ts and take them seriously. Considering this for getting reviews of local businesses will also be good for the reputation of your brand and show up in the long run.
Conclusion
Local customers are very important in establishing your brand and driving sales; hence they should be effectively targeted. In the whole process of improving SERP ranking and generating leads, reviews play a key role. Based on positive & negative comments from customers, reviews create an image of your brand. If visitors see that your existing local customers are happy with your service or product, they will happily choose you and that’s how local reviews are essential for your business. So, give ample time to strategize the way you’ll get local reviews by genuine means and strengthen the business in your local territory.