“Would definitely go here again – the food was AMAZING!”
“I HIGHLY recommend (your business name here)!”
If you own a business, this is what you want to see showing up on review sites regarding your products and services. If you’re suffering from a negative reputation online, the best thing you can do to counteract that negativity is to start getting more positive reviews like those above.
The problem is that it can be hard to entice your happy customers to post things about you online. This is usually because they’re busy or just don’t think it’s important.
However, simply by asking, you can get more of your satisfied customers to go online and tell the world how they feel about your company.
But the real question is…what is the best way to approach your clients, customers and patients to proactively request reviews?
Here are some tips to get you started on the path to more 5 star online reviews:
- The best thing you can do to get better reviews is to have a system in place to proactively request reviews, collect and use feedback from clients, customers and patients across the biggest review platforms on the Internet.
- Do not limit yourself to one request method. There are three methods for getting more online reviews. You can ask for reviews, send an email, or send a text message. In today’s digital age, the best method is a mix of all three, but if we had to choose one, text is best.
- Make sure that your happy customers know that you would like them to review your product, service or company. Don’t be ashamed to ask. While not everyone is going to respond to your request, you will be amazed at the number of positive online reviews you can acquire by simply asking for one.
- Help your customers along with the review process. For instance, you could give them some tips on actually submitting reviews for your company – such as which review sites to go to – however, a better alternative is to develop a multi-channel approach to proactively request reviews, such as email, text messaging and a dedicated “Review Us” page on your company website.
The easier you make it, the more likely they will take the opportunity to give your company a review. Don’t ask for too much information though as this could be a turn-off. In fact, make sure you mention the fact that this will be a “simple process that should only take a few minutes of their time.”
If there is any way you can collect customer reviews right at the point of sale or service delivery, this is a powerful strategy as well. This way, your customers won’t have to wait until they get home to write a review for you. This is where our text messaging platform really shines.
Dealing with negative reviews or a poor online reputation
If you have a less than perfect online reputation, whether through reviews, comments or on social media; using a dedicated review management platform to increase the number of positive online reviews can be a great way to minimize the effect of negative mentions.
Another great feature of Review Manager is the “Negative Review Filter”. Review Manager will automatically filter negative reviews that your customers submit, store them and send them to you without displaying them online – giving you an opportunity to interact with an unhappy customer and rectify the situation before it can have a negative effect on your online reputation.
Request . Manage . Optimize
Review Manager tracks your online profiles on Google, Facebook and Yelp. Having a central location to see the overall health of your business reviews can help in many ways. Knowledge is half the battle with making informed decisions about what is best for your organization.
