How To Get More Online Reviews?

Online reviews are probably the most influential factor that customers consider when deciding which product or service to choose. For this reason, business owners are always wondering how to get more reviews. In fact, over 50% of consumers say that online reviews influence their decision to purchase, and 84% trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. In other words, online reviews can make or break your business.

Doesn’t matter what kind of business you own. Generating online reviews is a key to your success. They can boost sales, rank your company higher in search engines and build a strong reputation – exactly what any business needs.

Let’s face it – you want to know how to get more customer reviews. The more positive reviews you get, the more new clients will choose your business over your competitors. Everyone looks at the number of reviews next to the stars because potential clients want to know how many people reviewed the product. Probably, one or two positive reviews aren’t enough to convince somebody to buy a product. Another situation is when a product has dozens of reviews with good ratings. In this case, potential customers are more likely to choose your company over others with fewer reviews. 

Most probably, you got to this blog while trying to find answers to some of the following questions:

  • How to generate more online reviews in an easy way?
  • How to get clients to leave reviews?
  • How to improve your online reputation?

Let’s talk about them in the following article, but first, we need to clarify where we want our customers’ reviews to be published.

Where can you publish your customer reviews? 

  1. On Google My Business (to appear on Google Search and Google Maps)
  2. On review sites (TripAdvisor, Trustpilot, Yelp, Foursquare, etc.)
  3. On social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
  4. On your own website site

How to get reviews for your business?

1. Ask in person

If you regularly meet with your clients, you have an excellent opportunity to ask for a review in person. It is considered to be one of the most effective methods of gaining customer feedback. 

How to get customer feedback?

  • Start the conversation by asking about the client’s experience with your business and, based on the reply, decide if it’s the right moment to ask for a review.
  • Another way is to ask for a review at the end of a sales transaction. To make it convenient for the client, prepare a card with a QR-code to redirect a customer to a review page on Google, Facebook, or your website. 

Example:

You: Thanks for purchasing {product name} from us! If you don’t mind me asking, how was your purchase experience with our shop?

Client: I’m happy with my purchase and your customer service. Thank you!

You: Thanks for your feedback! If you have a minute, I was hoping you could do me a favor. We’re collecting reviews on Google, and I would be grateful if you could leave a review of your experience. Just use the QR-code on this card, and you will be directed to the review page. We’d really appreciate it!

2. Use personalized emails

How to obtain customer feedback with personalized emails? Make your customer feel special when asking for a review. Nobody wants to read a general newsletter with boring text saying, “Leave us a review, please.” Go beyond standard email templates and personalize your email review request. Include the customer’s first name, company name, and even the service or product he purchased. This method will use a more personal approach towards the client and increase his loyalty to your brand. 

3. Keep your review requests short and simple

The more text a customer has to read, the less he is likely to leave feedback. You’re already asking a client to leave a review, so don’t take any more of his time to read a long email. A simple and short email with a clear call-to-action always works the best. 

4. Add review requests in your newsletter

A newsletter helps to build a relationship and maintain regular contact with your clients. It is a great place to add unobtrusive review requests. Make a review request section noticeable but not too big, and don’t forget to add a call-to-action. For example:

“What did you like the most about your latest experience with our business?”

5. Ask for reviews over the phone

If your business offers phone customer support, it means you have another great opportunity to ask for reviews over the phone. If you provided a customer with excellent service and met all customer’s needs, he is most likely to leave a review. 

Example:

You: I’m glad we were able to help you! If it’s not too much trouble, can you please review the quality of my service?

(Send the customer an email with the feedback link or have a phone system that allows your customers to key in the feedback performance.)

Feedback from existing customers makes others feel more confident in our company, knowing they will get the support they need in case of any problems. You would be extremely helpful! 

6. Request reviews via SMS

Text messages are known to have a high opening rate. In fact, 98% of messages are opened. So there is a big chance customers will open your review request and click on the link. To achieve a high response rate, keep your SMS review request brief and straightforward. 

Example:

  1. Hi [Customer First Name], thanks for doing business with us! Would you have a minute to share your experience with our business on [review site name “Google”]? Just follow this link [insert review link] to leave a review. Thanks for your help!
  1. Dear [Customer First Name], thank you for visiting [Business Name] today! To help us provide you with the best experience possible, please take a moment to share your feedback. Follow this link [insert review link] to leave a review. Thanks for your help!

To speed up the process of collecting reviews via SMS, try a reputation management platform. It sends automated text messages and emails to your customers with review requests and directs them to the review sites that matter for your business. It is a convenient and effective method that takes the guesswork out of review requests. Using a software platform to manage review collection is very helpful for all business owners looking to save time and quickly increase their business review rating.

7. Use the power of social media

53.6% of the world’s population uses social media and spends 2 hours and 25 minutes daily to scroll the feed. It would be best if you took it as an advantage for your business. First of all, work on your social media presence to actively engage with your customers. Once you build a community, use it as a platform to gain customer reviews. Try posting a review link in the bio or directly in one of your posts. 

8. Place CTAs on your site

Your site is another place where you can get customer reviews. Try adding call-to-actions with review requests on your homepage, blog, or the product page. Make sure the CTA is relevant, so it can help you generate more online reviews:

  • Use an appropriate button link. Don’t make it too small or too big. 
  • Think about what color will be the best to increase the click-through rate.
  • Keep the message short and clear.

9. Promote the reviews you already have

Customer reviews work like user-generated content, and we know how influential UGC is in attracting new customers. The secret is, people don’t trust marketers. They trust real people. 

So, how to promote reviews?

  • You can add a website widget with the most outstanding reviews on your site
  • Run an advertising campaign on social media showing your best reviews
  • Add a new heading to your social media strategy called ‘Testimonials’
  • Use a social sharing plugin to share your best reviews on Facebook, Twitter, and more

10. Monitor and analyze your online reviews 

Constant monitoring and analysis of customer reviews and feedback will help you understand overall customer satisfaction and define your strengths and weaknesses. By collecting feedback data, you will be able to quickly resolve the problems customers face while dealing with your business. An optimized business will provide greater customer satisfaction which will bring more positive reviews and increase sales.

How to analyze online reviews?

  1. Do the analysis yourself.

Collect customer feedback, analyze each component, and define correlations.

      2. Use a reputation management platform.

View and manage all your reviews in one dashboard and be instantly alerted when new reviews or feedback come in. This way, you take advantage of an easy-to-use dashboard which allows you to quickly make a more accurate analysis, identify trends and use these insights to improve your business customer experience. 

11. Follow Up

Following up is a great tool to increase the number of reviews, but you should be gentle with it. 

  1. Don’t be pushy and obsessive. It can backfire. 
  2. Don’t send review reminders too soon after the first review request.
  3. Wait at least 2 to 3 days after the first request and send a follow-up. 
  4. Use an automation tool to send friendly review reminders. Don’t waste your time sending each request manually. 

 12. Automate review requests

An automated process can help generate reviews faster and easier. Businesses that automate review requests can double or triple their review volume and save time on doing it manually. Think how easy it would be if you can integrate your CRM system (customer relationship management) or accounting software with a review management platform. 

As an example:

You can automate review requests after a new customer was added to your CRM system or after an invoice was generated. The Amazeful platform was built for this purpose:

  1. It automates gathering business reviews
  2. Connects with your CRM, website, and more
  3. Integrates with review websites like Google, Facebook, TripAdvisor
  4. Collects all reviews in one dashboard for in-depth analysis
  5. Makes it easier to manages negative feedback 

At the end of the day, the most important thing is to keep your customers happy.

Focus on providing the best experience possible, improving customer satisfaction, and clients will be happy to leave reviews. The methods discussed above are great to get you started as not all businesses are the same, always try new things and analyze what works better for your company. 

6 Ways To Market Your Business Without Paid Advertising

“How can I market my business without paid advertising?”

It can become very expensive for businesses to execute paid advertising. There are multiple other avenues you can explore when it comes to advertising your business. We’ve put together 6 ways you can market your business without paid advertising.

1. Selling through video content

Selling through video content is one of the most effective ways to sell to the younger generation (under 40’s). Studies have shown that people in this age category spend 100 minutes a day watching video content per day. This is a huge opportunity for marketing your business as long as your video grabs their attention and gives them a reason to keep watching. The main platforms displaying video content are YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

2. Increasing your social media presence

Having a social media account for all the popular platforms is the best way to really get your brand noticed. Having the same social tag for all of your accounts also helps your audience identify your business. Increasing your social media presence is essential in order to gain the attention of your target audience and being able to connect with them organically and gain your trust.

3. Using email marketing to gain leads

Email marketing is a great form of marketing if you don’t want the big corporations controlling who can and can’t see your content on a regular basis. For example, Instagram’s algorithm changes quite often and if you rely solely on Instagram for your leads and they shut down (touch wood they don’t!) then you’ll have no audience of your own. This is why you should be implementing email marketing for those just-in-case situations that could potentially cost you your entire business income.

4. Boosting your Google rankings through SEO

A good Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy will allow you to connect more with your target audience and will lead to increased website traffic and organic visibility. The first Google listing receives 33% of all search traffic so I’d definitely recommend implementing an SEO strategy into your business.

5. Writing optimized blog posts

Optimizing your blog posts consists of a lot more factors than you might think. Make your blog clickable by including a catchy title or headline that will intrigue your reader. Keep the paragraphs short (like this blog you’re reading now.) Also, you should be adding links when necessary but make sure to not overdo it otherwise you’ll seem too “salesy” and people will begin to not trust you and your opinions. Writing an optimized blog post tells Google that you have a specific audience you want to attract and a niche topic.

6. Encouraging happy customers to share their experiences through reviews

There’s no better marketing than an honest review from a previous customer. Having positive reviews is the best way to grow your customer base and excel in the online space as a business. Here at Amazeful, we thrive on knowing that our platform is growing businesses every day. We automate the review process by sending gentle reminders to your customers to leave a review. If the review is positive with a high rating it will go directly to the site of your choosing, and if the review is negative it will send a private message to you so your online reputation doesn’t get damaged and you can fix the issue offline. More positive reviews essentially mean more clients for your business which then leads to more sales and continual growth for your business. This process encourages your happy customers to leave positive reviews for your business.

To learn more about our services, visit our website here or call us on 0478 486 878

How To Increase Online Sales For A Local Business?

The Internet has become a significant strength nowadays. It is used to purchase products, find places to eat, communicate with friends, and book holidays. If a person is going to buy something online, he will first Google it and go through the result pages before choosing the right seller. Therefore, being present online in search engines is crucial for any company, including local businesses.

If you see a decline in your sales, it’s time to refresh your online strategy. Here is a working strategy for local businesses that intend to increase online sales.

Get listed on Google My Business

Google My Business is a free tool that allows you to manage your online presence across Google Search and Maps. When someone looks up your business name or a related term, he’ll easily find all the necessary information about your company. Google requires you to provide the business name, location, and category. Once Google confirms your Business profile, it is open to customers to leave reviews, add photos and ask questions. 

What are the main Google My Business benefits?

  1. Your business will show up in Google Maps searches and boost sales.
  2. By showing up in local searches, businesses on Google My Business are 70% more likely to attract potential customers for in-store location visits.
  3. Google My Business lets you rank higher in Google search.
  4. Increase engagement with your brand. People can easily visit your website or call you with just one click. 

Ask your customers to review your business

90% of people read reviews before making a purchase. 63% indicate they are more likely to buy from a site that has product ratings. Asking your happy customers to review your business on Google or any

other site that matters can significantly increase sales and engage new clients. Point your customer to one or two websites where the majority of your reviews are being seen. 

How to ask for reviews?

The most convenient way that saves your time will be using the reputation management service. It helps fully automate gaining customer reviews, so you can spend your time improving other business processes. 

How does it work?

  1. The customer receives an automated email or message to review your business.
  2. Once the message is received, the client is directed to review your business on Google, Facebook, or any other review site.

The platform has in-depth reporting that lets you analyze online feedback, manage negative reviews, send review reminders, and more. For more information and features, visit this page.

Increase social media presence

Millions of people are scrolling their feed every day to discover new content and interact with brands and companies. If you want to attract more potential clients, you need to work on your social media presence. 

Social media platforms can increase traffic to your website. When you promote content on social media, people who are already interested in your company can visit your site in one click. Gaining some extra traffic is a working method to rank higher in Google search and be chosen by more customers. 

Besides, you can build trust with existing customers, understand their needs, and increase loyalty with social media. Take the opportunity to:

  • Ask your audience questions
  • Respond to the comments
  • Post relevant content
  • Create a community 

Conclusion

As a local business, you always need to find a way to stand out from competitors. Take a close look at your marketing strategy and ask yourself if it’s generating the results you’re looking for. If not, it might be time to try new approaches to promoting your business. Use this guide as a reference to refresh your online strategy. 

3 Essential Tips to Kickstart Your Business

Success from Amazeful Reviews

3 Essential Tips to Kickstart Your Business

Starting a business can be exhilarating and fun at the best of times but it can also be very overwhelming if you don’t have the right measures in place. We’ve put together 3 essential tips to help you kickstart your business.

Success from Amazeful Reviews

  1. Do your research.

Ensure that you have something unique to bring to the table to set yourself apart from your competitors. Research your niche and identify what your target market is really looking for and find a way to provide that for them. Make sure your product or service is actually in demand and there are people out there willing to pay for it. Also have a look at what your competitors are doing – how can you do it differently or better?

 

2. Automate as many things as you can.

As a business owner you’re going to find that time is your most valuable asset. If you can automate 50% of your tasks, you’re setting yourself up for success. A business takes a lot of time and effort to set up and even more time to sustain. The Amazeful platform is all about setting you up to have a successful business through your customer reviews. 

 

3. Network.

Networking may sound scary at first but trust me when I say this, you’re going to want connections. Connect with local entrepreneurs and business owners in the area. Almost every successful business owner loves to talk about themselves so ask questions, listen and learn – remember their business knowledge is super important to you at this stage. Connections through networking is why most business owners are successful today. 

 

And an extra tip for you..

 

4. Carry your business card EVERYWHERE.

You’ll never know who you’re going to bump into on your weekly grocery run or that trip to the coffee shop so always be prepared and have a few business cards on hand!

How to Turn Negative Customer Reviews Into Advantage?

Negative reviews are a nightmare for many business owners. But the truth is no matter how devoted you are in promoting a good customer experience, you’ll come across negative reviews in the end. It’s a fact for all businesses dealing with customers, you can’t please all the customers all the time. What is more important is how you handle bad reviews and the way you respond to them. Moreover, negative feedback is something that can help your business to grow and improve. Instead of being afraid of bad reviews, let’s see how to use them as a positive side for your business.

Always respond to negative feedback

When you receive a bad review, first of all, understand what the customer complains about and apologize for the negative experience. If it’s appropriate – offer a refund or exchange. Show that you care about each customer’s problem and resolve it with a public response. However, if the issue requires additional actions (for example, related to services), it’s best to resolve such complaints privately. Leave a phone number or an email so customers can contact you to resolve the problem offline.

Sometimes reviews can be unfair, but try to be polite and friendly to show potential customers you’re dedicated to providing excellent service.

Build trust using negative reviews

When a potential customer sees a bad review, he also checks the response from the business side. By interacting with the clients who left a negative review, it shows you’re being proactive about addressing problems, and it helps build trust.

Besides, this way, you demonstrate to potential clients you have nothing to hide and are ready to resolve issues if they exist. Plus, customers are inclined to trust businesses with positive and negative feedback, while only 5-star reviews look more fake and not credible. 

Use a reputation management platform

Indeed, you can’t control what reviewers write, but you can manage and control negative feedback using a reputation management platform. The system captures negative reviews and sends them to you privately to deal with them offline. Dealing with unhappy customers’ issues in-house before they get the chance to go public will help minimize the number of published negative reviews on Google, TripAdvisor, and other sites. Respond to bad reviews to make customers feel heard, and there is a big chance they will change their minds and leave you a positive review instead.

Improve your business 

Negative feedback can be unsettling at first, but how else would you understand the issues you have in the business processes? All successful businesses continuously improve, and bad reviews are a great way to identify what’s working and what’s not. If too many clients complain about the same thing, it’s worth looking into it and making improvements. So even if you don’t like receiving negative reviews, they’re still necessary and helpful. The more you listen to clients’ concerns, the more you will meet their expectations, and you will provide a much better experience.

    So what to do about negative reviews? 

    1. The most important – do not ignore them. It’s okay to have some unhappy customers because you can’t always please every client. 
    2. Always respond to negative reviews. Show that you care about the issue and are ready to deal with it publicly. This way, you can even turn unhappy customers into loyal advocates.
    3. Use a reputation management platform to manage and keep track of your negative reviews. It helps to minimize the number of negative reviews on Google, TripAdvisor, and other sites. 
    4. Learn from your mistakes using bad reviews. Identify what’s not working for your clients and improve it.

    5. Get more positive reviews. Usually, only unsatisfied clients are willing to leave a review. To keep the balance between negative and positive feedback, always ask your clients for reviews.

    Five tips to improve the customer experience for restaurants

    Five tips to improve the customer experience for restaurants

    Quick Links

    1. List on Google My Business
    2. Offer loyalty programs
    3. Collect reviews
    4. Learn from negative reviews
    5. Place your menu online

    Tips to improve the customer experience for restaurants

    The world pandemic is a challenging time for any business, including restaurants. In addition, the restaurant business has always been a competitive one. According to statistics, 6 out of 10 restaurants fail within the first year of operations. It requires innovation, creativity, and constant development of restaurant management, customer service, and more. 

    In this guide, we will go through 5 tips to improve the customer experience for your restaurant. It will help you get more clients and increase the number of regular customers. 

    1. Make sure you are listed on Google My Business

    Google My Business lets you list your restaurant location on Google Maps and search results.

    It has always been important because it’s the first thing your customers notice when they search for your business online.

    If you are already listed on Google My Business, make sure the information is up-to-date and list your business on other sites like Facebook or Yelp so that customers know where they can find you and how they get in contact with you. Business listings are also a perfect way to increase local SEO and rank higher in search. This way, you will have better visibility in the neighborhood and outperform competitors.

     

    Google My Business lets you list your restaurant location on Google Maps and search results. 

    It has always been important because it’s the first thing your customers notice when they search for your business online.

    If you are already listed on Google My Business, make sure the information is up-to-date and list your business on other sites like Facebook or Yelp so that customers know where they can find you and how they get in contact with you. Business listings are also a perfect way to increase local SEO and rank higher in search. This way, you will have better visibility in the neighborhood and outperform competitors. 

    customer experience

    Offer customer loyalty programs

    Customer loyalty programs are the best retention tool. Because rewarding clients with bonuses and points lets them know that you value them, it is also an effective way to increase customer purchase frequency which means more loyal customers for your restaurant. Unlike one-time coupons, loyalty programs inspire many repeat visits. Besides, clients will spread the word about your restaurant, and more people will come to have lunch in your place. Statistics prove the importance of loyalty programs – 75% of customers say they would switch brands for a better loyalty program.

    Collect reviews 

    Trust reviews from customers are the basis of an online presence. The more quality reviews you get, the more trustworthiness you see from Google. If you don’t have enough positive reviews from clients – ask them! When a client leaves your restaurant after a delicious meal – send him a message or an email asking if he’d like to leave a review on Google or Facebook. To automate review requests, use a reputation management platform. It will do all the work for you, so you don’t have to send a review request to each client and spend precious time. Instead, use this time to work on other business processes.

    positive reviews

    Make the most from negative reviews

    Negative reviews are not as bad as we think they are. In fact, there are plenty of positive sides. Did you know that 95% of unhappy customers return if the issue was resolved? Negative feedback is something that helps your business to improve. Without negative reviews, you’d never hear from dissatisfied customers and would never be able to understand and correct a mistake. You can always try to solve the customer’s problem and find a solution to make him happy. Timing is essential in handling negative reviews. Try to be as fast as possible to save a damaged customer relationship. For convenient managing negative reviews, use a reputation management platform. It helps you manage all negative feedback by capturing and sending them to you privately, allowing you to deal with them offline.

    Place your menu online

    Since most people use the Internet to research before choosing a place to dine out – an online menu becomes a crucial thing. Without a searchable menu, you take a risk of being unnoticed by potential customers. Add your restaurant’s menu to Google My Business so that your potential clients can easily find it.

    Conclusion

    Improving customer engagement is №1 thing to grow your business. Make sure your restaurant information and menu are listed on sites where people are searching for food. Always ask for accurate feedback and manage negative reviews. Think of possible loyalty programs to increase the percentage of returning clients. A constant work on these few points will bring your restaurant to the next level of restaurant experience.Ma

    The Importance Of Reputation Marketing For Your Local Business

    Customer Feedback

    What is reputation marketing?

    Digital technologies have completely changed the way we’ve lived our lives. With many customers using the Internet to find a local business, your company’s online presence and reputation become crucial. 

    Reputation marketing is critical for any local business: dental clinics, restaurants, or puppy shops – all benefit from customer feedback and reviews. In turn, customer feedback is the construction material that establishes your online reputation. 

    So, what is reputation marketing?

    Reputation marketing highlights and intensifies positive business content like customer reviews using digital marketing channels. This marketing tool lets you generate more leads and grow your business faster. In a nutshell, it’s a strategy to promote your company’s good reputation or repairing a flawed one. 

    Customers are constantly reading online reviews to identify if they should buy a particular product, eat in a restaurant or visit a dental office. Every year the popularity of online reviews has been increasing, and new statistics prove its importance. For example, in 2021, 93% of customers read online reviews before buying a product, and 94% of all purchases and appointments are made for businesses and goods with an average rating of 4 stars and above. 

    As you can see, online reviews are a vital component of your business’s reputation in the public eye. 

    Local reputation marketing

    More than ever, potential customers are searching for local businesses online. As a business owner, if your business is a local business where you need to meet your customers face to face, you need local reputation marketing.

    The main difference is that your marketing should focus on the geographical area where you provide services, so you should always mention the suburbs, postcodes, or cities where you want business from.

    Google is the largest search engine, and its main focus is to provide the best results for customers searching for services in their geographical area.

    However, not all customers use specific keywords like the suburb or city. Instead, they use more general terms such as: “Electrician near me,” so it is Google’s job to translate “near me” as the search area around the shopper location.

    That’s why to increase your local reputation marketing, you need to help Google by clearly specifying your business location or the local area where you provide services.

    what-is-reputation-marketing

    An influence on purchasing decisions

    As we mentioned above, people are likely to trust recommendations from previous customers. So, the more quality comments and reviews you get across different digital channels, the higher potential customers’ credibility you get. Therefore, positive customer reviews have a significant impact on purchasing decisions. It is evident that customers choose more reputable businesses among their competitors.

    Your goal as a business owner is to set up your dominance over competitors using reputation marketing tools like generating positive reviews, monitoring reviews, and rapid response to them. 

    How exactly do positive customer reviews increase sales? First, let’s dive into the marketing funnel:

    Awareness: Potential customers learn about your business through previous clients’ reviews.

    Interest: People began to search for more information about your company – explore your site, social media pages, and review websites.

    Consideration: Clients compare your business with rivals to understand your weaknesses and strengths. 

    Solid reputation marketing depends on what people say about your business. Usually, business owners understand the importance of positive customer feedback but rarely ask clients to leave a review. 

    Eventually, it leads to an imbalance of negative and positive reviews because people are more likely to leave feedback themselves only when they are dissatisfied. As a result, it won’t help your business to grow. So, asking your clients to leave reviews about their experience should be one of the essential points in your marketing strategy. 

    There are many ways to collect positive reviews website feedback, social media reviews, and of course, reviews on review websites such as:

    • Google reviews
    • TripAdvisor
    • Yelp
    • Foursquare 
    • Facebook

    local-reputation-marketing

    Asking each client for feedback is possible but can be time-consuming. Besides, there is a way to automate the review gaining process with a reputation management platform like Amazeful. 

    Very easy to use:

    1. After each purchase, your customers will receive a message to review your business
    2. You can direct your customers to leave reviews on a wide variety of platforms like Google, Facebook, or any other review site that matters to you
    3. You can monitor all reviews in one dashboard and easily embed them on your website

    Using an automated reputation management platform like Amazeful is the most convenient way to gather positive reviews because it saves time and money. However, remember that reputation marketing is not only about sending review requests to get as many good reviews as possible. It is also about honest feedback, which can include negative reviews too.

    Negative feedback is an excellent way to improve your business because, throughout it, you can understand if a client complains about the quality of the product, the price, or the professionalism of the staff. You can use the Amazeful platform to filter and manage negative reviews too. The system captures and sends negative reviews to you privately, allowing you to deal with them offline.

    Reputation Marketing Conclusion

    I hope by now you have a better understanding of what reputation marketing is and how to implement it for your business.

    It would be best not to underestimate the importance of local reputation marketing for any business. It will help a business grow faster, generate more leads, and stands out from competitors. Every year the popularity of online reviews has been increasing.

     In 2021, 93% of customers read online reviews before buying a product, and 94% of all purchases and appointments are made for businesses and goods with an average rating of 4 stars and above. As a business owner, you should generate more positive reviews about your business and display them on review websites like Google reviews, Yelp, and others local review sites.

    User a reputation management platform like Amazeful to save time and money. Remember that reputation marketing won’t work without lots of positive reviews. So, next time you plan the marketing budget – set aside some funds for your online reputation.

    Online Reviews Are The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Small Businesses

    Since its founding in 2014, Google My Business has become a major force in local commerce, with millions of people using it on various devices each month to post millions of business reviews.

    Online Google Reviews – Best Thing For Small Businesses

    Google My Business online reviews rise hasn’t come without controversy, with some arguing that it’s not fair to put small businesses’ reputations on display online.

    The truth is, Google My Business didn’t create the Web 2.0 movement that enabled everyday internet users to create content and share it with the whole world. What Google My Business did do, however, is harness shifts in consumer behavior to create the best marketing channel of all time for local businesses. Today, Google My Business is joined by dozens of other popular consumer review sites as the first place shoppers go to find businesses nearby. As long as they’re governed correctly, these sites are a boon to small, local businesses.

    If you run a small business today, the single most important thing you can do to attract new customers is to take control of your online review score on sites like Google My Business, Facebook, TripAdvisor, FourSquare and Yelp. More on that soon, but first, let’s take a quick look at how technology has transported the classic small business storefront onto the internet.

    Shopping Online – Is the new trend

    Mobile Is Driving Local

    Even the busiest business owner must recognise that access to real-time information has exploded. Internet usage around the world has almost tripled since 2001 to nearly 350 million users, and smartphone penetration has risen from 20% in 2010 to 75% in 2019 among general consumers. Everyone has the internet in their pocket all the time, and this changes everything for small businesses.

    This dramatic shift in technology adoption has led to similarly dramatic shifts in consumer behavior. About 90% of global sales still happen in physical stores, but 97% of consumers use the internet to find local businesses and three in four people who use their smartphones to search for something nearby end up visiting a local business within a day. Foot traffic to retail businesses is down 60% in the past five years, but the value of every visit has tripled.

    For small businesses, this means many digital stores have replaced the iconic physical storefront. Consumers are using the internet to figure out where they want to spend money locally before they go there, and their visits are increasingly prompted by real and urgent purchasing intent.

    The days of window shopping and scanning the Yellow Pages are over.

    Attract More Qualified Customers With Google Reviews

    Online Review Sites Are A Customers Magnet

    In the past, small businesses had to rely on inefficient “push” methods to attract new customers. If you buy a radio ad, for example, the message has to do two hard jobs: Convince the customer to spend money with you and create urgency to do it now, before distractions take over.

    When a consumer uses a review platform like Google My Business, the decision and urgency to buy are exactly what prompted the person’s search. If traditional advertising is a megaphone that enables businesses to shout and see who’s listening, review sites are tractor beams that pull consumers toward local businesses precisely when they’re actively looking to spend money. That’s an invaluable opportunity for small businesses with small — or non-existent — marketing budgets.

    Think about it. When you’re looking to try a new restaurant or find a mechanic, what do you do? You might get a recommendation from friends or family, but you probably also do a “near me” search on Google. This is the new normal: 97% of consumers use the internet to find local businesses, and one in eight searches online for a nearby business every single day. Review sites are at the epicentre of “near me” searches.

    Get More 5 Star Reviews From Your Customers – Use Amazeful

    Google Business Can Work For All Small Businesses

    While there are certainly internet trolls out there, one of the great myths about online reviews is they’re all bad. In truth, more than half of all Google reviews are four or five stars, meaning most customers are logging on to rate their great experiences with local businesses.

    That’s good news because 90% of customers say that what they decide to buy is influenced by positive online reviews, and 94% will use a business with at least four stars. If you run a small business, the very best thing you can do to attract more customers is to maintain a high star-rating on the most popular review sites like Google Business, Facebook etc.

    Small businesses have more control of their online star ratings than they know. First, they can proactively encourage their customers to post reviews about their experience — 68% of customers will leave a review if asked. This activates the business’ happiest customers, buries any unfair negative reviews and ensures that the company’s “review ratio” is healthy.

    Second, small businesses can turn negative reviews into a second chance. Everyone has a bad day, and business owners deserve to know when something’s wrong. In the past, dissatisfied customers might not even fill out a comment card — they’d badmouth the business via word of mouth, and the owner might never know anything was wrong.

    Small businesses can use online reviews to uncover any legitimate blind spots and show acts of good faith for all the public to see. Engaging with dissatisfied customers in online review forums can lead to repeat business, and up to 70% of complaining customers will give the business another shot if their concerns are resolved.

    If you run a small business, it’s time to embrace online review sites and use them to your advantage. Word of mouth happens online now, and small businesses finally get to add their voices to the conversation. Better yet, leaning into the world of online reviews might be the only marketing plan a small business needs these days.

    The Best Way To Deal With Negative Reviews

    How to Deal With Negative Reviews

    Many companies and business owners fear to respond to negative reviews because it is a digital confrontation – opening a can of worms that will lead into the rabbit hole. Bad reviews should not cause anxiety but should be a moment of opportunity to improve your brand and customer service. So, how should you respond to them?

    Reviews left online can either boost your business or lead to your eventual downfall. Increasing your online rating by one-star has been shown to boost your business by up to 10%, whereas one really bad negative review can cost your business tens of thousands of dollars. (See our blog about Fake Reviews Killing Small Businesses).

    Negative reviews are crucial, which is why you have to know how to use them to your advantage.

    But before you go shelling out extra cash for someone to handle your online presence for you, remember the golden rule of business.

    “The customer is always right.”

    You should approach reviews with the goal of giving the best possible customer experience even when they’re angry. It keeps reviews from becoming the bane of your existence and shows how dedicated you are to delivering a consistent level of excellence.

    1. First assess and evaluate the feedback internally.

    Consult With Your Team

    – Have a logical procedure in place before clicking reply –

    You’re better off assessing the situation instead of immediately responding to a bad review. Customers have a lot of power online, and if you react to a negative review without thinking it through, you will fuel your angry customer.

    Geoff Toff says that “if they’re angry enough (however unfairly) and care enough about getting the reaction they want from you (however petty that might be), they can spread negativity all over your reputation online, and people will probably believe it until they see a reason to think otherwise.” Do not get emotional when it’s your turn to respond to a bad review — have a logical procedure in place before clicking “reply”.

    2. Publicly respond to the review.

    Publicly reply to your negative reviews.

    This means, don’t hide and privately reach out to your customer, but respond to them on the platform that they posted the review (privately responding alongside a public response is good as well). Whether they left you a bad review on Google, Facebook or TripAdvisor, do not avoid digital confrontation. Responding publicly to bad reviews shows your customers and potential customers that you care and are attentive.

    Why should you care that you’re attentive? – Because it can lead to increased business.

    A study done by Cornell University revealed that responding to negative hotel reviews “appears positively related to the consumer’s view of the hotel, as measured by increases in the TripAdvisor score”.

    3. Empathise and offer solutions.

    Offer a Solution to Customer Complaint

    You’re human just like anyone else, which means sometimes you’re going to mess up.

    And unfortunately, missteps, mistakes, or mess-ups can lead to negative reviews.

    If you just spent your time writing a fluffy response back to the customer apologising for their experience and you’ve really taken the time to not be impulsive, but did not provide some solution or actionable items to mitigate the issue, then you haven’t properly responded to a negative review. Make sure to offer to make it right by providing a solution.

    Whether it’s providing your contact information and following up with the customer offline, you should display empathy and effort into solving the complaint.

    Responding to negative reviews lets customers see how you handle a less-than-ideal situation.

     Statistically, people will read the negative reviews first. If things go wrong, they want to know what to plan for. Show you’re capable of continuing to deliver excellence even when things aren’t perfect.

    4. Fix the issue

    Fix The Customer Issue

    Once you’ve apologised to the customer, keep your word and fix the issue.

    Putting actions behind your words online helps the customer trust your company more. They’ll feel you’re transparent in your solutions and general business accountability, which can only build positive things for your reputation.

    Publicly showing that you will always fix something that’s gone wrong for your customers to will strengthen their trust in your company. Building trust cuts down on the need for them to post reviews in the first place because they know if they contact your business directly they’ll be heard, and their issue will be addressed.

    5. Follow up with the customer

    Always Follow Up With The Customer

    On most reviews platforms like Google Business Reviews, customers can edit or remove their reviews.

    If you’ve apologised and corrected the issue, reach out to the customer to see if they will remove their review. 

    Asking the customer to take down a negative review can also be a great moment for a follow-up. By checking in with the customer, you’ll nudge them toward removing the review from your site, and they’ll feel cared for. They may give you further feedback or even change the review to a positive one.

    When you leave a negative review, you expect an outcome. What you want to see is for the business to own their mistake and then correct the issue. If that happens, and you are happy with the outcome most likely, you will amend the negative review. So when it’s time for you to be on the other side of the review process, try to remember what it’s like to be a customer.

    6. Conclusion

    What Matters Most When Responding to Negative Feedback

    Now, this isn’t going to be the case for everyone, but that’s okay.

    What matters is you’ve demonstrated to the customer, and anyone else reading the reviews, that you’re apologetic and dedicated to resolving mistakes as quickly and professionally as possible. If you make one customer feel heard and valued in the review section, then other customers will trust you to do the same for them.

    Going forward, potential customers will see your positive attitude and consider you trustworthy—even if they haven’t engaged with your business yet.

    That’s the power of a customer review. And that’s why it’s crucial that you stay on top of them. By including the review process as an extension of the customer service experience, you’ll handle it like a pro, and your customers will keep coming back—in real life and online.