In the internet age, almost nobody buys a product or service without checking online reviews. One survey found that 99.9% of consumers read reviews at least some of the time. They’re a valuable source of objective – or seemingly objective – information about your business, helping customers work out whether your service is reliable and your product is worth the price.
That’s why, whether you own a tiny coffee shop or a nationwide chain of retail stores, you can’t ignore the power of reviews – even if you’d like to. It’s far more effective to lean into that power by responding, managing and encouraging your customers to post them.
Here’s what you need to know:
Top review sites.
With hundreds of review sites, it’s impossible to keep track of every single review posted. However, you can create a business profile, track reviews and respond on the top sites – and those most relevant to your business.
Google Online reviews pop up when a consumer searches for your business on Google. They form part of your SEO ranking – so they’re particularly important to manage.
Facebook reviews show up in the ‘reviews’ tab on your business page. Because they’re linked to your public profile, you want to ensure you’re keeping track of them.
Yelp started as a restaurant review site but now includes reviews for all kinds of services – from dentists to florists. It’s a major platform, with around 26,000 new reviews per minute.
Yellow Pages reviews is an Australia and New Zealand-centric review site with searchable reviews of local businesses of all kinds.
OpenTable is a restaurant booking and review site – users post around 1.3 million reviews each month.
TrustPilot is a global review site with around 626,000 business listings.
Boost your review numbers.
A 5-star review rating seems like the obvious goal, but it can actually make your business look ‘too good to be true’. Instead, research shows that a rating of between 4.2 – 4.5 is the customer sweet spot. It’s also crucial to have a good volume of reviews – 500 3.5-star ratings are more convincing than ten glowing reviews.
That’s why it’s smart to encourage your customers to leave reviews. Do this by sending an automated review request shortly after a purchase, engaging with reviews online, and making it easy to leave a review. Some businesses provide templates to help customers through the process.
Respond to reviews.
We’ve all seen viral stories about angry responses to negative online reviews, and it’s rarely a good look for the business owner. A better look? Responding calmly and professionally and doing your best to resolve the issue for the customer.
Here’s how to respond to a negative review.
- Be prompt: reply to a negative review as soon as possible, so other customers can see you’re responsive and engaged.
- Make it personal: use the reviewer’s name and thank them for their feedback.
- Acknowledge their issue and offer a solution: this could be a refund, a personal call, an email response or a discount code for a future purchase.
- Don’t ask or pressure the customer to remove the review.
While some customers will be unhappy no matter what, many will be appeased by a sincere response, apology and quick solution.
RELATED: 7 ways to maximise positive reviews of your business.
Making reviews work for you.
Reviews aren’t just an exercise in brand management – they can be an opportunity to generate leads and bring new customers to your business. Reviews build trust in your business, boost your brand awareness and online presence, and help you stand out from competitors.
Here’s how to make the most of your reviews:
Create profiles: register your business on common review sites so you can respond to reviews and add key details on Google, so your business pops up on the map when people search in your area.
Respond to reviews: respond to as many reviews as you can, as quickly as possible. This shows that you’re active and engaged with your audience.
Collect and showcase positive reviews: save particularly positive reviews and showcase them on social media or your website.
Ready to make the most of your online reviews? Start with Yellow Pages.
