Knowing what is being said about your business online is crucial. It’s important to find out what your prospects will find when — not if — they Google you. From Yelp to Google reviews to Facebook reviews, there are innumerable locations where happy or unhappy clients can go and share their two cents about you and your business.Google your business and see what pops up. Check out where reviews already exist and see what they say. If these review sites allow you to sign up for alerts any time a review is posted, make sure you are signed up. Finally, sign up for Google Alerts so that you are notified every time your name or business name is mentioned. By being in the know, you can feel confident in your sterling reputation or address any negativity proactively.
ASK FOR REVIEWS
If you are providing phenomenal service and have a bevy of thrilled clients, you should capitalize on those raving fans. Most of the time, your clients are thrilled to shout your name from the rooftops — if you ask. A few ways to garner reviews:
• Send a dedicated email asking for a review. Be sure to include a direct link to the page where clients can leave a review. (Make it very simple.)
• Add a link in your email signature: “Review us on Google!”
• Place a sticker on your front door listing sites where you are reviewed.
• Include a line or image on your invoices asking for reviews.
• Place an image on your website encouraging reviews.
• Ask for reviews on a regular basis (at least quarterly) through your social media profiles.
• Include information about where to leave reviews on your business card.
• Have some unique business cardsized cards printed up with info about how to leave a review. Next time you see your clients, hand them each a card and ask them to take a few minutes to leave you reviews online.
There are a million ways to get more reviews, but the bottom line is that you have to ask and you have to make it simple for your clients to get where they need to go to leave the review. (Note: Yelp technically discourages asking for reviews, but you can only get in hot water if you pay for a positive review. Their logic is that you are only asking happy clients. To be on the safe side, do not solicit Yelp reviews but do be sure to include the Yelp logo, sticker, etc., wherever you can.)
Another perk of asking your happy clients to leave reviews is that most review sites provide an initial average ranking (somewhere between one and five stars) for your business. The more positive reviews you have, the less it will hurt your average score if you do happen to get a negative review.
HOW TO HANDLE NEGATIVE REVIEWS
Even the best businesses can have snafus from time to time. From miscommunications and mistakes to working with a client who just wasn’t the right fit, a negative experience is inevitable. Many times, you walk away from these situations unscathed, but there are those times when an unhappy customer takes to the Internet to share a negative experience with you. So, what should you do when someone leaves you a negative review?
Be sure to respond in a timely fashion. Private messaging is ideal so that you can communicate with the unhappy party directly. Acknowledge the dissatisfaction and ask how you can resolve the situation. Oftentimes, they just want to be heard and acknowledged. You can offer to refund or discount a payment they’ve already made or simply create a resolution that feels comfortable to them given the circumstances. If a resolution is reached, most will remove or update a negative review. In the event that they do not, you should respond publically to the review noting the resolution and expressing your gratefulness for the feedback.
If you encounter someone who will not engage with you and is uninterested in working with you to find a resolution, you must also address this publicly. Respond to the negative review with a carefully crafted, positive response that explains how you attempted to resolve the situation. Always take the high road.
TAKE ACTION
Set up Google Alerts for your name and your business name. Go find out what reviews already exist for your business and see how you are faring. Address any negative reviews. Finally, select at least one of the suggested methods for getting positive reviews and commit to enacting it this month.
STEPHANIE GORDON is the founder and CEO of Psych’d Marketing, a boutique marketing firm based in Gainesville, Florida. She holds degrees in both psychology and business from the University of Florida. Psych’d offers full service, concierge marketing solutions for small to medium sized businesses. Stephanie prides herself on connecting phenomenal businesses with the people who need them. www.PsychdMarketing.com