TechMag
Also without a recession to deal with, it is hard work to effectively start (and grow) a small company. Nonetheless, anything as basic as Google feedback will make it simpler. Local companies in the past were able to focus primarily on foot traffic and word of mouth to establish their name. However, nowadays most consumers continue their online hunt for companies — even though they’re searching for something in their local area.
Read more: 50 Top Free Local Business Listing Sites Pakistan
Searches for small companies may be particularly powerful. According to HubSpot results, after performing a local search, 72 percent of shoppers visit a store within five miles of their place.
Although there are several things that can affect a customer’s choice after a Google search to buy from you, none are more important than feedback. User ratings create trust and reputation, acting as the mouthword of modern-day. The more a local business will earn feedback, the more popular it would be in the search results. Below are six tips for getting you up.
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1. Claim your Google My Business profile
If you haven’t done so before, you’ll need to assert your Google My Business profile. This profile is totally free and gives you absolute control over your product listing which appears on Google searches.
You will update simple details such as your emails, operating hours, and connection to your website by claiming your profile. You can upload images from your shop, too. Completing this simple profile information reminds consumers that this is an official profile and makes it more likely that customers will leave a review.
2. Send email reminders
Many consumers won’t post a review immediately after purchasing a product from the website, or after making an in-store purchase. Once they feel confident writing a comment they must appreciate the product or service entirely. That’s part of why Metacritic has recently modified its rating policies for video games, making it easier for players to leave feedback only after a game has been out for 36 hours and they’ve actually played it.
It is possible, for a local company, to send an email alert a few days or a week after the transaction is done. You just don’t have to use electronic checkout to obtain email addresses.
People like to know that their opinions have been heard. I recently spoke with Zulfiqar Anees, founder of FastTech Media, a digital marketing agency that focuses on helping small- and medium-sized businesses grow through SEO and customer reviews. “Maximizing the reach of your positive reviews is a win-win,” Zulfiqar explained. “Excellent reviews may provide marketing tools for Facebook or Twitter, or act as verifiable testimonials for your website. At the same time, many users want to see their feedback posted more widely, which may inspire many more people to leave reviews for you.”
Curating good reviews to be featured on your website or social media profiles also provide customers who don’t find you through a Google search with powerful social proof. It means that future clients are exposed to constructive mouth-wording.
4. Use physical reminders for digital reviews
You won’t always be able to gather email addresses to remind clients to leave their feedback. Using some old school methods, however, can still help you gather further reviews.
For example, contractors and service firms sometimes leave business cards after a client has finished work. You leave (such as warranty information) alongside your business card and any other paperwork, consider adding a Google review card. This card could include a connection and brief instructions on how to leave a review online. Remind clients that exchanging interactions benefits others.
5. Respond to current reviews
Regardless of whether you get a good or bad review, responding to the Google reviews you receive is important. An analysis of hotel reviews on Google by Harvard Business Review found that locations that responded to customer comments received 12 percent more reviews, while also raising their rating by 0.12 stars.
But be careful when answering negative comments. Look to this as an opportunity for your business to learn and grow. Instead of trying to argue with them, decide to support the customer and make it right.
A study by Moz has found that many consumers regard their ratings as living records and are able to change their unfavorable feedback if the company wants to rectify the situation.
6. Go above and beyond
Extreme events tend to be intensified across the Internet. As a result, most of the people who will leave reviews for your business are those who have been totally blown away by your service or those who have been extremely disappointed at it.
Moving well above what consumers deserve and actually wowing them with the quality would inspire them to leave glittering ratings on Facebook. For the future that will allow them to come back to you, creating the sort of trust that any small company wants to survive.
The days are long gone when people would go through the phone book to find a local business. For many, the Internet is the first place they go, due in large part to the transparency that online reviews provide. As you maximize the volume of reviews your business receives on Google, your digital reputation will be strengthened and even more, customers will get.
