Google Reviews are the bees knees
My favourite thing to rant about when it comes to marketing at the moment is none other than the humble Google Review.
In this day and age, consumers trust the recommendations of other consumers, and word of mouth is more powerful than ever. 70% of millennials are influenced by what their peers recommend online. That’s why influencer marketing is such a huge thing. And why Google Reviews should be at the top of your priorities when it comes to marketing.
Need more reasons? Read on, friend.
People look at them
Don’t you? I’ve looked at Google Reviews for things like:
Finding the best restaurants and cafes in a town I’m visiting
Sussing out which medical professionals are the best in the area
Seeing what people have to say about their local dog park (we’re always on the hunt for fenced-off dog parks, if anyone knows of any!)
63.6% of people say they check Google Reviews before visiting a business. So if you’re not making use of this awesome marketing tool – it’s time to get on it!
People write them
Admittedly, I’ve only written a few Google Reviews in my time. A service has to be REALLY good or REALLY bad for me to take the time to review it.
For example, I wrote an essay (practically) about how much I loved my local wine bar Wolfe and Molone in Bentleigh because they impressed me SO much I had to share my feedback!
People want to write about their experiences, and 70% will write a Google Review if asked to. It only takes a few minutes of their time, and they love to share opinions publicly.
People believe them
It doesn’t just matter that you have reviews, they need to be GOOD reviews to benefit your business. Obvs. There’s really only one way to ensure this – provide an excellent product or service, and go above and beyond to satisfy your customers.
Sadly, bad reviews are inevitable sometimes. But you shouldn’t let them go unacknowledged. It amazes me how many reputable businesses do this! Because sometimes reviews can be WRONG!
Maybe you were having a randomly busy day so your customer service was stretched more than usual and it pissed someone off. Or maybe something out of your control affected the customer’s experience on that day (like the weather – uhhh, can’t help the rain, bruh).
In fact, sometimes you’ll get some random person leaving a bad review when they may have you mixed up with another business! I seriously lolled when I found this bad review for a donut shop in Mornington.
(“We don’t sell wraps or salads. We are a donut shop”!)
But the owner has done the right thing by drawing attention to the fact that it’s a misplaced review, so people who see it will know it’s not reliable feedback about the business.
Get your review on
In conclusion, if you don’t have a Google My Business account set up, it’s really easy to do and will allow customers to find you more easily on Google. It will also have great benefits for your SEO, AND it will allow people to start leaving reviews for you. Just be aware – those reviews may be good and bad, so monitor and respond to your reviews as they come in.
As I mentioned earlier, customers are more likely to share their experience if you ask them to! Nicely, of course. You can do this by sending them a tailored email, maybe even offering an incentive if they leave you a review! Google has some top tips on how to get more Google Reviews, and a good copywriter can help you craft a campaign to drive reviews.
If you need help getting more eyeballs on your website, I can help you write nice things and get great reviews pouring in. Let’s get coffee and I can tell you alllll about it.
