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How to improve your brand and increase engagement

There's a very good reason that companies include testimonial pages on their websites. Did you know that research from YouGov has shown that 78 percent of Americans look at reviews before making a purchase, and 88 percent find reviews about as trustworthy as personal recommendations from their inner circle of friends and family? Those online reviews are powerful …which is why it's too bad that more businesses don't know how to use them properly.

The testimonial page is just one tool that should be in your online review toolbox. Let's talk about how to manage a broader, more effective review strategy by tapping into the social market.

Your industry and your reviews

While social channels are a popular breeding ground for reviews, it's a good idea to start by examining which channels you should focus on. Begin by asking yourself: Where do my potential customers go for reviews? Which channels will have the most impact when it comes to posting reviews? Relevancy is different for everyone, but here are a few points to keep in mind:

  • Yelp is a powerful retail/restaurant review tool, but interest is starting to fade due to overuse and concerns about spamming, poor reviews, etc. For now, Yelp is still necessary for many industries, but expect it to be supplanted in coming years.
  • Google business profiles and Facebook are still requirements for nearly every industry. These are high-profile channels that directly impact both customers and your SEO. When in doubt, focus efforts here because these channels tend to have the most impact, even in B2B fields.
  • Be specific. Many industries have specific sites to garner reviews – think of Zagat for restaurants or Vitals for health care. Search for review sites unique to your industry and target them.
  • Use metrics. Examine your traffic: Where does it come from? What ads have the best conversion rates? This should point to social sites where you need to focus efforts.

A call to action for reviews

Once you know which social media channels you need to pursue – what’s next? A good review strategy requires effective calls to action. There are several places to put these calls to action. A solution that works for many companies is creating a landing page specifically for reviews, using simple forms that allow customers to quickly file a review. After a transaction, emails and links can point customers toward these landing pages with a simple request for a positive review about their experiences. Brick-and-mortar transactions can do the same with a little message on the receipt or an add-on to receipt emails.

Another powerful tool, especially for targeting specific networks, is a set of share buttons to allow customers to instantly share their reviews or visit the business profile where they can provide star reviews and messages for a particular social media site.

You should also consider incentives, especially when it comes to larger clients. Offering deals and discounts in exchange for reviews is common in many business circles; so don't feel bad about including rewards.

Using reviews when you have them

Positive reviews are starting to roll in thanks to your well-placed calls to action. Now, what do you do with them? It's smart to separate them into four different categories:

  1. Testimonials to share through website and email.

These are longer, more detailed positive reviews that are great for sharing in the right formats.

  1. Short reviews to share on social media.

These reviews are shorter and have excellent blurbs, ideal for posting on social media with a link to the review and a note about happy customers.

  1. Reviews that deserve a response.

These are reviews that raise important questions or comments that you should answer.

  1. Reviews you can ignore.

These reviews are far from useless and they contribute to overall review scores, but there's nothing much you can do with them, so don't waste energy on them.

Creating conversation

Finally, let's talk a little about poor reviews. Studies have shown that 4 out of 5 consumers back off from purchase decisions if they run across a negative online review. Here's what to do in response: answer poor reviews when possible. It doesn't matter if the review is unfair or doesn't make sense, post a reply, comment or apology. You aren't doing this for the poor review itself (although any toxic customer that you can convert is a win); you are doing this for new customers who are checking out reviews. If they see you are explaining or at least answering the negative reviews, they will be much less likely to let those reviews affect them!

Obviously, a successful review strategy requires a significant investment of time and labor (and it's probably not something you want to leave to interns). If you currently don't have the time to spare, consider using review management software to manage customer feedback and encourage positive customer reviews. ReviewMaxer is an affordable way to effectively manage your company’s reviews and online reputation – and it is extremely easy to use. Sign up for a free demo to see how this cloud-based software can save you time and promote your company online.



Photo credit: 123RF Stock Photo

Written by: Nick Rojas


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6 online review sites your company should target

Today’s consumers are becoming increasingly technologically savvy. From determining which product to buy to which restaurant to try, consumers are relying more on online customer reviews to help make their purchasing and dining decisions. In fact, according to a survey by Search Engine Land, 72 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. So which review sites should your company pay attention to?

  1. Google My Business.

When consumers search for a local company on Google, reviews posted about that company show up in the search results. The reviews and star ratings help consumers decide whether that particular store or restaurant is worthy of their business. In 2014, Google began using the Pigeon update, which is an algorithm that uses the location and distance ranking parameters to improve search results. Google takes all the information from a company’s site as well as its reviews to produce more content, which makes the business appear more reputable.

If you want your business to show up in search results, you need to optimize your site. Set up accounts with local directories and online review sites, particularly with Google My Business. Your sales and the visitors to your site will increase as people post more comments, reviews and pictures of their experiences with your business.

  1. Better Business Bureau (BBB).

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a nonprofit site that examines several types of businesses, comparing their products or services with best business standards and depicting the customer satisfaction rate. The Better Business Bureau does not endorse a certain business or recommend it to the public as the best, but it provides people with information about businesses and if they meet with the site’s accreditation standards.  

The site evaluates both non-accredited and accredited businesses. A general Better Business Bureau profile of a company contains information about the business, its accreditation status, a list of complaints and reviews posted by customers and information on its dissolution. The Better Business Bureau rates businesses from A (highest) to F (lowest) based on the business’s complaint history; the type of business it is; how long the business has been open; how transparent it is; licensing and government issues; and known advertising issues.

  1. Yelp.

According to Yelp, Yelpers wrote more than 102 million reviews by the end of Q1 2016. Yelp allows people to rate a company and post reviews about their experiences, while allowing companies to respond. A company can create a Yelp profile, which includes its hours and location, and users can register to review the company for free. Companies can only respond to a certain number of reviews or messages each day.

Your business should work toward attaining positive reviews so that they appear at the top of your Yelp page. Having a profile on Yelp increases your company’s chance of showing up on Google’s search results.

  1. Yellow Pages.

Yellow Pages, a partner of Yelp, is a leading local marketing solutions provider in the U.S. Yellow Pages provides listings, coupons and reviews for millions of businesses. Yellow Pages uses an online reviews and ratings system so that customers can share their experiences with everyone else.

  1. Facebook.

Facebook provides users with the option to review a business by clicking on “Facebook Ratings & Reviews,” which users can find on the left-hand side of their pages. Users can choose to make their posts public to all, only to friends or only to them. People can also post a review on a business’s Facebook page, which automatically goes on its wall for all to see.

  1. TripAdvisor.

Businesses in the travel, tourism, entertainment, hotel and restaurant industry should check out TripAdvisor to see what people are saying about them. The site has more than 225 million opinions, pictures and reviews posted by consumers and customers. The review site offers information on airfares, rental listings, travel guides and advice forums. It’s useful for customers who are deciding where to visit and eat while they are traveling.

A great way to remain aware of what people are saying about your company online is by investing in an online reputation management software like ReviewMaxer. ReviewMaxer collects reviews from more than 500 review sites and puts them into one central database where you can respond to the reviews and share them on social media. 

 

Photo credit: 123RF Stock Photo

Written by: Paul Cook


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How you can motivate your customers to review your company

Negative online reviews hurt. They hurt your reputation, your company’s sales and even your feelings. You work hard, and you know your employees do too. So why is it that you’re receiving mostly negative online reviews? Where are all the reviews from customers who’ve had a positive experience?

Unfortunately, customers who have negative experiences are more motivated to leave online reviews. They’re frustrated, and they want to be heard. So how can your company motivate or encourage customers who’ve had positive experiences with your company to leave reviews?

Here are four ways to motivate your customers to leave your company positive online reviews:

  1. Reach out to your customers via email.

Proactively reaching out to all your customers and asking for their feedback is the best way to gain more positive reviews. If customers receive a simple email asking about their experience and requesting their opinion, they’ll be more likely to review your company on important review websites and social media platforms. It’s critical to import new customer emails at least once a week (even better, daily) to ensure you’re consistently gaining more reviews.

  1. Request an online review via text message.

Send your review request directly to your customers’ phones. With your customers’ permission, simply text them, “How are we doing?” and include the URL that directs them to your review and social media websites.

  1. Order printed review invites.

These cards work best placed at a front desk or at your registers. Another way to utilize them? Have your field representatives use them as a leave-behind with customers. Include them in your presentations, packets, packaging and gift bags. These cards are a tangible way to direct your customers to the review sites you’d like to receive more positive reviews.

  1. Ask for feedback via social media.

Remind your fans and followers that you appreciate their feedback and that their experiences with your company are important to you. Simply request a review through Facebook or Twitter.

After your customers leave your company online reviews, don’t forget to thank them! Some companies offer a coupon as a thank you for leaving a review, while others make a charitable donation for an online review. Every company should reply to every new review.  

Review management software is a great product that helps you manage and increase your online reviews. Among other tasks, it can:

  1. Email and text message your customers.
  2. Order review invites.
  3. Create your custom URL that directs your customers to the review and social media sites you’re listed on.

ReviewMaxer is the secret tool for accomplishing it all.

Watch this free demonstration to see how ReviewMaxer software works and contact us if you have questions.

Photo credit: Pablo


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Facebook does great things for marketers and businesses on its platform

Recently, Facebook launched new features that improve your business’s online presence.

It’s very easy to set up a Facebook business page, where you can give information about your company and the services or products you offer. Now, Facebook offers customers an opportunity to leave reviews and ratings for your business on your business page.

Check-in’s: A few years ago, Facebook began giving users the option to check in whenever they visit a particular area or business. With this new update, you receive an automatic notification on your business page when a customer “checks in” to one of your physical locations. Using this feature, you can take note of frequent customers and read comments on their experiences.

A full 24 hours after your customer visits your business, Facebook sends the customer a notification with the option to leave a review on your business’s Facebook page about his or her experience. Customers are more likely to provide reviews at this time because it’s so soon after their visit. It’s an easy, streamlined process all within the same app. The bonus for your business is that Facebook sends the requests for reviews, so it doesn’t seem as if you’re hounding your customers for their reviews.

Recommendations: Another new feature that Facebook recently launched is the option for users to leave recommendations for others. Facebook introduced this feature a few months ago, offering users a chance to ask for recommendations when updating a status. This is a great asset for businesses that have a positive online presence. When a Facebook user tags your business within the comments of the recommendation status, a box will appear as a preview to your business’s Facebook page showing its overall rating.

With the advancement of technology and social media platforms, creating a strong reputation online is extremely important for any business. It can be overwhelming trying to manage customer reviews, which is where ReviewMaxer can help! When you use software like ReviewMaxer to manage your reviews, it’s easy to protect and even improve your online reputation.

Watch this free demonstration today to see how ReviewMaxer software works.

Photo credit: Pablo

Written by: Amanda Murguido


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Reputation management software helps companies hear what customers are saying

In the real world, you hope that your satisfied customers would be kind enough to spread the word about your services or products. Unfortunately, you have no way of knowing if your customers actually use the power of their voices to tell others how amazing your company is.

But you can find out if they spread the word virtually. Customers are frequently leaving feedback on popular review sites such as Google+, Yelp and TripAdvisor for the entire world to see. Have you researched your company online? Did you know that 87 percent of people will not choose your business if it has a one- or two-star rating and/or several negative reviews?

Why your business needs online review management software

Through review managing software, you will be able to give your customers a voice. The concept is simple: After they do business with you, customers will receive a notification to review your company. With positive reviews, they will have options to post their feedback on the most popular and trending review sites, earning your business recognition and trust among consumers. And here’s the best part: If customers leave negative reviews, the software conveniently provides them with options to post on lesser-known review sites.

Reviews aren’t the only thing you should be concerned about; the stars play an important role too

Would you eat at a restaurant with a three-star rating? If given a choice, you would most likely select another one with a better rating. A three-star rating only convinces 57 percent of people of the credibility of a business, and most customers will pass on anything below that. Here’s the kicker: A business with a four-star rating will entice a whopping 94 percent of consumers.

What happens if your business has negative reviews?

According to researchers from Cornell University, unfavorable reviews can mean the death of your business. It’s harsh, but research doesn’t lie. New businesses are especially at the mercy of customer reviews if they want to remain in the race, but all business owners should seriously consider investing in online review management software to help them encourage positive feedback to counteract the negative reviews.

Don’t gamble with your business’s future!

It’s critical to manage and control online reviews and complaints on your business in order to protect your reputation. It’s also useful to increase your company’s star ratings and positive feedback on review websites to grow awareness of your brand. ReviewMaxer can do both. This powerful, cloud-based software provides its users with a proactive review strategy to quickly and easily manage reviews and comments from more than 500 sites. Sign up for  a demonstration to see how the ReviewMaxer software works and read the blog for more tips and resources to protect your company’s reputation and increase consumer recognition and trust.

 

Photo credit: 123RF Stock Photo

Written by: Paul Cook


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3 ways your company can gain more positive reviews

Facebook mobile now includes a company’s review star average, making positive online reviews even more important to businesses. The review star average is prominent, so when potential customers go to your Facebook page to decide whether they want to eat at, buy from or do business with your company, having a high review star average will be crucial.

According to Entrepreneur, a three-week survey of U.S. internet users revealed that more than one in three wouldn’t eat at a restaurant that had less than four stars. The internet plays a huge role in the consumer’s decision-making process. Let’s say you’re on vacation and you use Facebook to research the restaurants recommended by the front desk. One restaurant has three stars and the other has four and a half. Which restaurant would you try first?

Company reviews are very important to modern consumers, which is why Facebook made them even easier to access.

Here are three ways you can encourage more positive online reviews:

      1. Offer an incentive.

This is a win/win situation. The customer receives a coupon after leaving a review – positive or negative – for his or her next visit that encourages him or her to come back to your business, which could result in another purchase from that same customer. 

      2. Engage with your customers.

Customers want to be heard. For positive reviews, responding with “Thank you for the great review!” or simply liking the review goes a long way. For negative reviews, responding quickly and genuinely is important.

      3. Turn negative reviews into positive ones.

  • When a customer leaves a negative review, apologize and then offer an incentive for that customer to return. This gives your company a second chance to make a better impression, and hopefully the customer will go back and rewrite his or her review.

    You can accomplish all three of these tactics with reputation management software.

    We recommend ReviewMaxer. It’s proactive in reaching out to customers who had a positive experience but aren’t motivated to leave a review, while also reaching out to customers who had a negative experience before they go online and vent, potentially causing your review average to decrease. You can also offer coupons and discounts that encourage customers to leave reviews, and you can thank customers who left positive reviews as well as make amends with customers who left negative reviews.

     


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