Inbound Marketing Blog

Let’s talk reputation management. Did you know that:

1. 86% of consumers read reviews for local businesses (including 95% of people between the ages of 18-34)
2. Consumers read an average of 10 online reviews before feeling able to trust a local business
3. 40% of consumers only take into account reviews written within the last two weeks
4. 57% of consumers will only go with a business if it has 4 or more stars
5. 91% of 18-34 year old consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
6. 89% of consumers read businesses’ responses to reviews

Let that information all sink in. Reread it if you have to. Those are real stats from BrightLocal’s 2018 Local Consumer Review Survey. These statistics were specifically compiled to help local businesses develop their online reputation management strategy for 2019.

If you’re a small business, negative reviews on Google can be especially devastating, and you can’t afford to ignore a bad Google review. If you haven’t been paying attention to your Google reviews, it’s time to wake up and take the wheel. If you don’t have time for reputation management, well, that’s what we are here for. But assuming you do, here are some tips to ensure your Google reviews are a more accurate representation of your business.

"What can you do for me?"

Site visitors will be looking at many types of content on your website to try to uncover this information, but one effective way to help answer that question for them is to include a section for testimonials that showcase customer delight. When a site visitor reads success stories and learns how your business's products or services solved problems for your existing customers, it can help the new prospect move through the buyer's journey by showing them how they can benefit from working with you.

Maybe you're aware of reviews from customers, pilling up and not necessarily receiving attention. These customers have one thing or another that they would like to share, whether positive or negative. With the vast differences you can assume between these customers, what do they all have in common? They want to be heard. So how do you go about showing them that you're listening?

As we move into the future, more and more services that used to be strictly offline will be found online. Advertising in phonebooks and print media are becoming less effective as more eyes are found perusing the Internet rather than skimming the yellow pages (think Search Engine Optimization Strategy). This trend now applies to reviews of all different types of service based industries. Finding a review to a restaurant usually meant opening up your newspaper or finding a local magazine. Nowadays, this is done by searching through Yelp, Trip Advisor, Urban Spoon, or any other online review site that houses user-generated content.

This trend doesn’t necessarily apply exclusively to restaurants or hotels. Other services including carpentry, movers, and web marketing companies can all be found on online review sites. As a business owner, it’s always a good idea to check on how your company is ranking among other businesses in your industry, and how your customers really feel about you.

A while ago, I made a personal choice to be a restrictive eater. When a new restaurant comes to town that fits my eating preference, I can’t wait to go try it out! However, recently I heard of a new restaurant and I was dying to go try it. That was until I went online to see their customer reviews.  I was shocked to see things like poor service, overpriced food, and selective menu items. Of course after all my excitement, I decided not to go.  Why waste my time on a poor restaurant when there are others I truly love?

Online reviews are changing the way people make decisions on where to eat. It makes me wonder, are these restaurants monitoring these reviews? Before online reviews, restaurants had an opportunity to respond to their customers concerns, now with the ease of smart phones and social media people will often avoid confrontation and just complain online. Talk about a game changer!