Is your business getting the reviews and positive customer feedback it deserves? Customer reviews are one of the best ways to increase your business, up your search engine rankings, and build your businesses’ credibility through the eyes of others. A recent post by Mike at Blumenthals.com outlined some great guidelines to follow when implementing a review process to your business:
Keep it current – It’s very helpful to get reviews on a regular basis. If all customer reviews are from last year, it looks fishy – not just to potential customers, but to search engines as well.
Encourage diversity – It’s better to have reviews from a variety of sites, instead of just one. When encouraging customer reviews, mention several sites like Yelp.com, Google Local, and City Search.
Plan for a negative review – No matter how great your business or how friendly your staff, you will encounter a negative review at some point. You’ll get the occasional unhappy customer that isn’t afraid to tell people what they think.
In the Blumenthal.com post titled Principles for a Review Plan, the author proposes the question of whether it’s okay to solicit reviews from customers, as some sites – like Yelp – highly discourage it.
If the approach is done carefully and thoughtfully, asking for a review can not only help your business, but can help your customers learn the importance of reviews and how they can help support local businesses.
