Small to medium-sized businesses often face challenges in collecting customer reviews, yet these reviews are crucial for success. Reviews can significantly influence a business’s reputation and attract more customers, making it essential to take them seriously.
This article will explore effective tools and strategies for gathering reviews, helping local businesses enhance their customer feedback process. We will cover various methods and platforms that can streamline review collection and ensure a steady flow of positive feedback.
Why Local Reviews Are Important
You can never overemphasize the importance of online reviews. It’s a topic extensively covered on this blog and one that many business owners fully appreciate.
Over the past couple of years, we’ve referred over 400 people to Shopper Approved, a company specializing in online reviews. This highlights how crucial reviews are, especially local ones. But why are local reviews so important?
46% of searches are local in nature
Did you know that 46% of all the searches that are made out there are local? That might sound like a high number, but it’s accurate. When people use Google, they’re often searching for businesses in their immediate area.
A large number of searches are local
Examples include restaurants, bars, coffee shops, gyms, wedding venues, movie theaters, banquet halls, and many other types of businesses. All these establishments share a common trait: they primarily attract customers from a limited radius around their physical locations.
For instance, consider how far you’d be willing to drive from your home or office to a restaurant. Similarly, think about the distance you’d travel to get to a gym. Generally, people prefer gyms within a 4-mile radius from their homes. This tendency to stick to nearby options underscores the importance of local reviews for these types of businesses.
Collecting and responding to reviews can boost your ranking on Google Maps
We have previously produced an article in which I talked about the importance of ranking high on Google Maps for local businesses. One of the things that we noted can help you achieve a higher ranking was to actively seek out reviews from your customers.
Getting local reviews can help rank higher on local searches
According to Google, you also need to actively response to customer feedback. Getting high quality reviews from your customers is a positive signal, not only for Google, but also for your prospective customers.
Up to 90% of People Consult Online Reviews Before Buying
Here’s why online reviews are crucial: up to 90% of people check reviews before making a purchase. It’s essential to gather as much feedback as possible, and aim for mostly positive reviews. Negative reviews, however, are inevitable. Instead of getting frustrated by a bad review on Yelp, focus on managing and addressing it effectively.
People trust online reviews
Online reviews are a modern extension of the age-old word-of-mouth phenomenon. The key difference is that while traditional word-of-mouth came from trusted sources like a parent, aunt, colleague, or another associate, online reviews come from a broader, often anonymous, community.
People trust that online reviews will not lead them astray
Online reviews, on the other hand, are left across the internet by complete strangers. Yet people trust them! Yes, the majority of shoppers out there trust online reviews better than they trust your business!
They are willing to bet that people would not go through the trouble of leaving feedback about a business without what they are saying being true. So, you need to get as many local reviews as you can for your business because people trust this feedback. And they are likely to buy if you have reviews.
People are not naturally motivated to write reviews
Often, customers make a purchase and then move on without leaving feedback. It’s your job to encourage them to provide reviews. This article aims to equip you with the tools needed to gather local reviews for your business.
Keep the process simple, and you’re more likely to receive positive responses. Customers typically won’t take the initiative to review you on their own; they need gentle nudges through various methods to encourage them to leave feedback.
People who are motivated to review your business are mostly disgruntled customers
Here’s the reality: satisfied customers are unlikely to take the time to leave a review, whereas disgruntled customers are highly motivated to write negative reviews about their experiences. They may even go so far as to create new pages on platforms like Yelp just to criticize your business if you don’t have a presence there.
This is why it’s crucial to actively gather local reviews for your business. Being proactive helps prevent your brand from being overwhelmed by negative feedback and ensures a balanced representation.
To protect and enhance your brand’s image, it’s essential to utilize all available tools to encourage positive local reviews. So, what strategies can you employ to effectively collect these reviews?
Tools to Get Local Reviews for your Business
Gathering local reviews is important. It’s what stands between success and failure for your business. The following are some of the tools that you can use to gather local reviews for your business:
1. Shopper Approved
What’s the best way to manage local reviews for your business? Is it by manually reaching out to each customer in an attempt to gather their feedback? This approach can quickly become overwhelming, especially if your customer base is large.
Fortunately, there are companies that can simplify the process of managing online reviews. One such company is Shopper Approved. We’ve referred hundreds of people to Shopper Approved over the past few years due to its effectiveness. If you’re looking for a more streamlined and efficient method to collect local reviews, a service like Shopper Approved could be an excellent choice. So, what exactly does Shopper Approved offer to help you manage your reviews?
What does Shopper Approved do?
Shopper Approved is an online reviews management company. It does the following:
Shopper Approved and Local Reviews
Tools for gathering local reviews
This article focuses on local reviews and the tools available to help you obtain them for your business. Shopper Approved is particularly effective for managing local reviews. They offer a specialized service called Local Reviews, which is dedicated to helping local businesses grow through online feedback. Shopper Approved provides a comprehensive set of tools for collecting customer feedback, both online and offline. Here’s what you get:
2. Email
Email is a powerful tool for gathering local reviews. Start by collecting customer email addresses and contact details during checkout, whether you operate an eCommerce store or a physical business.
For example, if you run a restaurant, politely ask customers to provide their contact information before they leave. Offering a discount or special offer can encourage them to join your mailing list.
Once you have their email addresses, send a follow-up email with a link to a review page. This link could direct them to your Facebook Page or another review platform where they can share their feedback.
Google vs Yelp positions regarding soliciting for reviews
Let’s take a moment to discuss the different policies of Google and Yelp regarding review solicitation. Google actively encourages businesses to ask their customers for reviews, so requesting feedback via email is perfectly acceptable and won’t violate their guidelines.
In contrast, Yelp discourages businesses from soliciting reviews. Yelp prefers that all reviews be organic and unsolicited. Actively asking customers for feedback on your Yelp page can breach their rules and may result in penalties or other repercussions.
3. Verbally ask for reviews from local customers
Sometimes, the most straightforward solution is the one that’s overlooked. If you’re seeking local reviews for your business, consider the power of simply asking your customers directly.
If you’ve been in business for a while, you likely have a number of loyal customers who regularly visit your restaurant, gym, or other establishment. Reach out to these customers and ask them to leave a review. Their positive feedback can significantly benefit your business.
It’s also important that everyone on your team is aware of your efforts to gather reviews. Make sure your staff is exceptionally friendly and engaging. No customer will be inclined to leave a positive review if they’ve had a poor experience with unfriendly or unenthusiastic staff.
4. Offer great service
Businesses frequently search high and low for tools to gather local reviews, often overlooking the simplest solution right in front of them. Remember, customers choose to do business with you not out of personal affection, but because you fulfill a need they have.
Great reviews begin with great service
When customers come to your business—whether they’re hungry and seeking a meal at your restaurant or looking to get fit at your gym—they have specific needs. To encourage them to leave reviews on platforms like Yelp, Google, or Facebook, start by providing excellent service.
Delivering the high-quality experience they expect can make a significant difference. Satisfied customers are far more likely to respond positively to requests for reviews. In fact, if your service is exceptional, they might even leave a review on their own, without any prompting.
5. Ecommerce businesses can get people to leave reviews on checkout
If you own an eCommerce business, one effective strategy for collecting reviews is to implement a review form during the checkout process. Offer customers the opportunity to write a review before they finalize their purchase. This approach is supported by services like Shopper Approved, which automates the review collection process.
For instance, Shopper Approved can set up a popup that appears once a purchase is completed, making it easy for customers to provide feedback immediately. This ensures that customers don’t leave without sharing their experiences, benefiting both your business and future shoppers.
Bonus Tip
Use Facebook and other social media platforms to collect reviews
Facebook is often underestimated as a platform for online reviews, but it has become one of the largest review sites today. It’s crucial for every business to have a presence on Facebook. For guidance on managing your Facebook Business Page effectively, check out our article on how to effectively manage your Facebook Business Page.
You can leverage your Facebook Page to encourage customers to review your business. Use it as a platform to engage with both current and potential customers. As your following grows, consider adding a link on your page directing them to your Yelp or Google Business Profile page, where they can leave reviews.
Summary
Here are the five effective tools to help you gather local reviews for your business. For a streamlined and automated approach, consider using Shopper Approved, a comprehensive platform that manages various aspects of online reviews.
Email is another powerful tool; by reaching out to your local customers directly, you can encourage them to leave feedback. Additionally, make use of social media by posting links to your review pages. Many customers will take the opportunity to provide valuable local feedback through these platforms.
