Social Media Tips For Small Business : 5 Ways To Get Google Reviews From Your Customers

Social Media Tips For Small Business : 5 Ways To Get Google Reviews From Your Customers – Dallas, Texas

Google Places has made several changes recently that will affect what customers see when they search for your business.  Previously, Google pulled in third-party site reviews to supplement your reviews on Places. Those third-party sites are now history. Reviews your business received on sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, or CitySearch will still be on those sites, but will no longer appear on Google. Since your business is more likely to be seen through Places when being searched, having a large number of positive reviews helps your business. Here are a few ways you can get positive reviews using the resources you have already.

1. Repeat Customers – Most stores have a “Norm from Cheers”. The man or woman that visits often enough the store staff knows them by first name and has their order ready before they sit down.  Ask these die-hard fans to write and post a review on Google Places. If they don’t know what it is, show them.  Bring a computer out from the back, set them up their own google account, and have them write it in store. Reviews that start with “I’ve been coming here for 35 years…” will be highly sought after and appreciated.

2. Empower Your Staff – Spend some time coaching your staff on the importance of Places.  Explain how the system works, how people can submit a review, and why its important.  Then empower your staff to mention these reviews to the right customers. If a customer has had a great experience, and is thanking everyone in the store, this is the time to step in and say: “If you enjoyed your experience today we would love to get your feedback on a Google Places review”. Reward employees for mentioning reviews and your business will be rewarded with more customers who came because of the large number of positive reviews.

3. In-Store Signage – Place signs throughout your store that mention Google Places and ask for a review.  Keep it upbeat and honest. Mentioning that you welcome ALL types of feedback should encourage everyone to participate. While positive reviews are the most sought after, your business may benefit from hearing constructive feedback on operations that no one else has mentioned. A well-trained staff should be available to answer any customer questions about the signs and reviews.

4. Send Out An Email- If your email list subscribers are still opening your monthly emails, you must be doing something right. Include an article in your emails about Places reviews and ask for their feedback.  You may want to include it several times in a row, or every other month, in case some customers open one email but not others. Include a link directly to your Google Places page so they don’t have to find it. After each email goes out, track the click-through rate to see if people are participating.  If not, move the article around in the email, feature it more prominently, or drop it and try it again in a few months.

5. Twitter Search – People are talking about your business on Twitter, and hopefully you are listening.  If not, here is a great tool to start doing so.  Each time someone mentions you on Twitter with a positive comment, you could reply and ask them to write a review on Google Places. Even if very few do it, you are still actively recruiting comments from people who have taken the time to Tweet about it in the first place. Hopefully they will write a review and Tweet about that as well.

These are five ways you can use the tools and resources at your disposal to accumulate more Google Places reviews. If you think of others you would like to share, please do so in the comments. Or write a review of what you think about this article!