Getting More Google Reviews

Let's get to gettin' those reviews! Google reviews are important for your SEO and increasing consumer confidence in your products and brand. In this episode, Kelsey covers the importance and impact of Google reviews. Plus 6 ways to get more of them and a formula for responding to them. 

Websites mentioned in this episode:
Free link shortener site: bitly.com
Free QR code generator: www.qrcode-monkey.com
https://marketingkit.withgoogle.com/
www.petalsandprofits.com

Transcript

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Online reviews heavily influence purchase decisions. And we all know that what customers have to say about your business carries more weight than what YOU have to say about your business, especially to first time buyers. 

Knowing how much value consumers place into customer reviews, Google has factored them into its algorithm - not just the quantity, but the quality of those reviews. 

In this episode, we’ll cover a few things: 

The importance and impact of Google reviews.

The best and most efficient ways to get more of them. 

Examples of these strategies with samples so that you’re not starting from scratch.

And lastly how to respond to those new reviews

Ok - so WHY do we want Google reviews?

More reviews lead to more sales leads
Did you know that 88% of shoppers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations? Building up your reviews builds up the likelihood that a Google searcher will engage with your business when they find it. They are more likely to click or call if they see multiple positive reviews.

More positive reviews, more purchases
Consumers research before making purchase decisions. In fact, they read a minimum of 10 reviews before feeling confident in making a decision. The more Google customer reviews you have, the more likely a purchase is to be made.
 
Google straight up says that it rewards businesses that have frequent and positive reviews. They are a definite local SEO ranking factor. And a reminder SEO is short for Search Engine Optimization, which is essentially making it as easy as possible for Google to find you. I did a deep dive into some easy SEO boosters on my website, Petals and Profits.com if you want to check it out! Follow the resources tab to the Business Betterment articles.  

The last reason we want google reviews - they’re free!
There are no fees to leave reviews or to respond to them. Positive endorsements for your business on your Business Profile serve as free advertising for your business on the world’s most trusted platform.

Ok before we dive into getting reviews, we need to cover the ground rules. The first being, you cannot reward or incentivize a customer to leave one. No freebies or coupons.  You must follow Google’s Terms of Service when asking for reviews. 

And you can’t “lead the witness” so to speak - don’t put words in their mouth. Google reviews are intended to be an honest opinion. If you happen to get a bad one - no worries! You can turn it into a good thing and we’ll talk about that in a bit.     

Your business needs to be a “Place” on Google Maps.
This will give you a Google Business Profile on which customers can leave reviews. If you have not claimed your Business profile yet, or you haven’t looked at it in a while, it. is. time my friend. I have a free Profile checklist on my website. I’ll put a link in the shownotes! 

You need to have your Google Business Profile verified.
Creating a listing on Google Maps (which automatically creates a Business Profile) does not give you control over that listing. You need to create a Profile account and verify ownership of your Business Profile through that account. It’s not hard, it’s just filling in some basic information and then waiting a bit for the verification code. But do this first if you haven’t. I’m guessing you probably have, but I didn’t want to put the cart before the horse! 

Ok, now that the ground rules are out of the way, let’s get to gettin’ reviews. The first thing I’d recommend is creating a link to your review page. You don’t want your customers to have to jump through hoops to leave you a review - that’s going to significantly decrease the odds that they’ll do it. So creating a link that you can easily share and that takes them exactly to the spot on your profile they need to go is your first priority. Here’s how: 

Go to your Google Business account, click the Home tab, and find the “Get your first review” (or “Get more reviews”) card. Click “Share review form” and copy the link to your clipboard. Save a copy of this link where it’s easily accessible for the next few steps. I like to save a copy in my Notes app on my phone and we have it in our shared Google Drive Documents at work as well. If you want to shorten the link or customize it - say you want it to say “Review [Your Shop Name]” you can use a free link shortener site. 

An example is bitly.com. It is not necessary, it just looks nicer and cleaner than having a 74 character jumbly link floating around. While you have your link handy, use it to generate a free QR code. Those are those scannable little squares that we’re all so familiar with post-covid.  I use www.qrcode-monkey.com but just Google Free QR Code generator and you’ll get lots of options… Man I need to start asking for show sponsors from these guys huh?? These are NOT paid ads :) Just sites I’ve used and I’m passing along to you. 

So we have a Google listing and profile and we are armed with our review link. Now what? Well, I’m breaking down 6 different places to ask for reviews - our website, our email, our social media platforms, our phone customers, in-person and other small businesses. I’m going to start with your website. 

1- Website

One option is to add a simple button to your website that acts as a call to action to shoppers or viewers to leave you a review. You could have a banner or section of your website that says “Check out our Reviews page Here” and links right to your listing. You could take this a step further and have an entire Testimonials page, accessible from your main navigation menu. This page will show actual Google reviews to increase buyer confidence, and then include a link for the viewer to leave their own. 

This is a great opportunity to boost your SEO as well. Don’t plug in the reviews as photos - type or paste them in as text so search engines can find them easier. Time saving tip - there’s online plug-ins and platforms that let you link your reviews (and your social media pages) directly to your site. EmbedSocial is an example of one that works on any website. You can ask your web provider for assistance as well!   

The third place you could add a review link? Your thank you page. Once a customer places an order, the confirmation or thank you page that pops up can include a button to leave a review. Not everyone opens their order confirmation emails or even their delivery emails, so this guarantees that they’ll see the request. 

2- Email 

This leads me into the next place you can request reviews - via email! 

As I mentioned, an order confirmation email or delivery confirmation email are both good places to include your review link, and you definitely should. However, not everyone actually opens these emails or reads them. I have to admit - I see that it’s come in, see the subject line, and I don’t bother reading the rest. And yes, this means that I have a gazillion unopened emails and it drives my husband nuts :) 

So what can you do to increase the open rate on those emails? Start with the subject line…. You could title the email Re: Your floral order. You could include a coupon for their next purchase with their delivery confirmation and have the subject line say “Your free thank you gift is inside”. Or - if this is a service you provide, you could let the customer know the delivery email will include a photo of the arrangement so they are looking for it. I would open and read that email, wouldn’t you? 

Ok so that’s for recent customers that have gone through our Point of Sale system or website and made a purchase. But don’t forget about the rest of your email list! You can run an email campaign focused on generating reviews. There’s nothing wrong with asking your past customers to do something that will help other future customers make informed decisions. Plus, when you have happy customers, you’d be surprised at how willing they are to write a review. Just be clear in your ask—don’t try to sugar coat it, beat around the bush, or coerce customers into leaving a review. As long as the process is clear and you make it fast and easy to do, you’re likely to get warm responses to your request. I’d start with a short personal intro about how reviews are so important to small businesses or how YOU have used reviews to shop locally, and lead right into the request. Include the link to your Google profile front and center. Make it a section in your newsletter if you have a good open rate, or run a series of emails focused just on getting reviews. Another great way to use your email list to get reviews? Send out a customer survey! Keep it short, sweet and easy - 5-8 multiple choice or short answer questions. If you’ve gotten someone to fill out a poll or survey, they’re already in the proper mindset to leave a review, so include a review request at the bottom. I have done customer feedback surveys and put everyone that completed it into a drawing for a gift card. Just be sure to word that the review is appreciated but an optional part of the survey so you’re incentivizing it. 

3 - Social Media 

Don’t have an email list? Create a survey in Google Forms or a site like JotForm and share the link on your social media pages! The same rules apply - short, easy and an optional review link at the end. 

Your social platforms are a great place to request reviews. Your social media followers have gotten to know you better through conversational marketing and transparency. They are your online consumer community! Post a screenshot of your best review and ask your customers to leave their own feedback (including your clean and simple Google review shortcut link). Something like - “Reviews are always appreciated! Would you be so kind as to leave us one?” Or you could remind your followers that this is an opportunity for them to introduce someone else just like them to all the good things about your shop. Or that small businesses are the lifeblood of local communities and reviews help your small business. Keep it light and easy. 

Ok, we’ve covered our online options for review requests - our website, emails and social media. Now let’s talk about some more personal ways to get you those Google reviews.      

4 - Phone customers.

Chatting with a customer on the phone is a great way to establish a connection. We are often taking care of an emotional need - helping them express themselves by sending a gift for a special occasion or a memorial. So naturally you get to know the person a little, even if you’re just on the phone for 5 minutes. You’re already ending your call by thanking them for calling or wishing them a good day - simply extend that closure by requesting a review. Here’s an example “ Thank you so much for calling [Shop name] today, we’re going to take excellent care of your order. If you get a moment, would you mind leaving us a review on Google?” 

If you’ll be sending an email or text, mention that they can find the link there. 

Now I’ll be upfront with you - if I am helping a phone customer I am definitely reading the room. If they are a total picky pants or seem like a difficult personality, I’m not inviting them to post for all eternity on my Google Profile. But 90% of the time my phone customer is a lovely person, we have a great repertoire by the time the conversation is done and I feel comfortable making the request. At my shop, we often offer to send the customer a photo of the bouquet via text. So the Google review link goes out in their confirmation emails as well as that text. I say: 

Attached is a photo of your gift. Thank you for your order! Reviews are a big deal to our small business. Would you please leave us a review here ---include google link-- ? Thank you!

At this point I’ve got a personal connection made, I’ve served them well, I’ve delighted them with a photo of some gorgeous flowers, and now I’m just making a simple request that they follow a link. Bonus - they can easily post the photo - that I have provided and have control over - to the review. And reviews with customer submitted photos are a signal of engagement to Google and are more likely to be read by browsers. Depending on the workflow of your shop, I would highly recommend implementing this as part of your delivery process. It takes 30 seconds for your driver to snap a photo and send a canned text message and it can reap big rewards for your business - both for building customer loyalty and for your Google presence. 

5 - In-person

Oftentimes your in-store customers are your best customers - or have the opportunity to be. Your repeat, loyal customers are the people that you want leaving you detailed reviews on Google. But they are the least likely to have done so because you are part of their everyday life. They aren’t interacting with you online. So you need to make it easy for them to access your Google listing while they are in your store.  

Luckily, Google has made this simple. I’ll include this link in the shownotes but go to https://marketingkit.withgoogle.com/. You can enter your business name and it’ll generate an entire kit for you to download and use - Business cards and postcards with a QR code, print ready posters, social media posts and even stickers. Display these at your front counter, on your display cooler or entry door, or any area where your customers linger. Have your staff mention leaving a review to customers when they check out. 

Remember that QR code we made that leads to your Google listing? Add it to your print and emailed receipts and invoices. You could also have it printed on the back of your enclosure cards. Personally, I like to include a QR code on my enclosure cards with a lead magnet to capture delivery recipients email addresses, but a review link is a good alternative. Who better to leave a prompt, glowing review than the recipient of a beautiful bouquet??      

6 - Other Businesses 

Think about vendors that you often work with, whether it’s event vendors or even suppliers. I’m sure they would appreciate a review from you - and would reciprocate with one of their own. Reach out and let them know you’re requesting reviews and that you will be leaving them one as well. You could also check with other local businesses - maybe fellow networking group or Chamber members, your neighboring businesses, or ones that you’ve collaborated with. Like I mentioned before, if you’re interacting with these people and stores on a regular basis, you may not have thought to leave them an online review - and they are probably in the same boat. 

Ok - so you’ve got the reviews. No what? You need to respond to them. 

By responding, you improve customer retention rates by boosting the loyalty of happy customers. You’ll also increase your chances of acquiring new customers by showcasing how committed your brand is to keeping communication channels open. When I see that brands have taken the time to personally respond to reviews - good or bad - it immediately increases my trust in them. 

Another bonus - responding to as many customer reviews as possible can also increase your SEO. When Google is determining its local ranking,  it factors in “Prominence”, which can be improved by encouraging and responding to reviews. It shows that you’re engaged online. 

So, with that being said, what are the best ways to respond to positive reviews? Let’s tee up a pretend positive review as an example. 

“So happy with the flowers I purchased for my mom’s birthday - they were delivered quickly and the customer service was great. - Kyle ” 

Make it Personal

Start your reply using the customer’s name. Your response will come across as more natural and sincere.

Acknowledge All Points

In the same way you would respond to all points made by an unhappy customer, all positive points should be recognised and responded to, too!

Response Example: “…It’s great to hear that you were pleased with our service and the delivery time. 

Broadcast Your Brand

You can support positive comments made by the customer by reinforcing your brand’s purpose, message or values.

Example: “…It’s very important to us to ensure that our customers are happy.” 

Show Appreciation 

Thanking your customer once again for their positive review and for being your customer will go a long way…

Example: “…Thanks once again for taking time out to leave your feedback and thank you for shopping with [insert store name].”

Keep it Personal and Positive

Adding a little extra positivity or personality by mirroring the customer’s info at the end of the response adds sincerity. I like to sign the review either personally - my shop’s name is Bloom so signing it “Kelsey at Bloom” or “The Bloom Team” can really make a connection. 

Example: “We hope your Mom had a great birthday and wish her many more!” 

The end result is… “Hi Kyle, we appreciate the review. It’s great to hear that you were pleased with our service and the delivery speed. It’s very important to us to ensure that our customers are happy. Thanks once again for taking time to leave your feedback and thank you for shopping with Bloom Floral. We hope your Mom had a great birthday and wish her many more! - Kelsey at Bloom.  

Let’s turn this into a negative review response now. Yep, responding to negative feedback is super important. It shows customers that you are a real person, that you care, and that you’ll make things right. What if Kyle’s review was this? 

“Not happy with the flowers I purchased for my mom’s birthday - they were delivered late and were not the colors I had chosen. - Kyle ” 

We’re going to apply the same exact formula - Personal touch, acknowledgment, branding, appreciation and positivity. 

“Hi Kyle - We are sorry to hear that you weren’t pleased with the flowers or delivery timeframe. It’s very important to us to ensure that our customers are happy. We appreciate that you took the time to leave feedback. We’ll be contacting you for further details, and look forward to making it right - Kelsey at Bloom.  

See how I apologized for making him feel that delivery was sub-par, but didn’t apologize about anything else, or offer excuses or explanations. Odds are that his Mom wasn’t home until late in the day and the flowers he had ordered needed to be subbed to be full value. But until you have the full story, getting defensive online isn’t a good look. 

If this review happens really promptly after the delivery and you were able to connect with Kyle and fix the problem, don’t respond to the review until it’s resolved, then include that in the review. So the last sentence would now be: “Thank you for connecting with us to make it right - we appreciate your understanding about product substitutions and we hope your Mom loved the fresh bouquet that we delivered this afternoon”. 

Now this is just an example - you need to follow your own store policy on how things are handled. But using that formula for review responses is going to make you look professional and compassionate. If you can solve the problem, reviewers can go back and adjust or comment on their own review. This is an instance where a photo being sent can be a really good thing - they can attach the new bouquet picture as well.     

So I want you to think - how do you currently gather Google reviews? And what is one thing you can do this week - one system you can put in place - that will help increase your review volume? The beauty of all of these examples is that once you’ve taken the time to generate your link and add it to your email, envelopes, or checkout process, it’s just part of your workflow. But it’s one that generates results, both in terms of potential buyer confidence and your SEO. 

So your action task this week is to review -  how do you currently gather Google reviews? And what is one thing you can do this week - one system you can put in place in just one of the 6 areas we covered  - that will help increase your review volume?