Positive Online Reviews Means Winning Business Over Your Competition. Every single time.
Are you looking for a simple way to attract more consistent high quality jobs?
Whether its a quick decision that needs to be made e.g. water loss or someone who has more time to research, it all comes down to who has the most 5 star reviews.
Many business owners think this is too difficult to achieve so they give up on finding a solution.
The power of word of mouth is amplified 100x in the digital age.
If you’re winning in the game of word of mouth marketing then you will win all the business you can handle.
There’s no question that undeniable social proof drives new business and more revenue.
For example… Which landscaping company in Dallas do you think is getting the majority of the new business?
Stats tell us that 92% of searchers would choose Scapes Inc!
Do you ever wonder how in the world your competition has more 5 star reviews when its obvious you provide better service?
The 3 main reasons your best customers don’t leave reviews are:
1) “I didn’t have time!”
2) “I forgot!”
3) “I don’t know how!”
Unfortunately the customers you’re serving at the highest level are rarely inclined to leave you a review which is why you need a system in place that makes it frictionless for those customers to publish on all the major sites; without even thinking about it.
Good thing there’s a solution.
It’s hardly news that online reviews play a big role in growing your business.
But how much do they really matter?
More than you think.
How do businesses respond to less than great reviews?
What’s the frequency of the reviews?
Are positive reviews live on more than 1 review site?
What’s the overall sentiment of the reviews?
Age of the reviews?
How big of an impact will five star reviews have on your company’s bottom line in 2018?!!
The Importance of Five Star Reviews
Social proof, like popularity and word of mouth, has been a key to success since the dawn of business. In the modern world, online reviews play a big role in this.
If you’ve bought a product or service online, you’ve definitely come into contact with online reviews. Probably in the form of a star rating, with a short comment attached. Or perhaps a long, angry, misspelled rant.
While the typical customer review isn’t very thorough or comprehensible, reviews have a big impact on your audience. This, in turn, affects sales and your business’ growth.
There’s a steady trend in the growing importance of online reviews.
Why No Reviews Is a Bad Sign
Small and local businesses are often ignorant of the importance of reviews and reputation marketing. You may think that your referral network and local listings will guide your whole audience to your business.
This simply isn’t true these days.
Reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp and other industry specific sites (HomeAdvisor, AngiesList, Zillow, etc…) sites will let people know where to go. This online presence, and showing up on search engines, will let people know that your business exists. Because it’s often the first (or even the only) place people look.
Lacking reviews can have the same impact as bad reviews.
Think about it. The average consumer is on a smartphone throughout the day. They’ll Google your business before deciding to use it. Especially if they’re not familiar with your services.
If they find little to no information, they won’t trust your business. It looks unprofessional and users may ignore your listing.
A lack of reviews can be interpreted in two ways:
- “It’s a brand new business with no track record. Do I want to be a guinea pig for this project?”
- “It’s not a new business, yet there are no reviews? This must mean they have something to hide.”
The bottom line is you need reviews for people to understand and trust your business. This is the foundation of modern marketing.
Why You Need those Stars
About 88 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends and family.
If you don’t have online reviews, you may be shutting out up to 88 percent of potential customers. People need information, and the more you accommodate their needs, the more likely you are to get their business.
The same study found that 22 percent of prospective customers turn away if they see a horrible review. Having a higher number of negative reviews can lose up to 70 percent of customers.
This is why getting reliable five star reviews is in your best interest. A couple negative reviews isn’t the end of the world. Honestly I believe it makes the 5 star reviews even more powerful and real.
On-site Ranking Benefits
Installing customer reviews on your company website will affect search engine marketing results in a number of positive ways.
Each review written on one of your services adds to the unique content your site holds about that service. This translates to more relevance and a higher sense of authority from the search engine’s perspective.
This means you have higher chances of good rankings and higher visibility. More exposure leads to more possible jobs.
Reviews are estimated to weigh almost 15% of the ranking factor and it keeps growing.
In addition to this, you can even microformat your reviews to let Google index them as “rich answers” to user searches.
This can place your five star reviews above the list of ordinary search results when people search for restoration services. You get a nice competitive edge this way.
How to Maintain a Positive Score
So you understand the great importance of five star reviews. But how do you go about ensuring a positive review environment?
Don’t be fooled, buying positive reviews from shady blackhat services won’t help your service. People and search bots alike know what fake reviews and spam look like these days.
Nobody likes a lying business. With “fake news” and SEO hacking being hot topics, hiring spammers can ruin your reputation beyond repair.
People only trust reviews if they seem legitimate. You get good reviews by providing good service. It’s that simple.
The best way to handle negative reviews is direct interaction. Reply to negative comments and figure out what’s wrong. Here’s how you do it:
- Respond right away
- Be professional, admit your mistakes (if there happens to be one)
- Communicate like a person, not like a legal document
- Correct errors
- Emphasize your strengths
- Offer restitution if that’s warranted
Simply put, respond, compensate, and improve your service. Many customers will delete their bad reviews or replace them with positive ones. If they forget, you can always ask in a message and explain why it matters.
It’s also a good idea to ask loyal customers to share their experiences. If you have a newsletter, include a call to action. Ask new satisfied customers in person for a review when the job is done.
This will get you a steady stream of five star reviews.
Conclusion
There you have it. Let’s round things up.
Online reviews are a key part of modern business. Many people think its more important with products. Not true. It serves local businesses more.
A lack of reviews deprives consumers of information and makes you look untrustworthy. Too many negative reviews turn consumers away from your services. Five star reviews drive sales.
You can’t cheat the system. The best way to strengthen your rating footprint is through a frictionless process that runs on autopilot in the background while you run your business.
We can help you get more five star reviews.
If you have any questions, shoot us a text, email or give us a call. Be well!
jason@floodreach.com
