Did you know that 85% of customers will look at reviews before they decide where to buy lighting? And even more than that – 95% of customers under 30 will read at least 5 reviews before they’ll visit a physical location. Google reviews – whether you love them or hate them, they’re not something you can ignore.
As we all know, it’s often only the dissatisfied customers who will leave a review of their own accord. So the question then is, if reviews are so important to my business, how can I get more of my customers to write a review on Google?
Just Ask
It may sound like an oversimplification, but the best way to get more reviews is to ask for them. At the end of each sale, have your in-store reps ask customers if they’ll leave a review. You don’t need to get scripted and stiff here. Something as simple as “Will you leave us a review on Google?” will do the trick.
You’re asking your customer to do something that only benefits you, so make it as easy for them to remember to leave a review as possible. Make a tabletop sign for your counter. Create a handout that you can include with the receipt. Hang a sign on your exit. Include a link in your emails. Make it as accessible as possible, and you’ll start to see the reviews trickling in.
Keep these two things in mind:
1. Put your requests and reminders in prominent places, but don’t go overboard. If you overwhelm your customers with requests you run the risk of annoying them, and you may appear spammy or desperate.
2. Make sure your signs look amazing. Don’t just type a sentence in a Word doc and print it out. It’s worth the small spend to have someone with a designer’s eye create something that looks professional and eye-catching.
Pro Tip: Get creative – QR codes are easy to create, and even easier to use. Create a small tabletop sign for your counter with a QR code that links to your Google business page. Customers can scan it with their phone right at the register and leave a review as they’re leaving the store. It’s a good idea to put one on your other signs and handouts too.
Employee Bonuses
If you’ve been reading Showroom Tips for long, then you’ll know I strongly believe in involving your employees in the business as much as possible. Invested employees can move mountains that an owner alone could never dream of moving. It should come as no surprise to my readers, then, when I tell you that this philosophy is also an integral part of getting more Google Reviews.
Not only is paying for reviews unethical, it’s against Google’s Terms of Use, and it could land you in hot water with the FTC. At best, the reviews will be removed – at worst, you could end up with some hefty fines. It’s just not worth it.
Hold a meeting with your staff and discuss your goal to get more reviews. Come up with a game plan, and offer incentives or rewards for reaching your goals. Your employees are often the face of your business, so it stands to reason that they should benefit from representing you well.
Here’s a couple of incentive systems I’ve used in the past that have worked well:
Give a bonus to staff members that are mentioned by name
Reviews benefit your business, which can benefit your employees in a roundabout way. But immediate incentives are a much more compelling reward for a reviews push than a “fingers crossed” promise down the road. When employees know they’ll see an immediate benefit, they’re motivated to give great customer service, and then ask their customers to leave a review.
As an added bonus, reviewers that are willing to include a specific detail, like an employee’s name, in their reviews will be more likely to include other specific details about their encounter. These reviews have the potential to be the high-quality, “needle in the haystack” reviews that every business owner wants. These reviews will give future customers a great picture of not only how you do business, but also why they should come to visit your showroom over your competitors.
The only problem I’ve run across with this incentive is that it can leave out some employees that may not interact with the customers as often as the sales staff. To get everyone on board, consider adding a broader incentive that applies to everyone. Such as:
Offer a company-wide bonus when you reach your goal number
I love this plan, because it gets everyone involved and working together. Set a goal for the number of google reviews you’d like to get. When you reach this number, everyone wins!
Goal setting 101 says that big goals are more likely to be accomplished when broken into smaller pieces. If your goal for new reviews is a large number, break it up into smaller chunks with smaller bonuses that can be reached along the way.
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Now, before you come to me with “Bonuses? In this economy?” – keep this in mind. Some business owners will spend hundreds or even thousands for “fake” reviews to boost their online appearance. Ethics of this action aside, these reviews are hollow and customers know it. Real reviews from actual customers are the best way to increase traffic and boost your business’s reputation on Google.
While monetary bonuses are always well-received, if the budget is tight, you could offer other incentives like time off, free breakfast, a catered dinner, a company movie night, etc. Talk to your employees about it – find out what they’d be excited about and go from there.
Pro Tip: Not only is paying for reviews unethical, it’s against Google’s Terms of Use, and it could land you in hot water with the FTC. At best, the reviews will be removed – at worst, you could end up with some hefty fines. It’s just not worth it.
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Quantity vs Quality
As your reviews start streaming in, remember that focusing on quantity alone won’t necessarily give you the best bang for your buck. Quality is an important part of the equation too. It can take anywhere from 10-40 positive reviews to offset the effects of one bad review, so you need to be paying attention.
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Not all Google reviews are created equal. In the next blogs in this series I talk more about how to handle negative feedback, and how to leverage positive feedback. Read more here:
Make the Most of Your Google Reviews – Handling Negative Reviews
Make the Most of Your Google Reviews – Boost Your Success Stories
