So you want your clients to give you a Google Review…

How do I find my Google Review Link

Here is a handy tool that will provide you a link that you can send to your clients so they can easily get you a review on Google. Because you don’t now if they are logged in to their Google account, it’s best to choose the option for people who are not logged in. It will work in both cases.

Why is Collecting Reviews a Good Idea

Reviews function to help make a sale at a specific point in your buyers’ journey. People tend to read online reviews after they’ve identified their problem, know what their solution is and have done their product / service research. Reviews can literally make or break a sale. If you and your competitor offer similar services at a similar price, reviews will help reaffirm that your services and products work like you claim they do. They also address the soft skills you offer with your service/product, such as the level of customer service. Reviews tend to work similarly to referrals, your happy customers’ experiences will say more than what you can say about yourself.

How to Ask Your Clients for a Review

Timing is everything. After your client has received your service or product and had a chance to enjoy your unique selling proposition – the thing that makes buying from you so special from your competitor – is the perfect time for you to request a review. Listen for squeals of joy, or more usually, words of gratitude for the way you and your team have helped them solve their problem. At that moment, ask them if they would be willing to leave you a recommendation. Use that word specifically, rather than review because “recommendation” implies a good review. When they say yes, let them know you will follow up by sending them links to the platforms where you collect recommendations.

Where should you collect reviews?

The trinity of review platforms of course is: Google, LinkedIn and Yelp and there are a couple of important general secondary sites, such as: Facebook and Yahoo to add to your mix. But there are many more industry specific spaces too. Like Houzz, Freshbooks, Amazon, TripAdvisor, etc.

Tips for Managing your Online Reviews

• Make sure your client’s don’t cut and paste reviews from one platform to the next. Google penalizes duplicate copy.
• Ask your clients not to leave a Yelp review if they are not Yelp users. Those reviews will be filtered. Yelp only shows reviews from people who have active accounts. This means the person needs to fill out their profile, have followers and leave reviews regularly.
• Make sure you get a LinkedIn Recommendation, not an Endorsement.
• Reply to all your Google Reviews. Google will give you much better SEO when you interact with your reviews. A simple thank-you will suffice.
• If you get a negative review, thank them for taking the time to leave the feedback, address their concerns and get them into a private communication space as soon as possible or hire a communication professional to help you navigate the situation.