Here is our whitepaper for: How online reviews can impact your local business

1. By: Adam Dukes
702-530-3881
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2. How Online Customer Reviews Can Impact Your Local Business
Owning a business is no easy feat; mainly due to the fact that you have to
constantly cater to the needs of your customers. Customer loyalty is one of
the most important aspects of making a business successful because,
without customers, businesses simply wouldn’t exist.
Regardless of the type of local business you own, the most important thing
you need is a positive reputation. There are a lot of businesses out there
that gain and lose customers on a daily basis. The loss or the gain of
customers largely depends upon the reputation a business has in many
cases.
The internet has allowed people to become vocal with their opinions about
just about everything – including how they feel about companies they do
business with.
People leave online reviews for the whole world to see about businesses and
the products and services they offer. This is why it is crucial that you stay
on top of what is being said about your company online.
When it comes to having a positive online presence, your company will reap
the benefits no matter how large or small it is. In other words, every
satisfied customer you have will bring you even more customers.
On the flip side, if your online presence contains some negativity, your
business could be critically challenged.
Due to the internet, no business can dream of creating a positive image for
itself unless most of their customers are happy. Local business owners are
still adapting to the concept of “online reputation management.” However, it
is becoming more and more apparent that in order to make a name for your
company in your local area, you have to receive beneficial online feedback
from your local customers.
People turn to the internet when it comes to finding local businesses that
have products and services they need. If your business has received
positive customer reviews from your local customers, then other people will
read those reviews and become interested in buying your services and
products as well.
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3. All feedback should be welcome as long as it is legit. Getting feedback from
your unhappy customers is just as important. Receiving negative feedback
will allow you to improve the operations of your business and correct the
shortcomings it may have. Honest customer reviews will provide you with
some real insight regarding your products and services, as well as your
customer service.
When it comes to local business, valuable customer reviews play an
important part in local online marketing. We all know that the internet has
become an important source when people want information. When searching
for a service or a product, people make use of search engines. These search
engines display different links. Most people usually stop at the results near
the top of the page.
By receiving online customer reviews on your site or in other directories, you
will be able to rank higher in the search engine results. The more reviews
you have, the more people can learn about your business through the
internet.
Furthermore, a nice amount of customer reviews can also help put your
potential customers at ease. It’s comforting to see that other people in your
area have dealt with a business before you decide to give them a try.
As mentioned above, the advent of the internet and other social media
technology has made it easy for consumers to share their thoughts about
companies. Some local business owners might be afraid of this development
because it gives consumers the power to say whatever they want about a
business and it’s posted for the whole world to see.
However, if business owners take the initiative to monitor the top channels,
then they can transform everything into positive advertising.
When people see advertisements on television, in newspapers or listen to
them on the radio, they know that these advertisements are paid by the
business itself; and that’s why they portray such a positive image.
However, most people today are more interested in knowing about personal
opinions that aren’t biased, which is why they turn to online reviews first to
find the information they seek.
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4. Online reviews are written by real people that potential customers can relate
to. This is why consumers are more influenced by online customer reviews
than by advertisements they see all around them.
According to a study (http://www.searchinfluence.com/2012/02/importance-
of-online-reviews/), the most trusted forms of advertising are the
recommendations made by other people, followed by the customer reviews
posted online. This study was conducted a few years ago, and the trend still
hasn’t changed. People strongly take online reviews into account when they
want to make a ‘buying’ decision. That’s why you need to receive customer
reviews and fully manage your reputation online.
You can think of every customer as a brand ambassador who can express
positive or negative opinions about your business. That’s why customer
satisfaction should be among your top priorities.
However, if someone has a negative opinion about your business, then you
need to reach out to him or her and resolve the issue they have. Feedback is
very important to know how well your business is catering to the needs of
your customers and what can be improved.
In the business world, reputation is everything. If you have a positive
reputation, then you will be able to attract customers. But if there’s
negativity surrounding your company, and you are unable or unwilling to do
anything about it, then people won’t be interested in doing business with
you.
According to the findings of the Local Consumer Review Survey 2012
(http://searchengineland.com/study-72-of-consumers-trust-online-reviews-
as-much-as-personal-recommendations-114152), it was reported that
there’s a positive shift in the number of people who trust and appreciate the
reviews that are posted online for them to read.
In the survey, consumers were asked about the thing they trusted the most
when making a decision to buy something. 72% of the consumers said that
they trusted online customer reviews as much as they trusted personal
recommendations. 52% of the consumers said that positive online customer
reviews urges them to use local businesses.
According to the study, 15% of the consumers said that they didn’t use the
internet to find a local business, while 16% said that they used the internet
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5. every week in order to search for a local business. 58% of the consumers
trust businesses having a positive online presence and 52% of the
consumers are likely to refer a local business based on the positive reviews
posted online.
How to Encourage Your Customers to Leave Online Reviews
Due to the fact that most consumers say that online reviews help them
make purchasing decisions, you may be wondering how to get your
customers to write honest, positive reviews.
The amount of reviews your company has counts a lot. Many search engine
results display business links in a descending order when it comes to
reviews. This means that the businesses that have more reviews are
displayed at the top, followed by the ones having fewer reviews.
That’s why the more reviews you have, the better. However, you have to be
extremely careful in your approach.
Businesses who aggressively solicit their customers for reviews can turn
their customers off and could result in receiving some negative reviews
instead.
Also avoid posting fake reviews at all costs. There are a lot of companies out
there that post fake reviews on their sites in order to fool their customers.
Fake reviews won’t get you very far and many of your potential customers
can spot fake reviews from a mile away.
They are more likely to respond to genuine, valid reviews – even if there are
a few negative ones in there, which is to be expected. No one is perfect.
There are a lot of ways you can encourage your customers to write honest
reviews of your services or products …
Here are some quick tips that will help you get more reviews from your
customers:
• Make it EASY for Your Customers to Write Reviews
If you really want your customers to leave reviews for your business,
make it easy for them by taking steps to help them do so. For
instance, you can provide links to your review pages on your website.
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6. This way, your customers can easily go directly from your website to
your review pages and leave reviews.
You can even help your customers out by giving them some tips on
how to write customer reviews and where they can post them. This is
the perfect way to get them started.
You can also show the actual reviews and testimonials on your official
website, which can also help to encourage others to leave a review.
Not only that, but this will also lead to more conversions for your
business.
If you choose to work with a professional Online Reputation
Management company, they will help you market your reviews to their
fullest potential.
• Ask Customers Who Come Into Your Establishment for Reviews
When your customers come into your establishment, be sure to ask
them for a review in some form or fashion. For instance, you could ask
them on the back of receipts, on menus, or simply have your staff ask
for them.
Leaving pamphlets or postcards with your customers asking for
reviews is another approach that works well.
You can also have an “onsite review station” setup in your
establishment where your customers can leave reviews for you right
on the spot. There’s nothing better than getting a review from a
satisfied customer who just purchased from you.
• Show Your Customers HOW to Leave Reviews
Consumers today are extremely busy; so much so that many still do
not take the time out to leave reviews for products and services they
love. Not only that, some consumers don’t want to take the time out
to figure out where to leave reviews and how to submit them.
Therefore, you can help them out by giving them something that will
show them how to leave reviews for your business. Doing so could
boost your credibility as well as profits.
• Ask for Customer Reviews in Your Emails & Direct Mail
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7. If you send out emails via an autoresponder to your customer list, you
should ask them to leave reviews for your company from time to time.
Many customers may intend to do so, but neglect to do it for some
reason or another.
So a friendly reminder every now and then is just what you need to
get your customers engaged with your business and tell the world how
much they love you.
The same applies for your direct mail campaigns. Simply reminding
consumers that you exist could be enough to urge them to leave a
review for your company – especially if you ask them to do so.
• Utilize the Power of Social Media
Since you’re already connecting with some of your customers via social
media, it is the perfect place to ask for reviews and feedback.
Customers who are involved in social media like to “socialize” with the
businesses they follow.
On sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and others, it is
fairly simple to shoot a message to your audience and many are likely
to respond. Therefore, take advantage of this opportunity by asking
them for reviews and feedback often.
• Encourage Them to Put Their Reviews on Multiple Sites
Some of your customers probably leave reviews on one review site,
whether it’s Google+ Local, Yahoo Local, Yelp or others. However, it
always works in your business’s favor to have as many reviews across
multiple review platforms as possible.
Not only will this increase your online visibility, but it should increase
the number of customers coming through your doors. If consumers
find that your business has a lot of great feedback on multiple review
sites, it will boost your trust and credibility tremendously.
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8. How Negative Reviews Play a Part in Your Struggle to Generate New
Customers
As stated earlier, having some negative reviews is part of the game. In fact,
consumers might begin to suspect something fishy if all they see are good or
‘five’ star reviews.
No matter how great your products and services are, there will always be at
least one unhappy customer that will leave an online review.
The problem is that a lot of business owners ignore negative reviews, which
can be harmful for your company’s reputation. Not responding could give the
indication that you simply do not care about that unhappy customer’s
concern. If you do, show the world that you care by responding to their
online complaint in a positive manner.
If you receive a negative review, do not argue with the reviewer. Yes, a
negative review can decrease your online reputation. However, you will only
make it worse by picking a fight with the reviewer. Arguing with an unhappy
customer may lead to them spreading even more negativity about y our
company, which leads to even more chaos.
On the other hand, giving a positive response shows that you are open to
criticism, willing to hear what the reviewer has to say, and willing to correct
the problem. By responding in a positive manner, you will also encourage
positivity from other customers.
How to Build and Maintain a Positive Online Reputation
Every local business owner wants to receive as many customers as possible.
In order for you to attract potential clients, you need to make sure that your
business has a positive reputation. We all know that the internet has allowed
people to share their thoughts with almost everyone around the globe.
People make use of internet search engines when they want to decide about
buying a product or service. A lot of businesses run advertisements in order
to attract potential customers and attempt to create a positive reputation.
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9. However, trends have shown that potential customers are more influenced
by what other people have to say about a business and the
recommendations they make.
The internet has become ‘social’ and that’s why everyone is interested in
sharing their opinions. They might write an online review on a review site, or
they might voice their opinions on various social-networking sites.
Just as your customers are utilizing the internet to voice their opinions, your
business has to make use of the internet in order to build and maintain a
great online reputation.
Simply put, the more positive your reputation, the more potential customers
you will be able to attract.
Here are some tips about how you can build and maintain a positive online
reputation:
1. Monitoring the Customer Review sites
You can think of customer review sites as “local directories” that
enable people to express their opinions regarding various businesses
present in the directories.
People utilize these directories to find businesses that are able to
provide them with the products or services they want. They can
browse through the various businesses and many make their decisions
based on the customer reviews.
Some of the sites that are key players include: Yelp!, Google Local,
City Search and Yahoo Local. There are also directories that only cater
to specific business industries like local restaurants, dentists, lawyers,
etc. Being an active part of these sites can help you build a positive
reputation.
Some of the things you can do in order make use of these review sites
are:
• Register Your Business
First thing first, you need to create accounts on the most popular
local review sites and directories so your business can be included
in the listings.
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10. If you find that your business is already present in the listings, you
still have some work to do. Some directory listings post incorrect
information about businesses, which could impact your visibility.
Therefore, you have to take control of your listings by completing
them, claiming them, and verifying them.
Make sure your profiles are completely filled out with accurate
information, add images to your profile, and add any additional
beneficial links that can attract potential customers.
• Respond to Reviews
As stated earlier, don’t start to panic if you happen to find a
negative review regarding your business on these review sites.
People have a right to their opinions and all we can do is respect
them. The best thing to do is try to handle the situation in a proper,
positive manner.
If the complaint is legit, be sure to post how you plan to correct it.
• Form a Bond with Customers
Not only is it important to respond to negative reviews; it’s equally
important to respond to positive reviews. Doing so creates
somewhat of a “bond” with your happy customers and will keep
them coming back.
Responding to positive reviews also shows consumers that you
really do care about what your customers think and are grateful for
their feedback.
• Monitor and Keep Track of What is Being Said
In order to see when and where people mention your business, you
need to monitor everything. There are many ways to monitor what
is being said about your business. You can simply “Google” your
business’s name or you can even set up alerts. With alerts, you will
be able to monitor when someone writes a review on a site or
mentions you online.
By knowing about the reviews that people write online, you will be
able to reach out to those reviewers and interact with them
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11. immediately. If someone writes a negative review online, you will
be able to resolve the issue quickly with them.
2. Blogging
Creating a blog can also help you build a positive online reputation. By
creating a blog you can provide more information about your company
to your customers. You can share images and other types of useful
content and information with your customers.
Having a blog will also allow you to provide a place where your
customers can ask questions, and you can provide them with the
answers relating to your business.
You can provide links to positive reviews written by customers on
other sites. Updating your blog consistently will also help your
business to rank high in search engine results.
3. Creating Positive Content
The internet search engines are the key players you should know
about when it comes to managing your online image. When consumers
perform searches for local products and services, the results presented
at the top of search engine results receive more traffic, and that’s why
your business needs to rank high.
The more frequent, unique content, the higher you will rank. This is
why it is critical that you create positive content about your business
consistently and make it rank high in the search engine results.
Different sources like customer review sites, social-networking sites and
blogs can help you build a positive reputation for your business. However,
your work won’t end here.
Even if you use these sources in order to build a positive reputation for your
business, you will need to work hard in order to maintain it. The biggest
challenge which you will have to face is the negative online reviews you will
receive. A negative review can come as a shock to most business owners.
However, it happens to a lot of businesses, so there’s no reason to become
upset by it. By remaining calm you will be able to respond to negative
reviews in a proper manner.
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12. When it comes to maintaining a positive reputation, the manner you reply to
your customer is very important. If you are able to show your customers
that you value their opinions, and you are able to provide them with a
sincere reply, it will be very beneficial for your business.
The most important thing you need to keep in mind is to always think of the
future. Before you do something, stop for a second and access how such an
action will help your business. Will it be beneficial for you in the long run?
Taking part in customer review sites, social-networking sites or creating a
blog might not benefit you immediately. However, all of these things will
help you in the time to come. You will be able to build a positive reputation
for your business. By working hard and monitoring what customers say
about your business and replying to them in an appropriate manner, you will
be able to maintain a positive reputation online for your local business.
Conclusion
Though all of this might seem easy to do, making use of all the sources in a
proper and effective manner is not easy. The internet is vast, and that’s why
it needs to be used effectively in order to develop a positive presence of your
local business.
By receiving positive online customer reviews, the reputation of your
company can flourish. It will tell potential customers that other people prefer
your business over your competition and this will lead to an increase in sales
conversions.
Monitoring the top channels and keeping track of the customers who leave
reviews requires practice and expertise. That’s why if you want to make sure
that your business is being promoted in an effective manner on the internet;
you need to make use of an effective online reputation management service.
Our Online Reputation Management Services are able to provide your local
business with everything it needs in order to make sure that it’s being
represented on the internet in the most positive manner.
Our team, of highly efficient professionals, is able to make sure that your
local business ranks high when people search for local businesses.
Contact me today at 702-530-3881 or a free, no-obligation consultation if
your online reputation could use some help.
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13. I look forward to speaking with you.
Adam Dukes
702-530-3881
Social Sinergy
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Social Sinergy 702-530-3881