Increasing the Number of Positive Reviews

You already know how important reviews are. Most of us don’t book a table at a restaurant without checking online to see what other people thought of it. One of the surest ways to strengthen and grow your reputation online is by accummulating positive reviews. They not only elevate your business above others, but also minimise the effect of any malicious attacks. For example, a hair salon with 200 positive reviews will not sink in its customers’ esteem if someone posts a scalding opinion online, but it could be lethal for a salon that has a mere 10 reviews.

A small number of reviews is also suspect. Customers want to know: did no one engage this business? If not, why? And if they did, why didn’t they review it? Was it bad, or just meh? However, whereas a hair salon is likely to be reviewed a lot, in certain lines of business getting a review is very difficult. Think about a b2b business, or an adult business, for example.

However, whatever the reason why you are not harvesting as many reviews as you should, we are here to help.

How not to collect reviews

We don’t suggest writing fake reviews, and not only because it’s unethical. If you are caught doing this, your reputation could nosedive. Nor do you need to harrass your customers in order to obtain more reviews. I once visited a nice-looking small cafe. Whilst I had a breakfast, walked up to the counter and visited the bathroom, I counted six poster boards asking for reviews on TripAdvisor. I did leave them a review, and it wasn’t a positive one (and, to be fair, a part of my breakfast was barely lukewarm). You cannot obtain reviews through extortion.

What we can do for you

Instead, you need to ask: ask in the right way and at the right time. It’s all about working out answers to the following questions:

• What method of leaving reviews would take up the least of your clients’ time
• When is the best time to collect a review?
• How to encourage clients to speak to you first when things go wrong?
• How can we automate these processes to save you time?

We can help you find answers to these questions and set up systems that work for you and your clients. Just get in touch.