Google Plus Reviews
Every business owner knows how important public perception can be. With Google giving local reviews high preference in search engine results, your reviews are an integral part of your online and offline reputation.
However, many businesses do not worry about Google Reviews until their bottom line is affected by a negative review. This often ends up to be to their detriment, as it is hard to gain back your reputation after it has dipped to a negative place. Here are a few strategies for using Google Reviews to build a positive public perception and keeping negative reviews from sinking your business.
Don’t Wait for a Negative Review
You don’t want a negative review to be the only review on your Google page. This review will come up on the first page of search engine results for your company and definitely impact your sales. However, it is easier than many business owners think to get that reputation-killing bad rating. People are more likely to leave a review after a bad experience than a good one; in fact, many people now turn to online reviews to report a bad experience before they will even complain to staff.
The answer is to proactively ask customers to review your business and keep a steady flow of accurate, positive information. This can be easier than many business owners realize.
How to Proactively Ask for Reviews
The best way to get people to review your business is to ask. Here are a few ways to do that:
Add a signature line to emails, mailings, and other promotional communications. Something as simple as “Are you a satisfied customer? Tell the world at our Google Plus page!” will do.
Place a small sign at your check out area with a suggestion that customers review your business.
Ask family, friends, repeat customers, and other satisfied customers with whom you have an established friendly relationship.
Own Your Google Plus
It is easy to get mixed up with a similarly named business in another area that may not offer the same great service and products that you do. This is a great reason to take ownership of your Google Plus account. You can make this account with a simple email address and then add your location, telephone number, menu, photos, and other personal details. This will place your account higher in search engine results while ensuring that you don’t end up with a bad reputation from mistaken identity.
Proactively managing reviews on Google and other common review sites is a necessary reputation management task in today’s world. Regardless of your industry, people are definitely seeing your Google reviews whenever they search for your business name. Keep the flow of positive information steady to maintain a positive public perception.