It used to be that only companies with a large advertising budgets would succeed. But thanks to today’s Internet and the global economy, even the smallest and most unlikely of companies can surpass their greatest competitors with the right strategy and tools. One of the tools helping put smaller businesses in the spotlight is online review sites such as Yelp. According to Bill Tancer, author of Everyone’s a Critic, 82% of consumers consult online reviews before making a purchase decision. If properly managed, a good review site could help your business take chunks out of your competition’s market share without ever spending a dime. The following are a few tips on how to maximize the success of your review sites.
1. Get Listed
Obviously if your business is not listed on a review site, no one can find you and write or read reviews about you. So the first step is to determine what sites you should list your business on and set up a free business listing. You have many options when choosing a review site but these three should be considered first: Yelp, Angie’s List, and Google+. First and foremost, you should list your business on Yelp. While currently Yelp is most valuable to brick and mortar locations, all industries can benefit from being listed as Yelp is the leader among review sites and is growing fast. Neglecting to list your business on Yelp could turn you off to opportunities now and countless others in the future. If you are a service provider, especially one serving residences, you should list your business on Angie’s List as well. In addition to Yelp, and possibly Angie’s list, you should also set your business up for reviews on Google+. Google tends to favor content that is tied to its own networks and as a rule, if the world’s largest search engine offers you an opportunity to deepen your business’ relationship with them for free, you should take them up on it.
2. Handling Negative Reviews
Once you have your review sites setup, you can start receiving reviews on your business, and some of them may not be fun to read. This is a pain point for virtually every business out there, and the primary reason why some businesses refuse to list themselves on a review site at all. However, negative reviews can actually be beneficial to your business as a whole if managed appropriately. First off, you have to respond. It is actually worse to not respond at all than to respond poorly, so just crafting a response is better than nothing. Responding also gives you an opportunity to apologize, if you were in the wrong, and show everyone that your business takes seriously what your customers think.
In addition, when a reader comes upon a 1 or 2 star review of a business they are more likely to read it and will make conclusions based on how fair they feel the reviewer is being. Sometimes the most passionate negative reviews can have the opposite affect intended by the reviewer. If the reviewer doesn’t highlight a deal breaker to the person reading the review, it can actually translate into more sales.
3. Obsess Over Your Reviews
One of the greatest ways a small business can surpass their competition is to obsess over their reviews. As reviews continue to hold more weight, businesses will no longer be able to rest on brand reputation alone. This is great news for businesses that are not already well-known for their brand and bad news for those that are. This is an opportunity for smaller businesses, without massive advertising budgets, to steal market share from their larger competitors without even spending a dime. Many businesses have found success by paying attention to each and every review that comes in and responding accordingly, to both the positive and negative reviews. When it comes right down to it, most reviewers just want to be recognized for the information they provide, and if you’re able to connect with them in some way it will benefit your business both online and in the ledgers.
So whether you have been listed for a while or are just getting started, there is a lot of opportunity to grow your business with review sites if you manage them appropriately. The bottom line, your customers are talking about you, whether online or off, and review sites at least allow you to be a part of the conversation. If you haven’t jumped in the review river yet, don’t wait too long, or in a few years you’ll be trying desperately to catch up.
Sandler Training in Denver provides sales training, management and leadership training, and professional development for individuals and organizations. Let us know how we can help your team.
