How can SMEs get more reviews on Google?

In order to boost visibility for business and amplify conversions from search traffic, SMEs essentially need frequent and genuine online reviews from their new as well as old customers. In contrast to the established brands, SMEs have a more flexible business model, which makes it easier for them to serve their customers more personally and attend their shopper’s individual needs more efficiently. The primary challenge, however, these small and medium entrepreneurs have is generating sufficient reviews from their skimpy customer base. Be Digitally Smart….

SMEs need to be pro-active in their efforts to improvise business reviews count. One such operational-critical initiative for them is to get an impressive online digital profiling done for their business. With Google being a dominating online search engine, it surely makes sense that SMEs should sincerely focus on getting reviews by developing a Google My Business page.

Here is another reason, why SMEs should choose Google for gaining business reviews. “2018 Online Reviews Survey”, nearly 63.6% of consumers check reviews on Google, more than any other review site, before visiting a business.

Further, Marketing experts suggest 5 smart tools for SMEs to augment their business reviews count and enhance their overall operational potential:

1. Keep a Direct Approach

Rather speculating about any right or wrong, SMEs can try engaging their consumers by directly asking to leave business reviews. Moreover, seeking customer’s reviews will not show-up like rebelling any of the Google’s SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), unless you are keen to drive your shoppers proficiently for leaving a service-worthy positive feedback.
Apart from digitally prompting for feedback online, another quietest yet effective ‘straight’ ways for generating customer’s reviews is putting print-outs on your business walls. A print-out, however, with clear-cut instructions shall be a definite help to your offline shoppers for providing their comments online.

2. Offer Lucrative Perks

Inducing consumers is another smart way that SMEs can pick for generating genuine reviews for their business. Encouraging visitors with some incentives for leaving true reviews is fine, as long as you are not rewarding them just for any positive feedback. The key focus is to keep your existing clients involved and let them know how critical their reviews are for enhancing the overall customer experience as well as winning new potentials.
Give a sure-shot reason to the shoppers for re-visiting your business in the near future, offer discount coupons for their next buys in exchange for their ‘no-pressure’ positive comments.

3. Lets Un-Complicate

Keep it clear and simple for customers while seeking their candid comments for a specific service feature. SMEs should point-out for customer feedback requests primarily on that product or service which they know can noticeably persuade their existing and potential buyers.
There are several ways in which SMEs can implement on their Google My Business page for asking business reviews on a particular service/product element.

4. Get it Done through e-Mails

Experts suggest that SMEs should frequently be seeking for business reviews from their existing and potential clientele, and the best way to do this is through e-Mails. Always ask shoppers about their experiences while using the offered services and encourage them to share a genuine review. It would also be great to ask for customer’s feedback during an e-Mail marketing campaign.
SMEs can even try integrating a call to action (CTA) in the e-Mail signatures with a direct link to their Google My Review page. The excellent part using CTA is that it can be standardized in all the e-Mails without letting customers feel any pressure of leaving a comment.

5. Alternatively, Induce the Staff

This business driving approach works effectively for SMEs primarily operating in a services industry, like travel, hotel, restaurant, and others. Instead of offering rewards to customers, SMEs rather pay the bonus to their own staff for every review they collect from the clients. This actually reverses the whole process of generating business reviews from customers. The best part is SMEs need not to worry about what incentive they’d offer to clients for their comments, but customers have to think whether to deprive a small bonus for the friendly staff.

Bonus Tips

 Don’t hesitate to Tele-Call the clients for their reviews and always send timely reminders through SMS / e-Mails, Call, if they forget. Always try indicating to customers how critical their feedback is.
 Incorporate shorted URLs on your Google My Business pages, websites, and also in your e-Mail signatures. You can even create a nice looking CTA button for clients to click.

Conclusion

SMEs need to rely on local search traffic for business reviews, to a large extent. Whether positive or negative, customer’s feedbacks have become extremely important to influence the purchasing and business decisions we make online every day.