Online review websites, like Yelp and Google Places, create a community where consumers go to provide and gather information on local businesses. The hope of all business owners is that the reviews on their page(s) will give potential customers faith that their experience will mirror that of Jane D. from Anytown, USA: “Great Service! Give these guys a try!”
Sadly, all too often the reviews on local business pages might read: “Terrible! Don’t go there!”
It might seem like a great idea, at first, to offer an incentive ($10 off your next oil change!) to customers in exchange for an online review on Yelp or Google. A step further is to offer a better incentive for positive reviews (you know, to push down those negative ones). Or, even just to askcustomers, mailing list subscribers, friends/family or anyone else to review your business.
Not so fast.
Online reviews are intended to be organic. Google, and especially Yelp, do not allow companies to give any sort of compensation for customers leaving online reviews. They go even further than outlawing compensation – they discourage businesses from asking their customers to write reviews, at all.
Here’s how to play by the rules when it comes to these review sites:
• Tell customers you’re on Google or Yelp – ask customers to “Find Us” but be careful not to ask them for a review.
• Display the branding of the online review site to all of your customers by using logos on signage, messaging on receipts, etc.
• Embed your favorite reviews on your website, share them on Facebook and Twitter, and link back to your locations’ page.
• Critical reviews can be an opportunity to build goodwill with your customers. Show customers you care by listening to them and responding to reviews. Customers often update their negative ratings if their issue has been resolved.
• Use a tool to aggregate and monitor reviews, keep NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) listings current and consistent.
