Reviews Make it or Break it
Did you know that 90% of consumers research online and rely on review sites before making a purchase? Google reviews make it or break it for your business.
We live in a world where everybody Googles everything, and ratings can make or break your business. Just a half star increase in your rating is equivalent to a 9% increase in revenue per Harvard Business Review.Â
If your business was a restaurant, Berkley economists found that a half star improvement makes it 30-49% more likely that a restaurant will sell out during peak hours.Â
Letâs compare the data above to a home seller looking for a lawyer or real estate agent. Â
Starting at the top of the sales funnel â you send out emails, advertise on Facebook, sponsor local events, hand out a card at Starbucks, or a potential client got your name from a friend of a friend. Whatâs the next step? It is highly likely they will search your name on Google. What happens next is up to you.
For those in the real estate industry â Google, Redfin and sometimes Yelp are the keys to your future. Letâs start with Google.
Creating a Google My Business (GMB) listing is the first and most important step to local search success. GMB offers the strongest brand impact for businesses or individuals seeking exposure locally. In fact, approximately 90% of organic searches come from Google and it complements a brandâs existing website, shows in search results and maps, and communicates with third-party platforms using Google Maps API.
You need to either create a listing or ensure you have a Google business page setup. If your business is established (usually founded several years ago), itâs likely Google already has a GMB listing and you just need to claim it.
Ensure your listing clearly includes what your business does, where it is, and how consumers can quickly and efficiently acquire the goods and/or services you offer.
Similar to traditional SEO for websites, Google uses bots to serve search results. It is important to include keywords like âChicago Real Estate Attorney,â âOrland Park Real Estate attorney,â â5013C Attorney,â etc. to your business listing is key â especially since your direct business website will be listed within your GMB page.
Use these in the business description and each time you post a Local Post to your audience.
Posting photos to your GMB is extremely important â in fact, businesses that have photos receive 35% more click-throughs to their website than those without photos and 42% more requests for directions from Google Maps.
GETTING REVIEWS & INTERACTING
There are several ways to effectively ask your clients to give you reviews. You can politely ask by weaving it into your closing. Adding links in your email signature to sites you wish to have reviews on is effective and professional. You can ask in all correspondence and on social media by sharing a link set up in GMB.
GOOGLE MY BUSINESS MESSAGING
Turn on the message app in GMB â it may be painful to answer sometimes, but this is a great way to capture leads. By engaging in messaging this gives you the power to talk to your audience in real time. These conversations are what can help your business stand out because it shows you are a real person rather than a bot or a corporate conglomerate company, that personal touch goes a long way.Â
GMB gives you the opportunity to publish offers, events, services and your product line to your listing and maps. This lets you engage with your searching audience in almost real-time. These local posts give you the power to engage with your customers in real time.Â
This will give you valuable information on how to craft your local posts, where your customers are searching and how, which will help you with any digital marketing needs. Tracking how your business is reaching customers and potential customers is important because by analyzing this data it will give you the tools you need to maximize your reach by the data.Â
Also, by analyzing your companyâs data, this gives you the ability to see if your links are working. If you notice your phone number has been clicked on a high number of times but donât feel like your phone is actually ringing as much as it says, you can click it yourself to see where itâs taking you. This gives you the ability to triple check to make sure what you input is accurate and working effectively.Â
We know customer reviews are important for your business's reputation and your businesses visibility. You have the power to maximize your business profile at your fingertips. Promote your business, donât be afraid to ask for reviews and have that real time engagement with your customers. They hold the power to increase your companyâs awareness and increase your business.Â
For more social media and brand communication tips follow my blog series.
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