At the end of the day, customers want to feel like they’re being heard and understood by the businesses they shop from! Prioritizing this is not only a surefire way to retain your current customers, but to build a reputation with potential customers as well. Luckily, Google Business Profile makes these interactions super easy by providing a spot for viewers to leave public reviews on the businesses they shop from. However, there’s a few things you need to keep in mind to make the most out of this feature, so let’s go over them together.
During every transaction you have, make sure you’re asking for and encouraging your customers to leave reviews! After all, you can’t do much with them if you don’t have any. You can try and find a way to incentivize them through deals or discounts, or remind them how much it helps your business flourish!
Either way, you have to remember to respond to every review that you get, positive or negative. It’s important to recognize the fact that they took time out of their day to help you out, and that you should show some appreciation for it. Customers want to feel that they’re being heard, so make sure to leave a reply as soon as you can.
Of course, not every review you get is going to be positive, but that doesn’t mean you should just ignore them! Sometimes, you might even panic about getting a bad review from a simple misunderstanding. Before doing anything, come at the problem from a non-emotional view. Is there something you can takeaway or learn from this? If you answered yes, thank them for their honest feedback and for taking the time to tell you. Now you know a pain point between you and your customers that you can fix before it causes any more issues.
If you answered no, and if the issues they brought up in the review are from a misunderstanding or just aren’t valid, then it’s even more important to come at it non-emotionally. Reflect on your businesses’ core values and beliefs before you respond, and maybe even bring in an outside perspective if you’re having difficulties. Write a draft of the response in a word document and get some feedback from others on your team or from a friend and adjust as needed. Just like with good reviews, you don’t want to sit on a bad review for too long, since the last thing a frustrated customer will want to feel is like they’re being ignored.
Always reflect and see if the problem was avoidable and make any changes if you need to. If the complaint wasn’t valid, then respond and let it go. There’s always going to be people who’re never happy with your services, so don’t waste your energy on them. Focus on problems that you can actually change.
Want to learn more about Google Business Profile and how it can level up your online marketing? Check out 20Degrees Media’s first-ever online marketing workshop that’ll go over everything you need to know about GBP! Click here for more information.