Reviews and Reputation Marketing

Its always helpful to get the data.  Lots of us think we know what prospects do to find our businesses but getting real data on it ends all debate.

Mike Blumenthal recently conducted a survey (the results are available here) looking at how a consumer might choose a specialty lawyer.  Although the results are specific to that industry, the data is useful for many local service businesses.

It turns out your potential customers take multiple paths to reach your door.  Some ask their friends for a suggestion; some ask a professional in a related field; some search online.  Asking for referrals/suggestions is as old as recorded history.  In a recent survey, Customer Lobby members estimated that 40-50% of new customers came from referrals.

But what about the other half?  What do they do first when they need a [insert your industry here]?  Not surprisingly, they search online.  But what do they look for?

#1 – They read your reviews

46% look for and read reviews about your business as a first step.  Even if they started with a Google search, 40% of them will first seek reviews from around the web and 60% will seek Google reviews first.  Reviews are now “table stakes” for a local business.

Your prospects are often finding your reviews through a branded search (i.e. typing you your company name and “reviews” into a search bar).  We track the keywords that searchers use to find Customer Lobby reviews pages and, by far, the most common search terms are “[insert company name] reviews” and “[insert industry name] reviews”.

#2 – They go to your website

30% of prospects first go to your website.  If your website is their first stop, its a good bet that your reviews will be their second stop.  This is a great opportunity to provide them a link to your best review content.  Check out the reviews widget in the column on the right side of this page as an example.

Regardless of how they get there, building your review asset is now as (more?) important than any other digital asset you have.

Need help?  Get started with a free reviews account!

It is the start of a new year and that means bloggers of every conceivable topic are publishing year-in-review roundups. Which is a good thing, because year-end recaps can be especially useful reference guides. The good ones are worthy of bookmarking.

To mix things up a bit, I have decided to post a roundup of contributions related to local search marketing by blogger and their respective areas of expertise:

1. Mike Blumenthal on Google+ Local

2012 saw big changes occur in Google Local, and no one tracked the developments more comprehensively or thoughtfully than Mike Blumenthal. The transition from Google Place Pages to Google+ Local pages was the most significant development, and to be precise, this was not one lone development.

The transition had consequences that ranged from local search optimization to reviews. More than any other single blogger, Mike was on top of each development, offering tips that included merging listings with Google+ business pages and new restrictions with Google reviews.

2. David Mihm’s Local SEO Ranking Factors

David Mihm’s annual survey on local search ranking factors draws from the collective experience of dozens of top SEO experts, and it is widely regarded as the definitive resource on the subject. In Volume 5, Mihm breaks down the survey data into a digestible format that includes five overarching ranking signals: Place Page Criteria, Off-Place Page/Off-Site Criteria, Website Criteria, Review Criteria, and Social/Mobile Criteria.

It is interesting to note that the survey looks at 14 separate ranking signals related to customer reviews, including “Quantity of Third-Party Traditional Reviews” and “Product/Service Keywords in Reviews.”

3. Greg Sterling on the Rise of Mobile

Greg Sterling covers a lot more than just trends in mobile. Greg heads up a research firm he describes as focused on “the Internet’s influence on offline consumer purchase behavior” and he is a contributing editor at Search Engine Land.

Whether on Search Engine Land or his own blog, Screenwerk, Greg is an authority with regard to local search as well as trends in mobile search. His breakdown of YP’s end-of-the-year report on local search data is a good place to start: YP: 30 Percent Of Search Queries Now Coming From Mobile

4. Andrew Shotland on Apple Maps

One of the big stories from 2012 was Apple’s release of it’s own maps product. The release was met with widespread criticism as the app was beset with bugs and flaws. However, Apple’s foray into Local search is important as many searches are now conducted on mobile devices like the iphone. In recognition of the lack of coverage on Apple maps, and the glut of coverage on Google maps, Andrew Shotland started a new blog: Apple Maps Marketing

When apple dropped Google Maps from their latest IOS, Apple Maps naturally garnered much more attention. After all, there was a void. Now that Google has new Maps app for IOS, some question the need to follow developments on Apple Maps. To which Andrew Shotland correctly reminds us: “businesses should at a minimum make sure their presence on Apple Maps is what they want it to be.”

It feels like almost every week, there is some new marketing tool that local businesses “should” use to get new customers.  Assuming that you can’t do everything, its helpful to know  the 2-3 best ways of getting new customers.

Using Google Surveys, Mike Blumenthal recently ran a survey (the results are available here) looking at how a consumer might choose a specialty lawyer.  Although the results are specific to that industry, they point to conclusions that are applicable for many local service businesses.

Web Presence

Maybe the most interesting part of this survey came in response to the question #2: what is most important when searching on the internet?  Google reviews? Nope.  Yelp reviews? No.  Company website? Not that.  Facebook endorsements?  Guess again.  The winner was…

“Information about them elsewhere on the internet.”

Said another way, Web Presence.

How do you know what your current web presence looks like?  Simply type your company name into Google and check out the 10 results on page 1.  That is the #1 thing your prospects are looking for.  Here is an article on how to build your web presence.

We hope you get the best presence ever!  Happy Holidays!

Internet marketers are big proponents of blogging for the SEO benefits. A well-executed blogging strategy can help a business rank well for searches that match keywords strategically-placed in a blog post’s title, headings, and within the the body.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that the web pages being optimized are the respective blog posts themselves, so it won’t suffice to write a bunch of keyword-rich gibberish. That is not really the first impression you would want to make on a prospective customer.

The content of the blog matters. For industries that require a greater need for trust, such as auto repair, legal and home services, a blog can be an effective means for providing prospective customers with a more personal introduction to the person with whom they will be doing business.

A blog then serves as a key point of differentiation from competitors, because the more a prospective client knows about the technician, attorney, or contractor they aim to hire, the more trust is engendered. Here are a few tips for personalizing blog posts:

1. Be a Person

Even if you are not the technician or representative who will be interfacing directly with the customer, as blog author, you are serving as the ambassador of your brand. Your perspective on quality and service are expected to be the standard that guides the entire company. As much as possible, get out from behind the logo, and show a real person. Make it clear who is authoring the blog. And to that end, a photo of the author goes a long way.

2. Google Authorship

Take adding a photo to your blog one step further with Google Authorship. Google will now allow blog authors to mark up their blog posts in a way that link the content to their Google account or Google+ Page. This will cause the profile photo of the blog author to appear with search engine results for each blog post. See here:

3. Content Strategy

Possibly the most overlooked value of a blog post is conversion. While, it is not an exact science, the more your prospects know you, the more likely they will be to select you over an anonymous competitor. This may not be true for all industries, but imagine you are hiring a contractor to do extensive work in your home.

Three qualities you should strive to express in each blog post are your passion for the subject, your expertise, and also your general likability — be the kind of guy your prospects can be comfortable working with. We have already established that you can attach your image to the content with Google Authorship, now it is time to associate these qualities to your image.

4. Be Natural

So, think of the qualities you seek to convey, and express them honestly and naturally. I know a lot of small business owners are reluctant to get started with blogging because they do not think the have the skills to produce polished marketing copy. But, that the whole idea. No one wants to read that. You are writing the blog to overcome trust hurtles, so it is imperative that the content is from you.

There are many ways that customer reviews generate a return on investment (ROI) for businesses including:

• Higher prospect-to-customer conversion rates,
• Enhanced search engine optimization  and
• Greater trust by prospects.

So how should a business determine the ROI of asking for reviews as compared to simply waiting for them?

Asking for Reviews = Increased Revenue

I have blogged about the impact of asking for reviews as compared to waiting for them.   Simply put, asking for reviews stimulates the “happy silent majority” of your customers to write reviews and results in higher ratings.  How much higher?  Start a free trial with us and find out the impact for your business.

A recent study conducted by a professor at Harvard Business School found that higher review ratings directly translate to increased revenue.  Specifically, the study demonstrated that a one-star increase in review rating lead to a 5-9% increase in revenue.

Calculate your ROI

To calculate your ROI, first determine the cost of the investment.  In this case, the investment includes both the cost of generating the reviews (review management service, review monitoring, etc.) plus the cost of the managers time to manage and monitor the reviews.

The next step is to estimate the gain from the investment.  Using the Harvard Business School study, gains can be estimated based on the annual revenue of the local business:

At last check, roughly 66% of search is conducted through Google. Understandably, search engine optimization has come to mean Google optimization for many business owners. But if a third of your prospective customers are not using Google, it’s worth taking a serious look at the number two search engine – Bing.

Bing Local

Local businesses should first become acquainted with Bing Local. For most, Bing Local will look pretty familiar. Just as local businesses that index in Google Maps have Google+ Local Pages – formerly known as Google Place Pages – Bing has its equivalent. Most businesses with a physical address will find that they already have a Bing Local listing, which can be claimed through the Bing Business Portal.

Upon claiming your listing, the action steps for search optimization are, again, very similar to Google+ Local. Recommended steps include filling out the profile to completion; adding photos; ensuring name, address, and phone number are accurate; and building citations. For a more comprehensive breakdown of these action steps, check out this helpful introduction to Bing Local Optimization.

Bing Reviews

The first thing you need to know about Bing reviews is that there is no such thing. Instead of hosting their own reviews like Google+ Local, Bing Local listings display review snippets and ratings pulled from third-party review sites. While Bing’s partnership with Yelp! has been widely publicized, Bing Local listings also draw reviews content from Citysearch.

Bing Local listing with Citysearch reviews:

Bing Mobile App

Local Search is increasingly being conducted on mobile devices. Fresh from last week’s Local Social Summit, BrightLocal.com CEO Myles Anderson had two interesting pieces of data to share on the subject:

• Mobile Internet usage to surpass desktop Internet usage in 2014
• 50% of smartphone users have used a local app

While it is anyone’s guess what the shift toward mobile search means for Google’s dominance in the long run, Apple’s latest iteration of their iphone operating system, ios6, does not support the Google Maps app. In its place, Apple trotted out its own competing maps app, to which the response has been resoundingly negative. With no Google Maps app and Apple’s own product struggling, Bing’s iphone app presents a compelling alternative.

In recognition of the void left by Apple and Google, tech experts have taken a closer look at the Bing iphone app as a viable alternative. Geeksugar.com, for example, published an article detailing six features that make Bing standout in the maps race. In fact, Apple themselves endorsed the Bing app as an alternative in their public apology letter. A move that is credited with precipitating an uptick in interest in the Bing iphone app.

Aside from optimizing for search in the second most popular search engine, Bing Local optimization also bears the potential to leverage mobile search. As you can see below, reviews make Bing Local listings more competitive in app searches as well.

A local business listing in the Bing iphone app:

Do you feel like it is hard to get Google reviews?  You are not alone.  Hundreds of thousands of local businesses would like to get more Google reviews but find it hard to do so.

Here are 3 reasons why Google reviews are tough to get:

Privacy

With Google’s recent change to Google+Local, one of the new review policies that was rolled out is a requirement for reviewers to disclose their first and last names publicly.  In addition, reviewers must create a Google+ personal profile prior to writing a review.  The review then links back to their personal Google+ profile.

We have talked to a lot of potential reviewers who want anonymity.  Disclosing their first and last name scares some people away from writing a review.

Aggressive Filter

A couple of months ago, Google began using an aggressive new review filter in an attempt to reduce the amount of fake reviews that were showing up.  The downside of this new filter is that it is also eliminating lots of valid reviews.  A quick look in the Google Groups finds hundreds of complaints on multiple threads.

Not How Customers Want to Communicate

By and large, your customer wants to communicate with you via email, on the phone or on Facebook…not on Google+.

 What to do?

Ask for reviews.  Ask for reviews.  Ask for reviews.  At some level, you can win by simply treating the problem as a numbers game.

Want a more elegant solution?  Use Customer Lobby and enable our Smart Invite function!

Drawing from the collective experience of the Customer Lobby Member Services team, I came up with a short list of frequently-mentioned factors in positive customer reviews.  

It bears repeating that high quality work and top-notch customer service remain the best means for ensuring positive customer reviews, but that’s too general to be actionable. Here are 3 points that customers of home service businesses commonly cite in their positive reviews:

1. Clean Up

If you perform home service work, such as electrical, plumbing or audio/video installation, chances are your customers are not going to know how to describe the work you performed in great detail. They will however take a mental note of you covering your shoes with plastic booties before walking on their carpet.

The effort you make to clean after yourself and prevent a mess in the first place will pay dividends when it is time for your client to write a review because it makes an impression. The average layperson is not likely to have the technical vocabulary to describe your work. They will remember your conscientiousness. This is the low-hanging fruit of affinity building.

2. Deliver on Expectations

“They did what they said they would do” is among the most frequently written sentiments we have encountered. Setting appropriate expectations is essential to ensuring a good customer experience, but it is just as important connect the dots for your clients. Make sure that the customer sees how you followed through by explaining your process.

If you quote a price upfront and the client later changes the scope of the project, make sure you communicate the cost increases in terms of the added work and value. Even if this does not always inspire a positive review, it will definitely help mitigate bad reviews.

3. Call When Running Late

If “they did what they said they would do” is the most uttered sentiment, “they were on time” is a very close second. Showing up on time is too obvious to be an action step. After all, you’re supposed to arrive on time.  What’s less obvious is the positive sentiment you engender when you call to notify your customer that you may be late.

Again, your customers are not always capable to describing the work you perform. When it’s time for them to write a review, they are going to think back to their experience interfacing with the receptionist who did the scheduling, the technicians who explained their work thoroughly, and the rep who quoted them an estimate. Besides taking extra care to clean up, these touch-points are your best opportunity to ensure positive review content.

Each of these 3 topic areas build on each other.  To begin building your web presence without setting up the basics covered in the How to Get Started is a waste of time and money.  Start with the first step and only move on when it is completed.

How to research your (or your competitors) web presence

Its easy to know what your current web presence is:  simply Google your company name and notice the results for the first few pages.  For extra credit, Google your company name and add your city name; then add the word “review”.  Now, try the same exercise for the company in your industry that you most admire.

Examples of your online presence might be found on: your web site, your blog, Facebook, Google+, Google+Local, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Bing Local, Yahoo Local, Citysearch, Superpages, Yelp, YP, Merchant Circle, BBB, YellowBot, industry-specific directories, Craigslist, blog comments, job boards, etc.

Why should a local business care about its web presence?

1. The breadth and depth of your web presence is like a fishing trawler net: the bigger it is more more likely you are to catch prospects swimming by. Would you prefer a big net or small net?
2. Google cares… a lot.  Search engines have continued to evolve the factors they use to determine search ranking.  Increasingly, content about your business drives search ranking.   The more established, current and consistent your web presence is, the higher your ranking is likely to be.

Claim major directory listings

Claim your business listings on major directories including Google, Bing, Yelp, Yahoo, Citysearch and YP.  The process for claiming your listing on all of these sites is similar.  To get started, go to each of these sites and look up your business; you will typically see an option to “claim your listing” if you have not already done so.  Depending on the directory, they may send you a post card with a unique PIN number that you will use to verify that the business is yours.

A few do’s and don’ts:

• Use the EXACT name, address and phone number you listed on your website and  used in the 4th step of part 1.  Exact means exact.  Punctuation, abbreviations  spelling, everything.   I am not just being a geek here.  This matters.
• Fill out each profile as much as you can.  Add photos (this is a big one!!).  Link to your social accounts.  Add hours of operation, payments accepted and any other helpful information allowed.
• Control the email address used to claim the accounts.  We have heard of some very unfortunate cases of businesses being held hostage to someone with access to key accounts.

Create social accounts

Create at least 3 social accounts for your business:  Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.   Pay attention to them and add content to your Facebook and Twitter accounts at least 2x per month (by the way, Customer Lobby will do this automatically for you!).  Depending on your business, you may also want to consider Instagram or Pinterest.  At this point, most businesses have already bought into the idea of creating social accounts but they don’t feel like they are getting a ROI out of it.  Lots has been written about it.  The simple truth is that if you use it, you will generate new and repeat customers from it.  If you are not sure how, leave a comment below with your web site address and I can comment back on it.

Build reviews

There is a ton of research validating how important customer reviews are to search ranking and customer decision making.  As that research demonstrates, reviews are most impactful when they are on multiple 3rd party web sites like:  Google, Customer Lobby, Yelp, Citysearch, Bing, etc.

The problems with reviews have been well documented:  Google reviews have been buggy and often simply do not work.  Yelp has been accused of extortion and being a bad investment.  Angie’s List keeps its reviews behind a pay-wall and has been accused of being a pyramid scheme.   Regardless, reviews matter and finding ways to help your customers talk about their experience with you is critical.

This is what we do.  We would be happy to help. 

Look for other ways to spread your message

There are an infinite number of ways to spread your message online.  A couple of examples:

• YouTube videos can be used to get more customers.  Its easy and inexpensive to record a video using a smart phone and upload it.
• Craigslist is a great marketing tool for lots of industries.

Set up Google Alerts to be alerted when ever one of your competitors or other savvy marketers in your local area posts something new online and you will learn what works for them by seeing what they continue to use.  While you are at it, set up some Google Alerts on your own company name so you will see when new reviews or articles are published about your business.

What other ideas have you used?

The buying process for local businesses now entails a research component that too often gets overlooked. Researching online to buy offline, or ROBO, has been written about a lot in the past couple of years, but the role customer reviews play in organic search results remains under-emphasized.

Local business owners I speak with commit a large percentage of their online advertising budget to search rank, but leveraging for consumer behavior in this new context means it is not enough to get found. Just because a prospective customer lands on your website does not mean they are done shopping.

After poring over the analytics from a random sampling of Customer Lobby members, we found that more than half of the reviews pages received the majority of their referral traffic from Google organic. That corroborates what should seem like common sense: Consumers seek out reviews on Google.

Branded Searches

When a prospective customer searches a company name in Google, they are already pretty far along in their buying process and they are typically looking for reviews, particularly bad reviews. Consider this a reference check.  Google has empowered consumers to dig into a business’s reputation, and they will often do so by merely googling the company name.

With branded searches, it is important to be mindful of the fact that the company name is often just the start. Consumers have learned how to narrow down search results to find the information they need. They do so by augmenting their searches with keywords related to location and the word “reviews.”

Local business owners should google their company names regularly to see what comes up. They would also be wise to add location keywords and just the word “reviews.”

Page One

What does your business look like at a glance? When you search for any local business online, inevitably you will see reviews scores and ratings presented on the results page. Virtually every directory with your business listing includes either reviews or ratings. Google often privileges these search results because they bear user-generated content.

Even before drilling down into the review content, a quick visual impression of your business exists because search results of sites with reviews stand out from the back. Most reviews sites now index in Google with rich snippets — usually stars and some sort of rating score.

These search results yield a 2.5 times higher click-through rate because they stand out, and combined together on a Google search engine results page, they provide a visual representation of a business’s reputation.

Example: “Jon Wayne Air Reviews”