Your ‘Google My Business’ listing is one of the most valuable business assets.
The Google business profile is where many begin their customer journey. It introduces your brand and business to local markets. It’s what convinces and converts interested parties to stop by or visit your site.
Reviews are critical for improving the visibility of ‘Google My Business’ listings.
Are you trying to figure out how to ask for Google reviews? Well, keep reading! This guide shares the best ways to engage individuals, get feedback, and bolster your GMB!
Educate Fans and Customers
You can’t expect reviews if:
- People don’t know you have a GMB
- People don’t know how to leave reviews
Look through your owned assets and think about how you could incorporate a “review us” call-out. Try them in spots like your website, email, and printed assets. These are great for building GMB awareness and educating individuals about it!
Reach Out During Touchpoints
One of the best ways how to get good reviews is by striking when things are hot!
Connect with individuals during touchpoints like:
- After a favorable service and/or experience
- When they receive the product or service completion
- Reaching a point in their customer lifecycle
These moments are when your brand is most favorable to the person. It’s the perfect time to ask for a review since they’re having a great, memorable experience. This then reflects in their choice of words — creating quite an impactful review for your GMB!
Be Responsive and Open
The review platform of Google My Business is a great place to engage people. Doing so in a transparent way invites more people to interact since their words matter. In some ways, your GMB becomes an open forum.
Be responsive:
- Respond to online reviews (quickly)
- Thank and reiterate highlights in your responses
Be open:
- Accept the bad reviews as you do the good
- Own up to mistakes and share how it’ll get fixed
The concepts are no different than going above and beyond for your fans and customers. Provide exceptional feedback through these channels and the reviews will come pouring in.
Don’t Buy Reviews
You may feel compelled to use an online service that buys online reviews from fake customers.
Don’t do this.
Google is very specific about what you can and cannot do to get reviews. Buying reviews are a no-no. Doing so could see your GMB (and other Google properties) removed.
De-platforming from listings is one of many setbacks from bought reviews, too. Users can spot fake reviews with ease and this associates a bad image to your brand. In some instances, purchasing reviews resulted in major fines from the FTC.
Get whatever thought you had about “boosting” reviews out of your head.
How to Ask for Google Reviews (The Smart Way)
The easy answer to “how to ask for Google reviews” is simply… just ask.
Now, if you want a smart way to automate this process and amplify its effects then, well, let’s talk.
Our platform, Arrivala, offers one of the easiest ways to collect reviews. Through automated emails, text messages, and other best practices, we can help drive a non-stop stream of reviews to your business.
Want to try out our awesome review collection platform? Sign up today!