Page 24 - Australasian Paint & Panel Nov-Dec 2019

DIGITAL MARKETING
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PAINT&PANEL NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2019
HOW TO GET
G
MORE REVIEWS
TAYLOR CUTLER FROM PODIUM EATS, LIVES AND BREATHES ONLINE REVIEWS.
ETTING MORE REVIEWS CAN
deliver a lot of bang for your buck. They will give your local SEO (search engine optimisa- tion) a boost, increase trust and con- fidence in your business, and provide you with actionable insights needed to improve your operations. Unfortunately, despite how much value reviews deliver, many businesses aren’t maximising the potential
of their online reputation.
Even if you recognize the value of online
reviews, it might seem difficult to get the ball rolling. How do you convince your customers to leave a review?
The answer is much easier than you think – especially if you follow the five quick steps to help you get more reviews outlined below.
INCENTIVISE YOUR
EMPLOYEES
It’s human nature for your employees to resist change. This is especially true when that change forces them out of their com- fort zone. Asking customers to leave a re- view might even make some of your em- ployees uncomfortable, so what can you do to grease the wheels and motivate them to send review invitations?
It’s no secret that money is a huge moti- vator. If you have the budget available, you should set some aside for bonuses for em- ployees who buy into the program. At Po- dium, we suggest that you base your incen- tive on some or all of the following activities: Review invitations sent; reco mendations received; number of re-
views mentioning the employee
INVITATION TIMING
The timing of the online review invitation is one of the most impor-
tant factors that determine whether or not your customer leaves an online re- view. There isn’t a right time that is going to work for every business, but we recommend looking for an oppor- tunity to send the invitation before they leave your premises. For exam- ple, for panel shops, the optimal time might be right after the vehicle is re- paired but before they leave your shop. Your customer is more likely to re- spond to your invitation if the experi-
ence is still top of mind.
CUSTOMERS FOUNDATIONS
Businesses that have the most suc- cessful online review programs have
built the "ask" into multiple steps of the sales process. If necessary, pro- vide your employees with scripts
of ways they can ask your custom- ers to leave a review.
When asking the customer, your em- ployees should let them know, when they will receive the invite; how they will receive it (text, email, etc.), and why it’s important for them to respond
For example, when the time is right your employee could say, “Thank you so much for your business. Customer feed- back is very important to us. Would it be alright if I sent you a text message right now with a link that makes it easy to leave a review? We would really appreci- ate it.” Operationalising the ask will make it part of your employees’ daily routine, and over time asking customers
reviews will become second nature.
SITE TARGETING
Not all review sites are created equal. Sites that are appropriate for a panel shop in Victoria might not work for a shop in Queensland. That’s why
it’s important to conduct research and find the right review sites for your busi- ness. Google and Facebook are a safe bet for most businesses because they are the most popular and the vast ma- jority of your customers will already have accounts there. Google reviews also have a significant impact on local search results so giving priority to Google can directly impact inbound traffic to your shop.
You should also seek out industry- specific and region-specific sites that your customers will find valuable. Hav- ing a balanced portfolio across a num- ber of review sites will give your busi- ness more credibility with searchers as
well as with search engines.
REVIEW MANAGEMENT
If you’re keeping track of your on- line reputation using a spreadsheet, you’re doing it wrong. Review manage- ment software will streamline the man- agement of your online reputation and help you improve the quality of your
online presence.
In the past, your customers may have
been hesitant to leave a review because the process was long and arduous. A good online review management plat- form will create a frictionless process that makes it easy for both your em- ployees to send invitations and for cus- tomers to leave reviews.
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Taylor Cutler is the Director of Marketing ANZ at Podium. Podium is a rich communication platform for local businesses. It’s the simplest way to collect reviews, get found online, and talk to customers in realtime through text. Visit Podium.com to learn more.