by Corey Hinde
Part of our “system” for helping your business dominate locally on Google, is getting Google Reviews.
These are very important – partially for helping your Google Business Profile rank higher, and also then to help convert “browsers” into “customers”.
As a client of ours, working on Google Reviews is a condition of us accepting you as a client!
That’s how important this is.
We have a 4 part process here, and we like all clients to embrace / use at least 2 of them, on a consistent basis.
1️⃣ Get a QR Code
Long story short – this is a QR code that when scanned, will take your phone directly to the “leave a Google Review” section of the Google Business Profile.
For existing clients, we’ll create this for you.
Here is the article / step by step guide for creating a QR code that links directly to the Google Business Profile: http://goodoil.marketing/blog/how-to-get-a-qr-code-for-google-business-profile-get-google-reviews-easily/
We like clients with an actual premises to do something like this:
If you are a service business that visits customers, then we recommend you either:
- Print out a card with the QR code, and ask clients if they’d be prepared to leave a Google Review, and have them scan your code on the spot.
- Save the QR code as an image on your phone and have customers scan it. We’d rather you try the first option, but have seen clients also use this option very successfully.
2️⃣ Email Signature Block
We use email so much, it makes sense to leverage it for Google Reviews.
Optimising your signature block is easy, and effective.
For example:
“John Smith | Mechanic
I’d love a Google Review“
As people already know most of your details, the signature block doesn’t need most of the details anymore.
The “I’d love a Google Review” becomes a link directly to your Google Review link from your Google Business Profile (see image below)
You can grab that link above and use it anywhere you like for getting Google Reviews.
Here is an old Email signature block that I was using for a while – it got me several Google Reviews:
You can use the link as seen above, or create a short / pretty link using something like Bitly – its up to you.
3️⃣ Service Improvement Emails or 2 phase feedback emails.
These are emails that we use, our clients use, and plenty of our social media followers now use as well… because they work.
The “Service Improvement Email” looks like this:
Dear {John},
We are really keen to improve our service, and would love your input since we value your opinion.
When we helped you recently, is there anyway you think we could have done a better job? We’d love to hear it, we genuinely want to become the best at our game, and value all feedback good or bad.
If you think we were just wonderful and you were happy, would you mind leaving us a Google Review? Link HERE.
By the way, here is a small token of our appreciation – a 25% off voucher for your next purchase,
Regards,
Obviously you’ll tailor that to your needs, but you get the idea. Its about reaching out, asking for feedback, and also slipping in a small ask of a Google Review.
These emails can also be a great way to improve your business with any other feedback you get, and get business referrals as well.
The 2 phase feedback email is slightly different.
Email #1 is a straight out “how did we do” email. Nice and short.
If you do get a good reply back, you then reply to that and ask if they’d mind documenting that in a Google Review as it helps your business a lot.
Most people who reply to email #1, then proceed and leave a review.
4️⃣ Get a Google Review widget on your Website.
If you Google “Google Review Widget” you’ll find plenty of these.
In short – they’ll sit on your website, showcasing your reviews (a great way to use social proof to help you get more customers), as well as giving people an easy button to push to leave a review as well.
We have used and recommended the “Elfsight” option – find it here.
It’s very good.
For clients, we are happy to help you install this too. For non-clients, you’ll have to get this done either yourself or with help from your developer.
🚀 Summary Points:
👉 Google Reviews are crucial to success – they help your business rank higher on Google AND they help convert “browsers” into “customers”.
👉 You need to be systematic about getting Google Reviews, you cannot leave it to chance.
👉 Please use at least 2 of these methods mentioned, OR design your own methods. Doing nothing is not an option for our clients.