Why Are New Reviews Helpful For My Business' Reputation Management?

Customer Reviews to Improve My Business Reputation Management

Let’s start from the top. How do reviews help businesses in general? In short, reviews benefit both customers and businesses.

They give customers a voice and an opportunity to provide companies with feedback about their experience, and it gives businesses insight into ways they can address their shortcomings and improve their customer service and products.

And above all, reviews (especially good ones) are important—a recent survey revealed 98% of customers say they check out reviews before doing business with a company.

Reasons New Reviews are Helpful for Business Reputation Management

Now, what about new reviews for businesses? How do they benefit your company? Below are a few ways more recent reviews can help your business.

New Reviews Improve SEO Efforts

Reviews are one of the many factors that influence how Google ranks your business. When your business receives reviews, it signals to Google that your business is current and active and has authority, too.

Google also looks at the frequency and recency of these reviews, so as long as you’re consistently receiving reviews, your business should continue to rank favorably. Of course, ranking high is crucial because it helps increase visibility and get more eyes on your business.

It’s also important to note that Google rewards businesses that reply to their reviews. This suggests it’s a good strategy to respond to all your reviews—good and bad—to help improve your SEO rankings.

New Reviews Boost Your Reputation

Remember, your reputation precedes you, meaning customers will make assumptions about your brand based on your reviews before they even do business with you. That’s why it’s important to have recent reviews about your company.

New reviews prove that other customers have recently interacted with or purchased from your company, giving potential customers new insights into your business. This is especially helpful if your business has made recent improvements, as your new reviews can reflect those changes, helping to boost your reputation further.

New Reviews Enhance Customer Relationships

Every new review allows you to create a connection and build a relationship with a customer. Even if you’re responding to a negative review, it’s a chance to remedy the situation and regain their trust. These interactions help enhance your customer relationships while also increasing customer loyalty.

New Reviews Show That Your Business Listens

Your business has evolved, and your latest reviews should reflect that change. For example, you may have stopped selling an unpopular product due to negative reviews or expanded your space to accommodate inquiries about providing more room for your customers.

New reviews can help show your customers that you’ve listened to their feedback and adjusted to accommodate them.

How to Manage Business Reviews

If you already have reviews rolling in left and right, then it’s time to focus on business review management.

Monitor Incoming Reviews

A business review left three months ago shouldn’t surprise your business today. As part of your review management strategy, you should actively monitor every review that comes in so that you can respond promptly.

After all, how would it look to your customers if you were sitting on reviews for months? For starters, it could seem like your business ignores its customers, is uninterested in responding to their feedback, or is simply lazy—all of which are not good impressions!

Respond to Everything

Now, regarding business reputation management, this tip is crucial: Respond to every review, even if it’s negative.

Replying to reviews lets you interact with the customers, whether that’s thanking them for their positive feedback or addressing ways to improve their experience with your brand. Starting conversations with happy and disgruntled customers makes them feel heard and helps build trust in your brand.

Moreover, because these conversations are public, other customers can see how you positively interact with your customers, making them more inclined to do business with your brand.

Encourage New Reviews

Encouraging new reviews is another important piece of business review management. You now understand the importance of new reviews, so let’s explore ways you can request ones from your customers.

How to Encourage New Reviews for Your Business

So, how do you attract new reviews? The following are just a few strategies you can use to encourage your customers to provide you with feedback:

SMS Messages

Create a personalized SMS message requesting a review. For example, you could elicit a customer restaurant review with an SMS that says, “(True Pizza) Bonnie, we hope you enjoyed dining with us at True Pizza! We’d love to hear about your recent experience. (link)”

Emails

Similarly, you could email your customer following a recent purchase or interaction with your brand. For instance, the subject line of your message might say, “How’d we do?” or, “We’d love to hear from you!” Then, within the email, you could write a short message requesting a review and providing the appropriate links to your review pages.

QR Codes

Another option is to design a QR code that goes straight to your review page when your customer scans it. You could include this QR code on your products’ tags, the customers’ receipts, or even SMS messages.

Learn More About EZ Texting

Whether using SMS messages to improve your review scores or increase your brand visibility, EZ Texting can help you reach your business goals. Contact us today to learn more about employing an SMS strategy that benefits your business.