Tips for Using Google Reviews to Market Your Brand

What is the first thing you do when you are thinking about purchasing a product or service? You search for it on Google to find out more details. What is the second thing? You check out the reviews and ratings by other customers to learn about their experience.

According to the latest data, 28% of local searches for products or services "near me" or "nearby" led to direct purchases, whereas 72% of local searches result in the user visiting the physical store. These statistics show the importance of ranking high on search engine results.

Google reviews make a significant contribution to boosting your ranking in local searches. Furthermore, these reviews are also an effective way of promoting your brand. Have a look at the following effective ways of marketing your brand through customer reviews:

Add the Reviews on Your Website and Email

The importance of Google reviews for local businesses can’t be denied. To take full advantage of the positive reviews and ratings you have been receiving, you need to proudly display them on your website and share them in your promotional emails.

Many potential buyers make their final decision after going through the reviews of a product or service. Make it easier for them by adding those glowing reviews on your website, especially the ones that show the name and picture of the reviewer. However, be sure to get the permission of the reviewer before you display their picture and name on your website or in your emails.

Aside from enhancing the credibility of your website, these reviews will also answer the concerns and questions of potential customers and motivate them to make a purchase.

When sending promotional emails to your subscribers, be sure to add valuable content or else your emails will only end up in their junk folder or trash.

Reply to both Negative and Positive Reviews Promptly

Responding to the reviews you receive helps to create a good image of your business. It shows that you truly care about what your customers think about you. This certainly doesn’t mean that you should only focus on the positive reviews and neglect the negative ones or vice versa.

Publicly appreciating your happy clients for taking the time out to give you a review helps strengthen your relationship with them and make them feel valued. Similarly, apologizing to unsatisfied customers and assuring them that you will take appropriate actions shows that you are focused on providing the best possible customer service and are willing to rectify any mistake or misunderstanding.

This increases customers’ trust in your business and builds a positive image of your brand. Moreover, this also helps portray your business as authoritative and trustworthy in the eyes of Google. As a result, your rankings might improve.

Provide Easy Access for Your Customers

The chances of your customers reviewing your business increase when you give them easier access. The more time-consuming the process of leaving a review is, the most likely your customers will avoid doing it.

Therefore, keep it short and simple. If you want them to fill in a form, email them a direct link. Make sure the link loads quickly and that the form includes a minimum number of questions. If possible, make it a bit fun for them by asking questions in a humorous way or making it easy for them by offering multiple choices that they can quickly select.

Collaborate with Influencers and Top Reviewers

It can get difficult to regularly publish new informative content, while also promoting your brand. Why not take the assistance of your loyal customers and top reviewers? Your satisfied customers will be happy to promote your brand even without any incentive. However, you can encourage them further by offering them some discounts, free products, and special promotions.

You can further collaborate with influencers on social media by sending them free products in exchange for honest reviews. This will not just increase your Google reviews, but you will also benefit from word-of-mouth marketing.

Regularly Track Your Reviews

The best way of keeping track of all the reviews is to create an official account of your brand on different popular review sites, including Yelp, Quora, and Trust Pilot. This provides your potential customers a chance to determine what your existing customers think about your brand.

When you have an account on these review sites, it makes your business appear professional and trustworthy. Make sure you include your contact information accurately – must be same as the information you added in your Google My Business listing.

Moreover, be sure to prominently place your logo so it is easy to spot. Best of all, Google assesses all these reviews from different review platforms to determine the credibility of a business. Those reviews are also displayed when your potential customers look you up.

Boost on Social Media Platforms

Another effective way of marketing your brand is to share your reviews on social media platforms. You can also encourage your customers to give your brand a rating and reviews on your official profiles. When an existing customer with a Facebook profile writes a positive review on your official Facebook page, it enhances the credibility of the review since other users can clearly see that the reviewer is an actual person.

You can also share customer reviews from other review websites on your social media pages as well. Better yet, create a video sharing those reviews to make it more interesting and engaging.

A business telling its target audience how great they are is not as effective as hearing it from other customers. If you haven’t been using Google reviews for your promotional and marketing strategy, then now is the time to get started. Be sure to strategically use those reviews to establish your brand image. You will surely start seeing results in no time!