How to get online reviews
We all know that online reviews are critical for getting ranked on the Google Map and for conversion but how can we get them? The best way to get online reviews on the public online sites is to have a system or process for getting them from our real customers in our true service area.
One of the keys to ranking well on the Google Map is having online reviews. You need real reviews from your real customers in your true service area. 
How can you get reviews? What kind of process will you need to actually get reviews from your real customers in your real service area?
Here's the strategy that we advocate:
Have some review cards printed up (a sample is referenced later in this post). Just a simple document with your company logo, and a short and sweet thank you note.
"Thanks so much for your business. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you. We'd love it if you would write us a review." Then give them a link to a page on your website where they can write you a review. You will want to do some homework on the front end. Be sure you have a page on your website that is clearly meant for reviews: yourcompany.com/reviews.
On that page you'll have links to the various places where people can write your reviews.
You'll want to have a link to your Google map listing, Yahoo local listing, Angie's List listing, City Search listing and any others that you may have. The reason you want to really have a variety of places where people can write those reviews is twofold. Yes, you want to have a lot of reviews on the Google map. But, Google is also looking at the reviews that you have on other websites like Yelp and Angie's List. They're looking at the reviews that you have on Yellow Pages and on Insider pages and on Kudzu. You need to diversify where you're getting reviews from your customers. It looks more authentic to have 12 on Google, 17 on YP.com and 13 on Kudzu, than it does if you just have 72 reviews on the Google map. You want to make it easy and you want to give people options.
The other thing you want to bear in mind is that different people use different systems. I am personally a big Google user. If you sent me an email or gave me a card that said, "Please write me a review" and provide me with various options, I'm going to say, "OK, Google." Click Google. Write my review.
Some people, however, don't have Google accounts. They're not active Google users, but they may be really heavily involved in Angie's List or big?time reviewers on Yelp. They're going to have active accounts somewhere. It would be much easier for them to write the reviews where they already have an existing account. The easier and more convenient you make it for people, the better. It's going to bode well in your favor. Like we mentioned, Google is looking at the reviewer profile. If you only give them one option, and that's the Google map, but they happen to be a Yelp user without a Google account, they would have to go out of their way to create an account to write the review. This is not likely to happen. But, let's say they did decide to create an account. That review is not going to count for much because there's no active profile. By providing options, the Yelp user that has a reputation for writing reviews and decides to write one for you is going to make a difference. That review is going to stick as opposed to being filtered. Make it easy for them to choose the one that's going to be easiest for them.
Hand out review request cards
Now let’s get back to the strategy. Phase one, print out review cards. Have your technicians hand them out after a service. "Hey, thanks for your business. I just want to leave this with you. If you'd be willing to write us a review and share your experience, we would really appreciate it." It's great. You're showing appreciation. You're holding yourself accountable because you're asking for feedback. By doing that on a consistent basis, you are likely to catch some fish.
Send an email blast to you past customers & sphere of influence
The next thing you'll want to do, just to get a nice little bump in the number of reviews that you have, is to develop an email list of your circle of influence. Your circle of influence is going to be your most recent customers, the customers that have been using your services for quite some time, your family members, and your friends. People that you know, like, and trust, who would be willing to act on your behalf.
Put together that email list in an Excel sheet. It might be 10 contacts, or it might be 700 contacts. Include , the names and email addresses of these folks. Then, use a tool like Constant Contact or MailChimp or another email marketing tool to send an email blast with the following message:
Email Subject: Thanks for your business!
Name,
I wanted to shoot you a quick email to thank you for your business and let you know how much we appreciate the opportunity to serve you!
Our goal is to provide 100% customer satisfaction and exceed your expectations every step of the way. I certainly hope that we did just that! If so, it would really help us out if you'd be willing to post a review for us online at one of your favorite online review sites. Below are a few direct links where you could write a public review about your experience with us:
• Google - https://plus.google.com/105923821769482824984
• Yelp - http://www.yelp.com/biz/carolina-deck-and-fence-charlotte
• Angie's List - http://www.angieslist.com/companylist/us/nc/charlotte/carolina-deck-and-fence-inc-reviews-336039.htm
Thank you again! We really appreciate your support!
Best Regards,
Luke Chapman
Carolina Deck & Fence
Again, save them the time of having to find the websites on their own by providing some links to the various places to where they can write reviews. By doing sending this email, you're going to create a little bump in your online review profiles. Again, reviews are important. Getting ten reviews on Google Maps is essential. It makes a huge difference in how you rank and it gives you a different perception in the mind of your consumers. You want to get to pass that ten review threshold almost immediately. Doing that helps you get real reviews from real people that have real online profiles.
Send an email request after each service call
You need to have a systematic process in place where you are asking for reviews on a consistent basis from the customers that you are serving on a daily basis. The best way to do that is to request an email address from your customers, either at point of service or after service. We have found that the best time to ask for that email address is at the point of booking the service. If you wait until after the service is rendered your technicians on-site will say “OK, thanks for the money, by the way give me your email address”. They are going to say, "Why do you need my email address?" "Oh, because I want to ask you for a review or..." There is a lot of resistance to it at that point in the sales funnel. However, if you move into the front where somebody calls in and says, "Hey I need to schedule a service, my house is flooded." You can respond, "We can get somebody out there right away. Let me gather your information." This is the perfect time to get the email address. Typically, you get their name, address, and the phone number. Just add one more step at that point and request an email address as well. You can tell them that it is so you can send a confirmation. That's how you start to develop a database of emails. You need an email address so that you can send a message after service thanking them for their business and asking them to write you a review.
The number of reviews that you have from actual customers is going to increase exponentially if you repeat this process regularly. This is how you are going to start to really dominate the Google Map, because reviews and citations work in harmony for ranking.
Here is a Sample Review Request Card
Have your technicians hand these out after each service call.
Sample Review Request eMail
Put a system in place to send email like this after each service call.
Name,
I wanted to shoot you a quick email to thank you for your business and let you know how much we appreciate the opportunity to serve you!
Our goal is to provide 100% customer satisfaction and exceed your expectations every step of the way. I certainly hope that we did just that! If so, it would really help us out if you'd be willing to post a review for us online at one of your favorite online review sites. Below are a few direct links where you could write a public review about your experience with us:
• Google - https://plus.google.com/105923821769482824984
• Yelp - http://www.yelp.com/biz/carolina-deck-and-fence-charlotte
• Angie's List - http://www.angieslist.com/companylist/us/nc/charlotte/carolina-deck-and-fence-inc-reviews-336039.htm
Thank you again! We really appreciate your support!
Best Regards,
Luke Chapman
Carolina Deck & Fence
Sample ‘Review Us’ landing page for your website
You want to direct your customers to a page like this. Making it easy for them to write reviews on your various online review listings.
If you follow these steps to properly claim your Google Map listing, develop your authority via citation development and put a systematic process in place to get real reviews from your real customers in your true service area, you will be well on your way to dominating the Google Map listings in your market.
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