WHY IS ONLINE REPUTATION IMPORTANT AND WHY DO REVIEWS MATTER?
The latest stats say 81% of Americans read Google reviews before they visit a location.
STAT: Google houses 73% of all online reviews, more than six times as many as its closest competitors combined.
GOALS FOR IMPROVING REPUTATION
- Increase search engine optimization by gathering reviews on the #1 critical platform, Google.
- CLIENTS – Potential clients are the main audience! Gathering reviews from current clients, particularly positive ones, will help attract new clients.
- STAFF – Recruitment and reach will greatly benefit when reviews are shared by happy, long-term staff and leadership in the organization.
- VOLUNTEERS – By demonstrating their commitment to this organization, volunteers can express why specific programs/services have value and subtly describe the positive experience of being onsite and a part of the mission.
- DONORS – Sharing “why I give” messages can help others embrace the values of the organization.
93% of consumers say that reviews influence their buying decisions.
- Enhance social media profile and reputation by gathering reviews on Facebook, Bing, and YouTube.
- Boost recruitment efforts by gathering reviews on GlassDoor, Indeed, and LinkedIn.
- Connect with clients, staff, donors and volunteers by proactively requesting feedback.
- Combat any negative reviews or comments with overwhelming positive support.
STRATEGY
- Specifically request reviews on SEO-valuable platforms.
- Use tools like Google Profile Review Links, Give Five Stars, or GatherUp to initiate positive feedback.
TACTICS
- Initiate campaigns targeted to various demographics with specific tools to make leaving a review simple and easy.
For example:
Employees – Request to leave reviews on GlassDoor, Indeed, and Linked In
Emails requesting reviews monthly, QR code posters hung at clock-in stations, paycheck stuffers.
Volunteers – Request to leave reviews on Facebook and Google
Emails requesting reviews twice a year, include as stuffer in annual volunteer appeal with QR code and short URL – a request to explain “why I give my time.” Promote this at events. Perhaps a staff member could even be assigned to help volunteers leave reviews using their own device during events.
Donors – Request to leave reviews on Facebook and Google
Include as stuffer in annual appeal with QR code and short URL – a request to explain “why I give.”
Clients/Customers – Request to leave reviews on Facebook and Google
QR code posters hung at events, quarterly flyers distributed monthly via email, included as request in newsletter.
- Incentivize that employees mentioned by name in positive Google reviews from clients or customers may receive compensation. (This is allowable in Google’s terms of service.)
- Address negative reviews or comments immediately and thoughtfully.
- Ensure the responder has the whole story.
- Request a review by the platform (flag) if you genuinely believe the review is fake or spam.
Best practices for commenting in response to a negative or concerning review:
- Respond within 24 hours.
2) Request a one-on-one conversation with a respectful response so you can make it right.
3) Apologize, don’t argue.
4) Thank the reviewer for reaching out.
5) Post the resolution if possible.
6) Ensure the response is customized, not a boilerplate or generic sentence.
PROCESS
Masterpiece Marketing would love to partner with you in this process to gather positive reviews. As reviews age, they lose some of their importance. It is critical to have an ongoing, rolling process for accumulating new reviews. This will be an ongoing process constantly of gathering new and more reviews all the time. This will continually grow and maintain a positive online reputation.
Monitoring will be a key part of this process, where we are checking for:
- Employee mentions to offer rewards/compensation
- Responses to negative reviews
- Growing reviews among competitors
ONBOARDING
Staff may not see the immediate value in our requesting that they add another step to their process. However, there is great overall value to the organization by garnering online reviews.
- One review may influence a person to apply for an open position.
- Better reviews may bring in new clients or donors.
- One additional star on LinkedIn may bring attention to a job listing.
We need to work together to raise the online presence so that organizationally, profiles are raised.
NEXT STEPS
Who at the organization would benefit from understanding this process?
Who can champion this internally to ensure we gain buy-in?
How can we incentivize department heads and leadership to participate in making sure this goes forward?
