Get Found Locally with Services like Google Maps and Yelp

People don’t know where to turn, these days. We’ve got more resources to find information and less desire to shuffle through all of the clutter.

Sure, you could ask your friend for a recommendation…but what if they have different taste than you?

Apps like Yelp! and Google Maps and Tripadvisor have become so popular because they give people the tools to filter through all of the “maybes” and find exactly what they’re looking for. Additionally, it opens up the world of reviews.

Good reviews mean more business. Negative reviews can be detrimental. There is something you can do about it all though.

Take Control of Your Listing

The first step is to make sure you own your listing on these services, or at least have the ability to edit it and reply to negative reviews.

Solicit Reviews

I don’t believe that it’s ethical to offer something in exchange for a good review…but there’s certainly on issue with offering something for an honest review.

“Hey Bill, thanks for coming into the shop today. If you wouldn’t mind, could take a few minutes and leave a review on Google Maps? We’re giving out 10% off coupons to anyone who helps us out with this. Please feel free to be honest, we just want to know what you think.”

It certainly doesn’t hurt to even just ask people to leave a review even if you don’t have anything to offer.

Monitor Reviews

Once you’re up and running, you’ll likely start to receive completely unsolicited reviews. Unfortunately, due to the way human nature works, these will often be negative. People love to complain about poor service, and are sometimes less inclined to take time out of their day to praise someone.

Luckily, with almost all of these services, you can respond to negative reviews.

Don’t go all ape diapers on them!

Just reply honestly and apologize where necessary. Make an offer to right the problem. Sometimes a negative review with an earnest response can turn into a positive experience for other readers.