It’s sad to say, but summer is quickly coming to an end, and for many businesses, this means more than just the departure of warm weather. The summertime brings more pleasant temperatures but also increased revenue for small businesses. As the cold weather begins to set in and walk-in traffic starts to decline, business owners must think of new ways to get customers in their doors. Luckily, there are many ways for business owners to stand out amongst their competition.
Building consumer confidence is one of the most important aspects of any small business marketing campaign. It is estimated that 75% of people will read the reviews of a company before deciding to contact them. Searchers want to make sure that the business they are about to visit is reputable and that they are going to get excellent service.
All small business owners know that it is impossible to please all of your clients all the time. That’s is why it is important to regularly reach out to your existing customer base and ask them for reviews. Aside from increasing consumer confidence, increased positive reviews will help you move up in the search engine rankings. There are plenty of resources that you can subscribe to make requesting Google reviews easier.
Now is the part of the blog where I do a shameless plug for our services. Planet 8 Digital just released a platform for our clients that makes asking for reviews easy and efficient. Our platform allows our customers to email their customers in bulk to request online reviews. An email arrives at their customers with a link that takes them right to your Google Map listing and automatically brings up the review form. Out platform also has a reporting feature which will alert you when a customer leaves you a review.
In conclusion, just remember that marketing has changed and the old idea of “build it and they will come” does not work anymore. To stay competitive in this new economy, you must become more engaged with your current and potential customers. Don’t neglect the power of reviews whether they are through Google, Facebook, Yelp or anyone of the hundreds of review sites across the web. Remember to use the power of social media for more than just memes.
Max Jennings is an Inbound Marketer and Lead Developer with Planet 8 Digital. Part of Max’s job is to make sure all the client websites are secure, fast and easy-to-use. 
