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Google is Dominating the Review Market: What That Means for Franchises
Imagine a consumer is searching for “hamburgers in Chicago.”
She will see immediately see the ratings of restaurants that serve hamburgers in the search results. When she clicks on one of the restaurants, she will see reviews and ratings of each listed restaurant.
According to the 2018 ReviewTrackers Online Reviews Survey: Statistics and Trends, consumers are using Google as a research tool before visiting a business. That means consumers are searching for businesses online and finding information about businesses without ever leaving Google — 63.6 percent of consumers say they look to Google before visiting a business.
Google is also the place where consumers are writing more reviews. Over just the last three years, reviews on Google have grown tremendously. After analyzing 9 million reviews, ReviewTrackers found that Google is the No. 1 site for the distribution of online reviews.
This research is evidence that managing reviews is essential to any franchise marketing strategy.
The dedication to managing and engaging with customers in reviews will show the consumer who is searching on Google that you care about what your customers are saying — that you are actively listening. The proof of active listening builds a high-level trust with current customers and potential customers.
Key Tips for Managing Reviews
Respond to reviews. Respond to all reviews — both positive and negative. It shows the customer that you care.
Thank the customer for writing the review and restate the positive part of the review in the response. For negative reviews, respond with empathy and work to resolve the issue offline.
Ask for reviews. Ask customers for reviews for effective review generation. Getting more reviews will help increase star rating and local search ranking. It will also give consumers more information when researching your business.
Analyze feedback. Reviews provide a lens into the customer experience.
You can capture feedback in reviews. That feedback should be used to make actionable operational changes to improve your business. The changes you make will help your company exceed customer expectations, which is essential in today’s consumer-driven marketplace.
