In November 2011, Google made an announcement that the ‘ratings and reviews’ portion of its Google Places product had changed. The main objective of making these changes was to collect more Google-specific ratings and reviews content, which users could later access. According to a post on Google’s blog, Google is clearly aware how important reviews are in helping people find the suitable places, especially if they are able to get recommendations, based on their tastes and the tastes of their friends.
As a result, Google has taken off review snippets from third-party websites on Google Places, and replaced it with its own review-based digital marketing content. Previously, digital marketing experts used to advise companies to target their digital marketing efforts on sites like Yelp and Citysearch, as these sites would help optimise their Places Page. However, today, while reviews on third-party websites can still act as citations for a Google Places Page, digital marketing specialists should emphasise on creating content directly on Google.
As customers are more likely to write reviews for a company that has claimed and created a Google Places Page, this is a great place to begin. Companies should also have a plan to monitor the reviews written about them, and post suitable replies. Every company has a few dissatisfied customers, and some often write negative digital marketing reviews. Below are some tips of how a digital marketing professional should respond to such reviews:
• Reply in a timely manner.
• Thank the reviewer for their comments, and accept the issue.
• Do not post abusive or defensive comments.
• Write a brief reply, and try to shift the conversation offline.
Here is an example of the kind of digital marketing response you should post:
“Thank you for your review. We are sorry that you did not like your recent visit to our retail store. We would like to help correct things. Please contact us at 5555555 at the earliest, so that we might enhance our customer service”.
Most customers do not expect all companies to provide top quality products or five-star service. However, they do expect companies to reply to and solve issues. Reviews and ratings give digital marketing professionals vital information about what customers thought of their products/services. Smart use of this feedback can help improve business, and build one’s brand.
Qudos Digital is a leading digital marketing consultancy, and can be contacted on 0845 388 5583 or info@qudosdigital.co.uk.
