Good news for Denver small business owners who have a presence on Google Places - and if you're a Denver small business, you need to control your listing at Google Places. Google Places now allows business owners to respond to reviews - both good and bad. For the full story, see the blog post addressing this topic at the Google Lat Long Blog.
Review Websites
I have expressed my opinions about review sites in the past because it is extremely important for Denver small business owners to manage their brand online. Small business owners need to know what is being said about their business, and review sites give them the opportunity to manage their brand.
The problem with review websites is that only a certain amount of the reviews are legitimate - and it isn't always easy to tell which ones. Here are just some of the issues with review websites as I see it:
-
Business Owner Provides Fake Reviews - Five star reviews are often the business owner (and friends of the owner) padding their own positive statistics. I have come across this many times in the past.
- Competitors Provide Fake Reviews -
One star reviews could be competitors, or someone with an axe to grind. I have a client who clearly was the victim of this tactic by one of their competitors - fortunately he was able to get the review removed.
- Real Reviews are Rare -
2,3,4 star reviews are probably the most likely to be real reviews and be representative of the business - positives and negatives are represented - but these tend to be the most rare review ratings that I come across
- No Official Response Channel - The other main issue is that there hasn't been a vehicle for business owners to respond to the reviews - especially their accusers.
Small Business Owners Get a Voice in Google Places
Fortunately, the last issue I have with review sites is no longer an issue at Google Places. Business owners can now respond directly to reviews. Google provides some guidelines for how to respond to reviewers. The key is to be professional, be nice, and address their needs.
How Does This Help Me Market My Denver Small Business?
If you're the owner of a Denver small business, you need to make sure that your business is listed within all of the local business sections of the major search engine providers. You also should get listed in other local business website directories like Yelp.com, and CitySearch.com. This will allow you to help manage your brand online.
Google Places Strategy
More specifically, you need to monitor and be involved with your Google Places listing. If someone posts a review - good or bad - reach out to that reviewer in a professional, non-personal way. Let them know that you appreciate the feedback that they're providing your business and you hope to use that knowledge to improve your processes in the future.
Your response isn't so much for that one reviewer as it is for the 99% of Google Places visitors that won't leave a comment or review - but have arrived at your Google places page interested in learning more about your business products or services. It will let that prospect know that you take a proactive role with customer service and are continuously looking for ways to improve your business.