Online reviews, especially Google Reviews to your Google Business Profile, can drive you mad. As a marketer, you “love to hate reviews.” Why? Because customers believe them, but they’re hard to get. Because customers believe them, and they can be faked. Because customers believe them, and you have this queasy feeling in your gut that your competitors are getting fake reviews. Let’s be honest – The whole “Google Reviews” system smell kind of funky, like three day old sushi left on a sun-drenched San Francisco counter. That kind of funky.

But you gotta get reviews, especially if you are a local business, so you’re stuck.

Yuck, ouch, gross, WTF!

A GOOGLE REVIEW SOLICITATION STRATEGY THAT DOESN’T STINK

(TOO MUCH)

MARKETING PHILOSOPHY: WHAT’S UP WITH GOOGLE REVIEWS?

I’m Jason McDonald, and welcome to “Marketing Philosophy,” where in today’s episode we’ll use philosophy to understand why customers trust Google reviews they know are probably fake, refuse to review their DUI lawyer, yet happily review sushi restaurants, and occasionally rely on reviews to buy your product or service. And you Mr. or Ms. Marketer need a review strategy that doesn’t stink (too much). Let’s get started.

WHAT ARE REVIEWS, ESPECIALLY ON GOOGLE, AND WHY DO THEY MATTER?

Customers believe reviews. Reviews reveal that people are the only “herd animals that walk on two legs,” that is we kind of look to others for validation and social proof – that restaurant MUST be good because they have a lot of five star reviews, sort of thing. And, also – we humans are vulnerable to fake information that looks real. Reviews matter a lot – especially for local businesses. Take some sample searches, here in San Francisco.

• Sushi Restaurant – look at me taking my girlfriend out for a night on the town. So special!
• Plumber Near Me – my toilet works. I would like to share this.
• DUI Lawyer – I was in a DUI, let me tell the world about how I nearly killed everyone. Oops.
• Crime Scene Clean Up Service – I mean really, who reviews their crime scene clean up service?

In all cases, customers rely on reviews. They don’t necessarily totally believe them, but they read them, they analyze them, and they rely on them. The take-away as a marketer is you gotta get reviews! They matter, but they are “problematic.”

WHY ARE REVIEWS PROBLEMATIC?

Reviews are problematic, and not just because customers rely on them. Why?

• Fake Reviews or at Least Solicited Reviews. Lots of reviews are fake. Lots of companies do rather unethical things to get reviews. More in some industries like DUI lawyers or crime scene clean up, less in an industry like plumbing, and still less in a fun industry like sushi bars. But there are lots of fake reviews.
• Different Business Types. Some businesses are very photogenic, show-offy, and review friendly (i.e., Sushi bars). Others, like DUI not so much. But the systems, algorithms, and customer perceptions all favor reviews, especially for local businesses on Google.
• Terms of Service. Google says “thou shalt not solicit reviews” in a corrupt manner, but you face a competitive market where if your competitors are doing it (and getting away with it), you kind of have to, too. This is the “yuck” or “gross” factor. However, inside your Google Business Profile there is a link to “Ask for Reviews.” Hashtag, Go Figure.
• Customers are Lazy. They want to read reviews. But not so much write reviews.
• Angry Customers. The most likely customer to write a review? The angry customer – the one who really, really hates you.  Check out “worst sushi ever” on Yelp. This means IF YOU DO NOTHING you MAY ONLY GET NEGATIVE REVIEWS!  Queue hatred of Yelp (and Google, and VRBO, and Amazon, and…)

You are kind of damned if you do, damned if you don’t in terms of review solicitation on Google. Welcome to hell. You can ignore the problem (and fail, and lose your job). You can solicit reviews, using techniques like review gating and embrace the problematic nature. Hashtag risk.

PRACTICAL TIPS

There are things you can do. But first figure out your industry (is it fun and photogenic? Or is it a crime scene clean up business? Or somewhere in between?). These can be –

• Ask for Reviews. Educate and motivate your staff to ASK FOR REVIEWS. Simply asking, especially at the happy, happy moment of a good experience can work wonders. You don’t need a zillion reviews. Just more than your competition. Just a better score than your competition.
  • Create an internal measurement system for your business of how many reviews you have in each month, and how many new reviews you are getting.
  • Make reviews a priority for your business.
• Incentive Employees to Ask. Give your employees a bonus if they get a good review. At least a pat on the back. Something to incentivize the person at the point of contact to ask.
• Incentivize Customers. Yes, against the TOS. But you might do it. You could give a free Starbucks card. 10% off their next order. Some swag. Something. Just don’t publicize it. Don’t be stupid and get caught. But yes “everyone is doing it,” and yes, everyyhing is “High School.”

Accept the reality that the review game is pretty rigged, or at least “problematic.” Every actor in the system – looking at you, Google Business Profile – knows this, but no one wants to admit it, publicly. And that also tells you something deeply philosophical about human nature. A corrupt system can have incentives so that everyone in it, wants to, desperately needs to appears to be honest. You might call this, “Performative Authenticity.” Looking good and honest but knowing you are a little stinky. Not terribly stinky, but a little bit.

RESOURCES

Thank you for watching. Click the link in the video description for show notes, resources, take-aways, and to-dos. I’m Jason McDonald and this has been, “Marketing Philosophy.”

• Tips to Get More Reviews by Google
• Don’t Ask for Reviews by Yelp
• The Absolute Lunatics of Google Reviews – by Ryan George
• Google Just Changed Reviews Forever – by Mike Vidan
• The Google Review Strategy Every Business Owner Needs to Know – by Whitespark

TO-DOS AND TAKE-AWAYS

Here are the to-dos and take-aways from today’s episode.

• Do reviews matter for your business? And, if so, on which platforms? Is it via Google Business Profile? Yelp? Amazon? VRBO? AirBnB? Which platform(s) matter?
• Measure your own reviews – quantity and stars vs. your competitors. Are you ahead? Behind? How do you stack up against the competition?
• Accept the irrationality of the system. Every actor in the system kind of knows it is problematic, but no one has a real incentive to say that, publicly. We are stuck with a very quirky, hypocritical system. Deal with it. Educate your team and management on this fact.
• Educate Yourself on Reviews. Educate yourself on how review officially work, and how they really work.
• Create a review solicitation strategy that works for your business. This will be on a continuum from doing nothing, to just asking, to possibly soliciting more aggressively with incentives. It really depends on your business and your ethical comfort level.

LEARN MORE ABOUT JASON MCDONALD AND THE JM INTERNET GROUP

• My name is Jason McDonald. I provide consulting, coaching, and teaching about digital marketing – SEO, Google Ads, and Social Media. I work with companies, both large and small, as well as individuals who want one-on-one training. Reach out for a free call if you might be interested in a paid relationship.
• The JM INTERNET GROUP focuses on small business and local business digital marketing. We provide hands-on management of SEO, Google Ads, and Social Media for companies. Call 800-298-4065 or send a message to book an introductory call.