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You’re probably wondering about the best way to get online reviews for your business page. It’s actually a lot simpler than you might think. There are a lot of factors that go into a customer's selection to make a purchase from your organization.  People typically ask their friends for recommendations and then do a lot of online research of their products and services.

So, how do you get your customers to write fervent reviews that help close deals? How do you assure a customer is happy and satisfied to ask for the kind of positive reviews you need? Below are a few strategies that will make building positive online reviews a cinch.

1. Build Spaces to Give Online Reviews

Before potential customers even make it to your website to learn about your business, make sure they can learn about you no matter where they are conducting online analysis about making a purchase.

There are a few common third-party online review business page people consult to learn more about your business or a product:

Google

Google My Business is the world's biggest search engine, where potential customers might find you if they are searching for information on Google, or hunting for directions in Google Maps. People also give reviews using Google, which appear in the search results for your business.

Yelp

Yelp and Facebook are consumers' most trusted sources of customer reviews, so make sure that your brand and business are registered and stays up-to-date on those two.  It’s important to regularly monitor the messages and inquiries coming from these social profiles. Responsive business owners are highlighted with an average response time and response rate that could assist readers to move ahead in the process towards converting a new customer.

Facebook

Potential customers can find you on your Facebook page to learn more about your business without having to leave their social network. This is another business page that rewards high levels of responsiveness, so make sure to monitor the incoming messages across the social channels you are trying to optimize for new customer acquisition.

Better Business Bureau

For businesses in the U.S. and Canada, you can list your business page with the Better Business Bureau. This is another highly trusted source of customer online reviews. By claiming your business on the BBB, you can access more candid customer online reviews and become accredited on the website -- which provides greater credibility and trustworthiness to your business if customers are choosing between options using these ratings and reviews.

There are so many industry-specific online review business listing sites you should claim if they are popular within your business's category - such as Oyster or TripAdvisor in the travel and hospitality industries, Finances Online, and G2Crowd in the software companies, as well as HappyCow and OpenTable in the restaurant industry. Make sure your NAP (Name, Address, and Place) details should be perfectly added while claiming your business page - Business name, address, contact information, website, hours of operation, product/services and key offerings are available on those more niche sites, too.

2. Optimize the Content

Your online reviews might be coming in unsolicited from positive or negative customers on third-party business sites. But once people are already on your website, make sure it's comfortable for them to leave reviews there, too. Optimize your website, blog posts, social platforms, and emails to provide quick and easy avenues through which to write reviews by:

• Setting up website badges to quickly and easily direct visitors to your Yelp and Facebook pages to read and give reviews.
• Optimizing your website for mobile devices for people who come to your website when they are browsing social or conducting searches on their phone.

3. Offer Incentives

Your time is valuable and so is your customers', so make sure you are giving customers a reason to give an online review. Offer incentives to make your customers want to write a review, such as coupon codes or discounts, prizes or gift cards for coffee, or an online shopping card.

4. Respond to all Online Reviews 

Nobody's perfect, and mistakes sometimes happen that result in a customer leaving a harsh one-star review on your business page.

When you get a one-star review, though, make sure to take the time to respond thoughtfully, without being defensive, to come to a resolution. It's the right thing to do if you work in customer service, and it could actually help your business in the long run.

5. Share Positive Online Reviews

When you start getting positive reviews on your business pages from your customers, hold the momentum going by sharing them so other customers are stimulated to do the same.

On Google My Business, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and many other reviews sites, business owners can mark certain reviews as helpful, which is like upvoting and moves reviews further up on the website so more people can view them. Regularly do this to positive online reviews so your business page highlights the cream of the crop.

Also, you could share positive feedback on your brand's social media channels to open up the option to your audience, you could reshare positive reviews in a post on your other business pages.

Social proof is a strong marketing strategy. If customers see other people like them sharing reviews, they are more likely to do the same.

6. Host an Event

Host a remarkable user conference or industry event to build more value for your potential customers beyond just the products or services you sell.

By building an appealing and useful experience for customers, where they can network with a community of people like them, provide access to new product releases and discounts early, and meet their points of contact at your company, you will increase their positive thoughts toward your business and produce the likelihood that they will give more reviews.

You could even make customer reviews a part of your post-event feedback process after customers perform a survey asking how they'd share their experience, you could ask them to share their experience at the event or on an online review business page.

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To start implementing the review cultivation at scale, the best thing you can do is organize it into your business as a process. This starts with effective strategies for customer service as well as online reputation and testimonials. You can begin by building from templates and asking your existing customers to share your reviews about products or services on the website as well as on the business page. Learn more about how DevDigital can help you with building your online review portfolio and other strategies to help your SEO.