The Importance of Online Reviews for Start ups

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The owner of a local HVAC company recently contacted us. Business was good, he said, but it could be better. How could we help him attract more customers? And improve his online presence?

HVAC is high stress

The HVAC (heating, venting and air conditioning) business tends to get new business in high-stress situations. A furnace has broken down in a cold snap in February. Or the air conditioning gives up the ghost on the hottest day of July. People tend to turn to 411.ca or YellowPages.ca, looking to find a local company to fix the problem. Instantly.

Our HVAC business owner had been investing in online ads, and he also had his business listed in our online directory. But he wanted something more, something that would encourage a customer to call him, versus one of his competitors.

The answer: online reviews

We suggested he call a few of his customers and ask them to write an online review for him.

No surprise – it worked. Less than a month later he was calling from his truck to tell us of a new job he was on his way to, earned as a result of the online reviews.

Social media has changed the world in countless ways. One of them is the ability it has given customers to describe their experience with you to the world. Now when people research online, they don’t just check out what the company says. They check out what the customers say.

It’s worldwide word-of-mouth

Online reviews are the new jet-fuelled word-of-mouth marketing. Looking for a new restaurant? Head to Chowhound or Yelp. Planning a vacation? Check out the hotel reviews on Trip Advisor.

But if there are no reviews for a restaurant or hotel or local business, you feel uneasy. Does this place have no customers? And do you want to take the risk of finding out?

Businesses of every size can benefit by engaging with customers and encouraging them to post reviews. It’s a win-win-win: your customers get more involved; they help spread the word about your company; they get a gentle push towards becoming advocates.

Online reviews for start-ups and small businesses are especially important:

• New businesses are fine-tuning; they need to know what’s working and what isn’t. Customer feedback gives them an opportunity to learn and improve, whether it’s an employee that doesn’t provide good service or a product that didn’t deliver.
• Ditto for a small business. Happy customers are essential for survival, and you make your customers happy by incorporating their ideas into your business.

The only downside of reviews is when you ignore them and avoid dealing with the issues they raise. Also, as a small business owner, you need to show appreciation to customers who provide reviews. If you don’t, your customers will feel ignored and that could give your business a bad reputation.

How do you get those online reviews?

Here are 2 simple-but-critical tips:

1: Get listed

Make sure your business is listed online on as many 3^rd party sites as possible. Good examples for Canadian businesses include 411.ca, Yelp.ca, ZipLocal.ca and N49.ca. You’ll find more here (note that they’re not listedin order of popularity, so check out the whole list to find the ones that suit your business best):  SEO 101: The top 15 places for online citations in Canada

2: Just ask

Just ask! Here are three good ways:

1. It’s smart business to connect with your customers from time to time. Follow up to see if they’re satisfied with your service; while you’re at it, ask them if they would mind taking a moment to write a review for your company.
2. You can also solicit reviews via email or Facebook, right from your 411.ca ad center, provided your customers have an account with 411.ca.

It’s a nice touch to send a thank-you card to your customers. In your note, ask them to share some feedback, and give them instructions on how to leave an online review for your start up or small business

Feedback about your business – at least the constructive kind – is always good.  And of course, it’s a delight when it’s positive feedback.

However, the bigger opportunity is when it’s negative.

Negative feedback tells you where you need to improve. And negative reviews add credibility; if readers find only positive reviews, they wonder if they’re actually from real customers. Finally, negative feedback gives you a wonderful marketing opportunity to respond online; research shows that 67% of company responses to negative reviews result in a positive review, or the customer removing the review altogether!

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