If you’re an online shopper you’re probably checking out the customer reviews before you make a purchase. And you’re not alone. A recent study shows that 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
The power of online reviews is not reserved just for e-commerce. Local businesses are particularly impacted by the amount and quality of their online reviews.
Here’s a perfect example: This past Mother’s Day my son decided to give me my favorite gift – a 90-minute massage. But since he lives in Brooklyn and I live in Covington, KY (outside of Cincinnati), he left it up to me to decide where to go for my massage.
Since I’m relatively new here and not too keen to go back to the place I went for my last massage, I turned to trusty old Google to help me find the best massage in Cincinnati.
So, I went to Google and typed in “best massage in Cincinnati”! Here’s what I found:
That listing of three businesses is called the Google 3-Pack. The first thing that caught my eye was the green photo of bamboo. Then I noticed the tons of 5-star reviews and the little snippet of a review that shows up under Inner Peace Organic Spa’s spa. I clicked and was immediately taken to their Google My Business listing where I found a river of wonderful reviews that let me know that I’m their ideal customer:
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“Compliments to Beth, Jamie, and Sebastian! Very professional, friendly, and knowledgeable! Beth was very kind and informational when I called to learn more about them. Jamie provided a wonderful massage and was more than willing/capable of answering my plethora of questions. Sebastian, the owner, was professional and provided great customer service. I would definitely recommend them to anyone! The vibe, atmosphere, music, and the establishment itself were all top quality and handled with care.”
“Everyone was super welcoming and caring! They even managed to get me in for an evening massage on very short notice. Having went to massage school, I’ve had a lot of massages…Jamie was by far the best I’ve had! And Sebastian was super sweet and helpful. I left feeling like he genuinely cared. I will definitely be returning”
“Fabulous deep tissue massage by Jamie Gray 😊They fit me in and I’m so appreciative, the whole staff was inviting and helpful ❤Definitely my new go to place for massage and enlightenment 💋”
Professional – I like that.
Friendly – Check.
Wonderful massage – Double check.
Then I saw the review from the person who had gone to massage school and I was sold. I called, made an appointment for a hot stone massage, added a facial in as a Mother’s Day gift for myself, and the entire process took five minutes!
I have to admit I was a little disappointed when I got there. The spa is not much to look at. But because the reviews were so awesome, I decided to ignore the not-too-posh surroundings and just focus on why I was there.
And, the massage and facial were more than AMAZING. They were transformational. (I’m going to write a review and tell all my friends…Inner Peace Organic Spa rocks!)
Now, can you think of another marketing tactic that can get you on the front page of Google, connect you with your ideal customers, and get you a sale within 5 minutes? (If you do, let me know).
So, what’s all this about Google My Business and how can you take advantage of it??
- Google My Business is free and savvy businesses can get tons of mileage out of it
- Google is currently investing mucho dinero to integrate more fabulous features into it all the time
- The more content you add, the better (videos, images, blogs, events)
- Your images must be high resolution
- There’s an art to getting the best reviews
