Reviews are a vital part of your online marketing. Just like traditional word-of-mouth, your customers trust the opinion of their peers far more than they trust any marketing you could put out.
On top of that, Google reviews are a huge ranking factor for local SEO! If you're struggling to get your Google Business Profile in front of customers, a lack of reviews could be the reason.
But how do you get reviews? More importantly, how do you get good reviews?
The secret to getting large numbers of Google reviews isn't actually that secret.
You just have to ask!
In this video, Tommy interviews Heather McCombs of Spacebox Storage on how her team managed to get 100 new reviews in only 16 days!
Here are a few ways to maximize your Google reviews!
A 5-star review can be worth hundreds to your self storage marketing budget!
In this article, we’ll look at how online reviews impact your self storage business and share some ways to collect online reviews for your self storage business.
Online reviews are important because they offer social proof that your facility is worthwhile.
“Social proof” is a term coined by Robert Cialdini to describe the psychological and social phenomenon in which people copy the actions of others in the belief that, if others are doing it, it must be the correct behavior. (The term is also known as “informational social influence.”)
In marketing, establishing social proof often takes the form of sharing positive reviews and customer testimonials. By sharing online reviews on your website and platforms such as Google Business Profile and Facebook, you can:
Having reviews on your Google Business Profile improves your search ranking and increases your local SEO—thereby driving more traffic to your website.
Because self storage is a hyperlocal business (i.e., most customers are located within a few miles of your facility), improving your local SEO directly increases your bottom line. In other words, Google reviews affect your storage unit occupancy rates.
To effectively use online reviews, you should feature them prominently on your website and actively manage your listings wherever online reviews appear, such as Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, and self-storage online marketplaces such as Sparefoot.com and Selfstorage.com.
Here are a few methods you can use to collect online reviews for your self storage business.
The majority of people will leave a review if asked, so don’t hesitate! The easier you can make the process, the more reviews you'll get.
Although asking customers to leave a review for your facility is a best practice, never pay for reviews. Paying for reviews can cause credibility problems in the long run and is never recommended.
The best way to ensure that you get positive reviews is to provide good customer service and an easy and stress-free customer experience.
Getting reviews is the most important piece, but you're not done once you've got them. Here are a few best practices for managing online reviews for your self storage facility.
Reviews are a critical piece of your marketing strategy because they offer social proof that your self storage facility is worth using. Online reviews—particularly on your Google Business Profile—can also improve your local SEO and drive more traffic to your website.
To collect reviews, the best method is to simply ask your customers. This can be done via links on your customer communications and social media platforms and by asking them during in-person interactions. To be effective, this must be done consistently to keep a regular flow of reviews coming your way.
Finally, harness the full power of your online reviews by responding to all reviews, learning to effectively respond to negative reviews, and using the information gleaned from reviews to improve your self storage facility.
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