As a small business owner, you need to be scrappy, resourceful and flexible to survive.  You need to secure your place in the market by using all the tools in your tool belt and remembering that there is always room to improve.

One of the best ways to fight for your business is to utilize the online reviews that are happening right now. These reviews will become invaluable to you as you learn to trust them and to trust your customer. Since you are not a household name — not yet at least — you need potential customers to see a positive online presence (including reviews) and move forward with a foundation of trust.

Let’s talk about why these reviews matter, how to start getting them and how to maintain growth.

Why Do Online Reviews Matter?

Whether or not we like to admit it, we all care what other people think. Online reviews are measurable and easy for consumers to access.

Source: Statista

73% of customers say that positive reviews make them trust a business more and 50% say that negative reviews make them question the quality of a business. So at least half of the consumers who read online reviews will be affected by them, for better or for worse.

Reviews Create A Relationship of Trust

Reviews are an organic way for others to give and receive feedback on your product or service.  If you can actively request feedback, your client will feel valued and invested in your organization and will be more likely to stick around.

Additionally, reviews are a great way to legitimize your business and build credibility. Google uses popular review sites to determine what information they will show about local businesses, so having a higher number of reviews will boost your SEO ranking.

Online reviews are quickly replacing word-of-mouth recommendations. 80% of consumers say that they consider reviews just as important as personal recommendations — they view other reviewers as their peers. To millennials, online reviews are not only easy-to-access, but they are deemed more authentic and transparent.

How Do I Start Collecting Reviews?

So you’ve accepted that online reviews can make or break your business, now, start getting them.

Be Willing to Ask

What better place to start building consumer trust than with those who already trust you?  Start with your current customers, even friends, and family, but don’t ask them to say something they don’t believe. It’s very obvious when someone is shelling out blind praise and many third-party review sites will remove these kinds of reviews anyway.

Source: Statista

In a recent survey tracking which features are the most important when reading reviews, the “overall rating” took the obvious first place, but not far behind, 62% of people said that the “amount of detail” within the review was an important factor.

So, as you start asking for online reviews, why not go for quality over quantity? See if your trusted customers are willing to provide detailed, honest reviews about your product or service. Set a positive and intelligent trend on your review pages so that others who visit these sites are not only impressed by the caliber of your product but the caliber of your consumer.

Everybody Loves Free Stuff

Free samples, incentives, and discounts are a great way to encourage online reviews. Giveaways and free stuff can create a positive buzz around your brand or product and attract customers that may have passed you by. Most importantly, offering freebies can encourage feedback. With zero consumer cost upfront, it’s not as annoying to ask the customer for something in return.

Freebies can be especially effective if you get feedback before your official launch date. Beta-testers and soft openings are a great way for you to get external, objective reviews. People love to be a part of these “exclusive groups” and you often don’t have to offer any other incentive in return.

Embrace Social Media as an Advertising Platform

Social Media is consumed at a massive rate every day and the information consumers view there is more trusted than in-your-face ad campaigns. Not to mention, social media shares, likes, and comments are completely organic and 100% free.

Instead of paying for an advertisement, you can create a natural post that features your new content and the proper hashtag. While this may not generate as many active readers as a paid ad, it will draw readers who are already invested in your tagged subject matter.

Additionally, because social media is more, well, social, consumers will view your material in a non-business context. People trust those they follow and when your posts are mixed in with the latest pic of their newborn nephew, there is already an emotional connection there. Because of the casual environment of social media, you can shirk the stuffy and respond in a personal way–maybe even throw in an emoji or skip a comma.

With all marketing, timing and schedule matters.

According to SproutSocial, Thursday is the best day to post on Facebook (and Instagram) and weekdays from 10-3pm have the most engagement. Consider posting ads during lunch hours and feature reviews and testimonials in your post. This could be a smart place to ask for customer feedback as well. As part of your post ask customers, “How was your experience?” and make it easy for them to leave a review by linking back to your Facebook page.

With the biggest social media following (2.2 billion active monthly users), Facebook is in direct competition with Yelp and Google Reviews. Since people are on the platform frequently, it is uncomplicated and unobtrusive for them to leave reviews. In fact, in a recent survey, Facebook reviews actually beat both Yelp and Google in user preference.

How Do I Keep Growing?

Maybe you feel that you’ve done all that is humanly possible to boost your online reviews, but you know it’s still not enough. Here are some additional things to push your marketing over the edge.

Partner with Influencers

Up your social media game by connecting with Influencers. A Social Media Influencer is someone who has established credibility, attention, and support in a specific industry. They have a large reach and a loyal following offering an authentic marketing opportunity.

Take the time to research influencers to ensure that you find the best fit for your brand and product. Offer exclusive codes and discounts for those influencers followers to use. These followers will value the product or service more since they feel that they have received a personal invite from a “friend” to use it. These influencers and followers can easily transfer to positive reviewers.

And make sure that when you do connect with influencers, you offer them something more than monetary compensation. Find ways to promote them as well as an act of good faith.

Automated Email Campaigns

Automated emails can be quick, effective and even personal–if you do them right. Avoid spammy emails by tracking how active your consumer is in using your service. Refer to a specific product purchase or service experience if you can.

If you send out a survey or ask for feedback via email, let your customer know that their time is valued. Use an autoresponder to say thank you or offer an exclusive discount. Always err on the side of generosity and authenticity.

Note: Some third party sites have specific rules about using incentives. If you choose to incentivize, do not offer financial compensation in exchange for positive feedback. In other words, their discount cannot be contingent on their writing a good review.

Don’t Neglect the Angry Customer

Maintain an active presence on all review sites. This will remind the consumer that you are human and are invested in the success of your company.

It is true that you may run into angry reviews in addition to raving ones, so make the negative reviews work for you. Take the time to respond to negative feedback, always in a professional manner.  One recent survey said that 78% of online reviewers actually trusted a business more when they saw them respond to online reviews. Say “I’m sorry,” offer a refund and never blame the customer.

Use the Software

There are several online software products that have started including growth tools in their offerings. Social media management, marketing automation, and even virtual bookkeeping services (like my company) have integrated growth tools that make it easy to invite your customers to review your business, and many of them offer review tracking as well.

Make it Simple and Be the Best

In the end, the best method will be the simplest method.  Make it easy for customers to leave reviews. Add a “Review” button to your webpage or email signature.  Use business software products that offer to collect reviews for you. Make sure that you have a current profile on all the review sites out there–don’t leave anything out!

And of course, make sure that you are offering the best service or product. When you have a quality brand, your reviews will inevitably reflect that. Keep fighting for your small business by activating your online reviews and you will see the growth you want to see.

About the Author: Jaren Nichols is Chief Operating Officer at ZipBooks, a cloud-based alternative to Quickbooks 2019. Jaren was previously a Product Manager at Google and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.