How to Use My Google Business Reviews
So, you’ve received a 5-star review on your Google Business Profile saying all kinds of dreamy things about your business. You might be thinking “How do I use my Google Business reviews to increase my business?”
These reviews are absolute gold! Let’s ensure you get the most leverage out of the reviews as possible. You put a lot of effort into creating a product or service that elicited the review, so it would be silly to lose momentum now.
Respond to the Google Review
You should log into your Google Business Profile and respond to the review. This doesn’t need to be a well-thought-out paragraph essay, but it should be more than a ‘thank you.’
Personalize the response by mentioning the person’s name and something that stood out to you about the experience you had with that client.
The response is a great time to drop in some of your keywords, as well.
Here is an example:
Julie and Steve, thank you for choosing XYZ Entertainment as your Branson wedding DJ. Your friends and family were fun to keep out on the Wildflower Lane dance floor all night and had great taste in music!
You can see more examples of how I respond to my own reviews in my Google Business Profile by clicking here.
Share the Review to Your Social Media Channels
A great review should be shared! Take a look at the social media channels you are using for your business and decide how to share it.
Facebook post + story
Instagram post + story
Pinterest
TikTok
I’m not a social media expert, so you’ll have to look elsewhere for the best way to do it on specific channels. Just do it! Try different things and see what works.
You might want to use a program like Canva to make the review pretty. Or, you may just want to screenshot and copy it in various places. Different things will work with different brands! Of course, the channel matters. Pinterest needs to be attractive, the look of your Instagram grid matters. But your Facebook posts and stories can look however you want.
Here is an example of a social media post that was created in a program like Canva and just used the wording from the Google review. Obviously it looks beautiful and is ready to be shared everywhere.
Credit to: The Quintessential Cupcake in St. Louis, Missouri
Share the Review on Your Website
You might have a widget that automatically publishes your Google reviews on your website. But, if you aren’t that tech-savvy…it is no problem. There are plenty of other ways to go about it.
Do you have a page on your website dedicated to your reviews or testimonials?
Do you have a review section on one of your main pages?
Either way - take a few minutes to determine if your newest Google review is worthy of adding to one of those places. Or maybe replacing an old review if it speaks to your product or service better than an old one.
One thing I’ve noticed about the small business owners I work with is that they don’t like hopping into the backend of their websites very often. The website is often missing any reviews from the last couple of years unless they have a widget installed.
It is worthwhile to take 15 minutes every few months and update those areas with your most current reviews.
Share the Review to Your Email List: 3 Possible Ways
General Email to Your List
A new, glowing review is an opportunity to send out an email to your list! Update them on this great new review. Remind your list that you are:
Still in business
Love what you do
excellent at what you do
Solving problems for customers just like them
Add to a Welcome Series or New Buyer Lead Series
If you have a series of emails set up to go out to potential clients, you can add a great review email to the series to extend it one week further!
Consider Your “Abandoned Cart” List
Neil Patel explains in Mastering Google Reviews for Business: Everything You Need to Know to Grow Your Brand that sharing a review is a great way to get those abandoned cart customers off the fence and more likely to make a purchase. Who am I to argue with Neil Patel?
Only a couple of my clients over the last few years have had online shopping carts. Most of my clients are service providers. But, you can still use this strategy: Think about which of your leads could be considered an ‘abandoned cart?’
If you are one of my wedding professional clients, your abandoned cart leads are the ones that you have emailed with, had a consultation call with, or sent a proposal to, and for whatever reason…the conversation has ended.
Take a minute to think about which of your leads are your “abandoned cart” people and send them a quick email that shows off your new 5 Star review!
Don’t Waste a Great Review
I see how hard my clients work for their customers and clients. Not every happy customer leaves a review. So when you do get a published one…treat it like GOLD!
Copywriter tip: The first place I go when I start working on a client’s project is to read their reviews. Your clients know more helpful things about you than I ever will! So, it is faster to get to the heart of your marketing messaging when you’ve got lots of reviews to look back on.
Using Your Reviews Checklist
Respond to the review thoughtfully
Share the review on your social media channels
Share the review on your website
Share the review to your email list
Tools Mentioned in This Blog Post:
Canva can be used to make a beautiful post like the cupcake one I shared above. Or, you can do more of a screenshot approach like I did here with one of my own reviews. I also made this in Canva, just less pretty and more gritty!
Any questions about this blog post?
You can always reach me by sending an email to: laci@laciwrites.com
You can also schedule a quick, complimentary call with me using my Calendly link.
