The Importance of Reviews to Build Your Agency’s Reputation
– by Guy Maddalone
Since we live in a digital age, your families and candidates have many channels available to them as they search for and discover information about agencies. An agency’s reputation is all about public perception. Positive reviews and recommendations can help boost your agency’s bottom line, while negative reviews and complaints can harm your reputation.
I want to share with you some of the top benefits of having a great online reputation and tips on how to use online reviews to achieve it.
Benefits of a Positive Reputation
Having a good online reputation:
- Builds credibility: When your agency has a lot of good reviews and social media praise, you build trust with your families and prospects.
- Makes your agency easier to find: Reviews about your agency directly influence your online visibility. Your rankings for local searches improve when your families – and nannies as well – post current, positive reviews. In our recent household employer survey, 41% of families and 56% of nannies found an agency by searching online.
- Improves your bottom line: According to Small Business Trends, online reviews can have a big impact on your agency’s revenue with studies showing that customer reviews produce an average of 18% increase in sales. The Spiegel Research Center at Northwestern University found that online reviews have a significant and quantifiable impact on purchase decisions. Their research showed the purchase likelihood for a product or service with five reviews is 270% greater than the purchase likelihood of one with no reviews.
How to Generate Positive Reviews
It’s important to be proactive in getting reviews, rather than waiting for them to happen. Plus, more people will voluntarily leave a review when they are dissatisfied rather than happy with your agency. So you’ll want to catch your clients and caregivers when they have a positive experience and ask them to leave a review.
Timing is key – waiting too long will make them less likely to leave a review. You’ll want to ask either immediately after a positive interaction, or the next day at the latest.
When asking for a review, make it as easy as possible for your reviewer. Send them links to your agency on Google, Bing, Facebook, Yelp, etc. with clear instructions on how to post a review.
Be sure to ask every satisfied family for a review – the more positive reviews you have, the better your online reputation becomes.
Your families aren’t the only ones who can boost your reputation through positive reviews. Your nannies can be a great source as well.
Have your best nannies leave a review that describes why they like working for your agency. Nannies looking for a position may be more likely to apply if they see that other nannies have been happy with you.
Responding to Reviews
It’s critical to respond as soon as possible to every review you receive, whether it’s good or bad. A quick response shows that the review is important to you, while waiting even just a few days could give the impression that the reviewer’s opinion isn’t appreciated, which can harm your online reputation.
When responding to positive reviews, go beyond a simple “thank you.” Reiterate what the reviewer liked about your agency, emphasizing the positive aspects that could draw prospects to your agency.
When responding to a negative review, be sure to do some research first and get all the information about why this person was unhappy with your agency. Then post a response that is sympathetic to how the reviewer is feeling, what steps you have taken to make the situation better, or in cases where the reviewer is stating things that aren’t true, gently explain why you disagree with their version of events, using facts to back it up.
Remember – not responding to a negative review means you don’t have the opportunity to provide your version of the events, letting potential clients form their own opinions, which can damage your online reputation.
Share Your Positive Reviews
Leverage your positive reviews on your website and in your marketing messages and campaigns. Many website platforms have tools that allow you to embed reviews within your site.
Post the reviews as testimonials on your website. Also consider using video – have a happy nanny record a quick video explaining why your agency is a great place to work, then post it on your website and send it out on your social media channels to spread the word.
Turn positive reviews into images you can share on Instagram and Facebook.
If you use Google ads or another digital ad service, consider using positive reviews in your ads. Showcasing the best reviews in your ad campaign can improve the quality score and click-through rates of your ad. Plus, potential customers are more likely to click on an ad that has been endorsed by others.
GTM’s Google Review Campaign
I want to share with you a recent experience at GTM Payroll regarding reviews. In July, we asked our employees to proactively ask for Google reviews from our clients. Since then, we received 157 new 5-star reviews on Google and increased our overall rating to 4.8 stars.
Word of mouth travels quickly in the online world. But if you employ strategies to improve and maintain your agency’s reputation through positive reviews, you can gain new families and nannies and keep the ones you have.
If you have any questions about reviews and reputation management, we’ll be happy to help. Contact your partner manager – Christine Lasser – at [email protected] or (518) 836 – 2567. She can help coordinate a meeting with our marketing team.
Please remember that GTM is here for you and your families as a resource for all things concerning household payroll. Contact us with any questions or to request information.
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