With the rise of local search, it is essential for businesses to have an active and up-to-date presence on Google My Business (GMB). According to Hubspot, 72% of consumers who perform a local search visit a store within 5 miles. Bright Local also reports that 72% of consumers are likely to use a local business with a rating of 3 out of 5 stars. As such, having an optimized GMB profile is key to achieving higher local search rankings and converting users into customers.
To maximize the potential of GMB listings, businesses should take advantage of their momentum by asking customers to review their business on Google. This can be done by downloading and printing the local Google My Business kit, which includes a business card with a QR code that allows customers to leave a review. The more reviews a business has on Google, the more likely it is to reach its business objectives. To streamline the process of managing customer reviews for multiple locations, businesses should consider using the right tools and strategies.
For example, Statusbrew is a unified social media management tool that supports Google My Business questions for all GMB listings in multiple locations. It also allows businesses to check their GMB listings for errors and automatically send corrections to all their listings. Additionally, if businesses have more than nine business locations, they can add them manually or use Statusbrew's automated process. Businesses can also encourage customers to leave reviews by writing one for their company first. This can be done by sending an email or SMS with a link to the business's Google profile.
Furthermore, businesses can promote their GMB listings by advertising events, sales, product launches, and content launches via email or social media posts. In conclusion, managing customer reviews on Google My Business listings is essential for businesses that want to increase their local visibility and reputation score. By taking advantage of the right tools and strategies, businesses can streamline the process of managing customer reviews for multiple locations.