When deciding whether or not to shop with a new brand or work with a new local business, most people will turn to customer reviews. Reviews help to build trust and help to give consumers more peace of mind (if they’re positive).

Every small business needs reviews, but not every customer will write one on their own. In fact, in most cases, people who are unhappy are more likely to write reviews unprompted than even your most satisfied customers. This can leave you with an unfair, lopsided reputation that doesn’t really represent your service. That’s why you need to take matters into your own hands.

Here are a few ideas to help you get more reviews:

• Ask in person - If someone is happy after a service or a transaction, take a moment to ask that they leave you some feedback on your most important review platform.
• Send email requests - Set up an automated email campaign that asks whether or not your customers are satisfied with their experience. Direct happy customers to your review platforms, and direct unhappy customers to a feedback form on your website.
• Offer incentives - Incentivizing reviews can be a slippery slope, but in most cases, it’s OK to offer an incentive as long as you’re not asking for a specific star rating or only incentivizing certain customers.

It would be great if every review your business gets is five stars, but the likelihood of that actually happening isn’t high. The truth is that you can’t please every customer every time, and sooner or later, you’ll get a negative review.

No business likes getting negative reviews, but with the right response, you can turn the situation around. With the right response, the customer may even be willing to adjust their review.

Here are a few tips for responding to negative reviews:

• Own up to your mistakes - Whether or not you agree with the review, apologize for the negative experience. This shows that you’re the bigger person and are willing to take responsibility.
• Don’t argue - Never argue with someone who has left you a review, even if you think it’s unfair or inaccurate. If you need to have a discussion, invite them to talk with you offline.
• Take a breather - Some reviews can be upsetting, but it will do you no favors to your reputation if you respond in an emotional way. Take a break, gather your thoughts and be professional in your response.

It’s nearly impossible to effectively manage your small business’s online reputation without having a full understanding of where you currently stand and what your reputation looks like.

Keeping a close eye on your reputation will help you identify what needs attention and what’s working for you. It will also help you stay alert to new reviews, which will make it a lot easier to respond to reviews promptly.

To do this, routinely search for your business name on search engines, like Google and Bing. Also, monitor your reputation across multiple review sites with reputation management software, like Marketing 360® Reputation.

Your reviews aren’t the only thing people will look at when they find you on a review platform, like Yelp or Google Business Profile. They also pay close attention to your profile.

At the very least, you should make sure that your profiles have accurate, up-to-date information, and that your information is consistent across profiles. But, anything you can do to optimize your profile will help it to be more visible and stand out.

Here are a few things you can do to optimize your review profiles:

• Claim your listings - In order to customize your listing on review sites, you first need to claim it. This will give you the ability to optimize your listing and make it stand out.
• Add a detailed business description - Write a detailed description of your business so that prospective customers know who you are and what you offer.
• Include links and images - Personalize your page by adding images that are relevant to your business, like your logo, storefront, team, etc., and make sure to include a link to your website.

Feedback, especially when it’s negative, isn't always easy to hear (or read), but if you care about your reputation and you want to make your customers happy, it’s important that you learn to listen to it and take it seriously.

It’s easy to be shortsighted about your service or products, especially when you only have the ability to see it from your own point of view. That’s where customer feedback can give in invaluable insight.

Your customers are the ones using your products and working with your team on a regular basis. Therefore, they have the most knowledge about what’s working and what’s not. Listen to that knowledge, and use it to get better.