Why You Should Invest In Responding To Positive Reviews

Reviews… Love them or hate them, they play a big part in your business digital footprint. While it is tempting to invest a lot of time and consideration into how you respond to a negative review, positive reviews are often written with an Ariana Grande approach – ‘thank u, next’.

Responding to a positive review is an easy way to engage with happy customers that benefits both your brand identity, and your one-to-one relationship with that customer. Remember, online reviews and review sites are public, so the positive conversations that happen about your brand can do wonders for your business!

So why spend as much time responding to positive reviews as negative reviews?

  • It’s the polite thing to do. If a customer gave you a compliment in real life, you would say thank you. It’s only polite. And with an online review, the compliment is public.
  • Everyone is looking. A large percentage of consumers now read online reviews. The public, including potential future customers, may read this review. Replying to the review is a chance to speak to these people too, and do some subtle marketing
  • Actively creating, and engaging with, positive online conversations about your brand and the local community can encourage others to participate in that conversation, and generate more buzz and visibility for your business.
  • It affects search rankings. By replying properly, you can improve the SEO ranking of the review, and help the review show up in search results.

If you are getting lots of positive online love, it can be tempting to cut and paste the same ‘thank you’ response, however this is your chance to personalise, promote and win over new customers. When drafting your replies, keep in mind these four steps for easy and effective replies.

Step One

Thank the customer for the positive review and be specific. Ensure the reviewer knows a real person is behind your reply by thanking them for something specific they said.

“Thanks for leaving a review, and mentioning our barista Emily. You’re right, she is always smiling!”

Step Two

Use the business name and strategic keywords in your review response to the good review. Using your business name, category and location in your response will help the positive review appear in search results.

“The team here at (your business) is thrilled to hear such good feedback, and we’re proud to be serving some of the best (food) in (your location).“

Step Three

Add a little marketing to your review response. Your reply is public and will be read by others, including future customers, so throw in some marketing!

Mention a behind-the-scenes reason they had a great experience, or a new feature or promotion. “We are so happy to hear you enjoyed our wine selection. Did you know we have a wine event coming up next month for (winery)? You can see more details on our website.”

Step Four

Invite the customer to do something in your response. Ask the customer to return, experience something new at the venue or spread the word.

“If you like that style of dish, next time you’re here, you should definitely try the summer salad. We hope to see you again soon!”

These steps are designed to help you reframe your replies and with time, responding to both positive and negative reviews will become second nature.

Don’t be afraid to add in a little of your personality and have fun, because your customers already love what you do!