In every business, reviews are a powerhouse!
They can often be the deciding factor for your clients as to whether they undertake your pet services.
As a pet business, acquiring positive reviews can be challenging and managing negative reviews, disheartening; but they are not something to be swept under the rug!
Here’s our guide to reviews, why they’re important, plus how to utilize them for your pet business growth.
What review platforms are best?
There isn’t a right or wrong answer for this, but here are the stats:
- 57.5% of all reviews worldwide come from Google.
- The Yelp website contains over 192 million reviews.
- Tripadvisor is the largest travel review platform.
- Facebook reviews affect over half of users' purchase decisions.
- 60% of all customers post Amazon reviews.
You have to find the right review platform for your pet business.
For example, if you are a dog grooming business you may not need to be on Amazon.
However, if you also sell grooming products, then yes!
There are also a number of directories/review sites specific to pet businesses that you can find in your area such as The Good Dog Guide - just search for pet directories in your area.
It’s always best to be listed on as many as you can that are relevant to your services. Just remember, you also need to manage the reviews.
Should I be answering all reviews? Even negative ones?
Absolutely! There will always be challenges when it comes to customer service, but answering all reviews publicly is a big part of creating trust with your customers.
Acknowledge the customers feelings, apologize that they weren’t satisfied with the service then offer them a way to discuss the issue with you privately (messenger, over the phone, email).
Don’t forget to respond to positive reviews as well!
Do reviews really affect my pet business sales?
According to a 2021 report by PowerReviews, over 99.9% of customers read reviews when they shop online with 93% of users saying that ‘online reviews had an impact on their buying decisions’.
Besides word of mouth, reviews play a huge part in your clients purchasing journey.
Whether you’re a dog groomer or pet sitter, your customers are likely to look for reviews first - prior to starting their journey with you. This is why it’s important to acknowledge all reviews publicly and to encourage new reviews.
Can online reviews affect my pet business' online visibility?
Yes! If you haven’t already, set up a Google My Business account and ensure your business is listed on Google.
Google reviews are particularly important and play a huge factor in your online presence.
When a customer is searching, Google will take into account lots of things before firing up search results. Factors such as location, activity, relevance, responsiveness and how many reviews you have.
Google will now also look at your reviews from across the web - so try to list yourself on as many manageable platforms as you can.
How can I gain more reviews?
Gaining reviews can be challenging and there are a few ways you can try to receive more:
- Hold monthly competitions to your customers by asking them to leave a review for a chance to win a prize
- Share you review links consistently across your social media platforms
- Include review call to actions in your email marketing
- Have signage in your brick and mortar store
- Include links on your printed marketing materials
- Run a paid marketing campaign to existing customers
- Ask them in person