by Mitchell 1

If you want to grow your auto shop business, you need to prioritize your online reviews. You can either show your authenticity by responding to negative feedback posted on a platform like Google or Yelp, or you can leverage positive customer reviews to acquire new customers and retain existing ones.

In today’s world, online customer reviews act as positive word-of-mouth. Over 90% of consumers rely on online reviews when deciding where to service their vehicle – and 88% trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations. Online reviews not only help set the tone for your shop’s overall reputation, but they also affect your business revenue and search engine optimization (SEO). With exceptional SEO, you will increase your shop’s visibility and outrank your competitors on search results.

Google and other search engines rank websites and businesses based on their credibility and trustworthiness. Google trusts the power of word-of-mouth marketing, just like consumers, and will evaluate quality, quantity and recentness of online reviews to determine your search ranking. That means businesses with a large number of 5-star ratings will get a higher position on search results and more clicks to their website.

Bad Review? No Problem! Mitchell 1 has you covered!

So, what happens if your shop gets a bad Google Review? How should you handle it? You can ask the reviewer to remove the review, but that’s not likely to happen. You can go through Google’s deletion process, but that’s likely to take a while.

Managing bad Google reviews is not about simply deleting the review; that doesn’t help anyone. It’s about recognizing the customer’s concern, resolving it, and having the customer share that resolved experience with everyone. So how can you accomplish this? Our SocialCRM shop marketing service can help mitigate those bad review concerns.

Leveraging the Power of Google ReScore®

SocialCRM now includes an exclusive new feature within its LocalSearch program that gives you a surefire way to handle those bad reviews. It’s called Google ReScore® and it empowers shop owners to transform those not-so-great reviews into positive customer experiences. It’s a win-win for both the shop and the customer!

Using the SureCritic™ review service, shops can easily link to their Google My Business page to create a seamless connection for managing their Google reviews directly through their SureCritic dashboard.

Shop owners will be able to respond to every Google review. If they get a bad one, they can send a ReScore® request directly to the customer, asking them for an updated review. Once the updated review is received, the new review will replace the bad review online.

The shop will benefit from a positive customer experience and a higher Google rating. Plus, every customer who views the shop’s Google Business Profile would only see the updated positive review.

The Google ReScore® feature is only one of many among the SocialCRM Google Optimization Suite.

Learn more about the entire suite HERE.

Ensuring Credibility with Verified Reviews 

So how can you help protect your shop from fake reviews? It all starts with collecting reviews that have been verified because many review sites allow manipulation through submissions of anonymous reviews, deletion of poor reviews and other tactics.

As a partner with SureCritic for 10+ years, Mitchell 1’s SocialCRM shop marketing program recognizes that this company is among the best resources for verified reviews. Our SureCritic-powered customer review program will give you peace of mind that your customer reviews are credible.

SureCritic’s verified customer reviews provide a “seal of approval” by including the customer name, transaction date, and vehicle information to validate the authenticity. Review requests are sent from the business’ point-of-sale system to ensure each review is from an actual customer, not a bot. That way you know that each 5-star review is earned.

This seal of approval provides credibility among those reading the review, and at the same time, increases your shop’s overall star rating.

How to Generate More Reviews from Customers

SocialCRM helps your shop generate Google reviews through “smart emails” sent on your shop’s behalf as part of a recurring targeted campaign, or RTC. Every time your happy customers give you a 4- or 5-star review (using the SureCritic.com review service), they also automatically receive an email encouraging them to write a review of your business on Google.

The email also includes a link to your shop’s Google Business page. So, as you’re building your shop’s reputation through positive reviews, you’re also increasing your Internet visibility with additional traffic to your Google page.

Getting More Value out of Consumer Reviews

As the influence of consumer reviews continues to grow, there are some less-than-obvious benefits worth your attention. These hidden benefits have great value but are completely free. Here are some tips for getting added value out of your consumer reviews:

• Add your review testimonials to your website. Relevant, real-time content helps search engines find your business.
• Content is king, and review content is the best content. The velocity of the reviews collected influences your search visibility, collecting more reviews faster – via phone calls – is a smart way to go.
• Promote your services in your review responses. Because your response will be read by other consumers, why not take the opportunity to tell them why your business is different, such as free Wi-Fi, loaner vehicles, or a comfortable waiting area?
• Respond to a few positive reviews through your review site service, such as Mitchell 1’s SureCritic feature. This gives you the ability to respond to positive reviews on your dashboard by thanking customers for their kind comments. It also gives your business a personality for anyone reading the reviews later, and it nurtures your customer relationships.

By actively soliciting all your customers for verified reviews, you will have a better picture of your customer satisfaction and earn credibility among potential consumers. Above all, your business will get a higher star review rating, so you can acquire new customers and retain existing ones to help grow your business fast.

About SocialCRM:

SocialCRM marketing services automate auto repair shop marketing, reputation management, social media and customer communication efforts to help retain existing customers and acquire new ones. Services include state-of-the-art shop marketing tools including targeted promotions, mobile-friendly email campaigns, verified customer reviews, professional website development, Internet search optimization, social media marketing services, and Google Ad campaigns. You’ll be assigned a SocialCRM support agent dedicated to making sure your shop gets maximum results.

To learn more about SocialCRM and get a free demo, please visit https://mitchell1.com/alt-socialcrm/index.html.