Google reviews for your property have become an important need to help in gaining trusts that bring more and more new clients to your doorstep.
While most property managers would prefer buying Google reviews in order to increase the online presence of their businesses, genuine reviews from a satisfied tenant or client are the only surefire way to make long-term success.
Some of the best ways to generate a lot of positive feedback on your Google My Business profile include providing great customer service, asking for reviews at the right time, and using tools that make it quick and easy for customers to review your business.
Each of these methods will be discussed in this blog post as a way you can make an improvement to your online reputation.
Best Practices to Increase Your Google Property Reviews
In today’s competitive field of property management, success is in great part dependent on eliciting a continued stream of positive Google reviews. Reviews are directly related to the decision-making process that every potential renter or client decides to engage in with the services concerned.
A property boasting a great number of positive reviews is perceived as being trusted, professional, and trustworthy to a much greater degree. Although buying reviews on Google might seem a great option to some, believing that this will immediately enhance their reputation, the fact remains that real reviews from satisfied tenants or clients matter a lot in order to achieve long-term success.
This blog discusses some effective property review improvement strategies on Google that shall help one enhance his or her online reputation.
1. Deliver Exceptional Customer Service
Success in review generation begins with great customer service. It is natural that happy tenants and property owners are more inclined to leave positive reviews. Make sure you and your team answer questions in a timely manner, fix problems fast, and are very communicative in general.
Whether this involves maintenance requests or answering queries about contracts, an easy tenant experience lays trust and encourages them to share their experience on Google.
Also, small, considerate actions will make a difference, such as sending welcome packages to new tenants or holding community events. It pays off when small acts of kindness get reciprocated through positive reviews.
2. Timing of the Request
Timing is everything in asking for a review. The ideal time to make a request for a review is when the tenant or client is at their happiest with your services.
You may request a review after resolving a maintenance issue amicably or after a very successful leasing experience. This will get them at a point where they will be very willing to give positive reviews.
To make this even easier, automate requests for reviews at the end of a transaction or service. Many property management software tools will enable you to send automated emails or text messages to clients, requesting that they leave feedback directly on your Google profile.
3. Simplify the Review Process
Make it as easy as possible for your client or tenant to leave a review. If leaving a review is a hassle, people aren’t going to do it. Provide them with a direct link to your Google My Business page and include the steps for leaving a review in your communication.
To make this easier, consider embedding the Google review link into your email signature and newsletters, or even onto the leasing agreement. Create a QR code that can be scanned by tenants, which directs them to the review page.
The easier you make things for clients, the more probable they are of leaving feedback.
4. Ask Long-Term Tenants to Leave Reviews
Longstanding tenants and clients who have experienced various touchpoints of your service make great targets for in-depth positive reviews. They have had ample time to appreciate the way you manage your properties, customer service, and responsiveness.
Do not be afraid to reach out to them requesting a review, especially if they have expressed satisfaction with your services in the past. A well-structured e-mail campaign that targets these long-term clients with a friendly reminder can yield numerous valuable reviews.
For example, you could email tenants who have stayed in your property for over six months and thank them for their loyalty. You could also ask them to share their positive experience on Google.
Their reviews would be most appreciated since it is based on a prolonged interaction with your property.
5. Encourage Reviews without Violating Google’s Policy
While encouraging reviews is important, there are pretty hard and fast rules with Google about offering incentives in exchange for positive reviews. However, some creative ways around this will allow you to encourage reviews without violating these rules.
Offer them a chance to get into a raffle or some other give-away, but make sure they understand that the reward is not hinged on a positive review, just a review.
For instance, you can run a quarterly giveaway where tenants who leave a review get automatically entered to win a gift card or discount of rent. This creates some sort of excitement and lifts participation without placing pressure on tenants to leave particularly positive reviews.
6. Respond to Reviews—Positive and Negative
Engagement with reviews is part of maintaining your Google My Business profile. It shows that responding to both positive and negative reviews proves that you value the experiences of your tenants and are willing to take their concerns into consideration.
Responding to positive ones with a thank you shows appreciation for the feedback the tenant has given, while negative reviews can serve to mitigate damage if responded to with empathy and the commitment to resolve the issue at hand and may even turn a dissatisfied tenant into a satisfied one regarding your service.
For example, if a tenant leaves a negative review about a maintenance delay, you can respond by acknowledging the problem, apologizing for the inconvenience, and outlining the steps you’re taking to make sure that it won’t happen again.
This type of transparency and accountability can help you regain trust and show prospective clients that you handle problems professionally.
7. Utilize Online Review Management Tools
Manual management is overwhelming for anyone managing more than a few properties. Review management tools will provide you with a number of features that make aggregation across platforms easier, as well as automating review requests and new feedback notifications.
Review management tools help you respond to reviews in a faster and more efficient manner, keep track of your online reputation, and actually remind you to ask tenants for feedback at the right moments.
Automation of review requests can be done through services like Podium or Birdeye for many property management companies. These not only save you time but more often than not result in your getting more reviews, as tools have consistency in how and when you ask for feedback.
8. Create a Culture of Reviews
Encouraging your residents and customers to review your business should be part of your corporate culture. Let his or her staff know that positive reviews mean everything to the success of your property management business, and that everyone is working for a review-worthy experience.
Add review goals to your meeting agendas, educate employees on ‘how’ to ask for a review, and acknowledge or reward team members who create consistent, positive reviews.
By making reviews a priority of your entire team, you ensure that every interaction with a tenant has the potential to result in positive feedback. This review culture also makes asking for feedback something natural in the course of doing business.
Final Thoughts
To improve visibility and reputation for your property, consistently generating positive Google reviews is paramount. From offering superior customer service to making the review process easier, there are quite a few ways you can increase your Google reviews.
Keeping your online presence positive is achievable by focusing on long-term renters, asking for reviews in a timely manner, and responding to feedback. Review management tools streamline the process, freeing up time.
If you need that little extra push, then sites like Buyreviewz kick-start things for you by offering reviews that enhance the credibility of your profile, thus affording you a head start which is much needed in an increasingly competitive market.
