customer reviews

Three Tools to Vitalize Your Prospect Genius Campaign

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

Want more add-on options for your Prospect Genius campaign? Looking for ways to get more bang for your buck? Then, keep reading—because we have some great options for you.
As you know, we’re committed to growing with our clients. We aren’t interested in quick fixes. Instead, we want long-term visibility and lead generation for you. That’s why we’re always evaluating our service offerings and updating them to fit our clients’ evolving needs.
As such, we’re excited to discuss three tools that can give your campaign a boost and take your business to the next level. Not all of them are new to our catalog of services, but they’re all increasingly relevant to today’s online marketing demands.
Ready to discover the new directions your online marketing campaign can take you? Let’s jump in!

1. Get More Jobs by Answering More Calls

Already seeing some success with incoming leads? Capture more of what’s already coming to you by taking advantage of our partnership with Professional Answering Service, Inc. Working with this business answering service will help you turn more of those leads into paying customers because it will significantly decrease the number of calls you miss.
As noted by an article in Forbes, close to 80% of callers won’t leave a voice mail if their call is missed, which likely means they’re giving up on that particular business and moving on to a competitor. The key is not to let your incoming calls go to voice mail. Professional Answering Service, Inc. will help you do this.
Prospect Genius recently announced a new partnership with Professional Answering Service, Inc. to help our clients win more customers. When you’re out on a job or you’re away from your desk for the weekend, the staff at Professional Answering Service, Inc. will be able to:

Answer calls on your behalf
Represent your business professionally
Take messages
Schedule appointments
Answer basic customer questions
And more!

Best of all, our partnership provides an exclusive discount for Prospect Genius clients! Professional Answering Service, Inc. will be reaching out to all of our clients soon to see if you’re interested in their help, so keep an eye out. And if you have any questions about their services, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’d love to make it easier for you to land more jobs!

2. Increase Your Visibility by Thinking Outside the Search Box

What if we told you a substantial number of local business searches never even make it to Google? It’s true. People are increasingly crowdsourcing on social media before they ever turn to search engines. They’re asking their network of friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances for personal recommendations for everything from landscapers to hair salons to pediatricians. They’d rather choose a business based on a recommendation from someone they know than take a chance on a business they’ve never heard of.
This is where having an active social media presence is crucial for your business. If people are making recommendations for local businesses on Facebook, for example, they’ll want to tag you so their friend can see your page right away. It saves prospective customers a few extra steps in the search process and makes it easier for them to discover you. And anything that makes it easier for prospective customers to find you should always be at the top of your to-do list.
To help you with your social media outreach, Prospect Genius offers a few different options:

SocialStart—If you don’t have any social media pages at all, we’ll set them up for you and create attractive profiles that will impress prospective customers.
SocialStream—We create compelling and valuable blog content on your behalf and share it across your social media channels. As a result, prospective customers will see you’re engaged with your audience and knowledgeable about your industry.
SocialBuzz—We keep you active and engaged on social media by posting weekly updates on your behalf. These brief posts cover your hobbies, interests, local news, and other topics that highlight the personality behind your business.
Paid Facebook Ads—We’ll target your ads according to specific topics and interests. Then, Facebook will display your ads on the news feeds of matching users. In other words, your ads will be placed right in front of prospective customers!

Interested in expanding your visibility with the help of social media? Give us a call for more details.

3. Improve Your Reputation by Getting More Customer Reviews

As we mentioned above, people almost always look for recommendations from previous customers before they commit to a business. And if they can’t find personal recommendations from people they know in real life, they’ll turn to online reviews. A 2016 survey by BrightLocal supports this. According to its findings, 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as recommendations from friends.
Needless to say, most people do their research before hiring a business. So if you don’t provide your prospective customers with adequate information about why they should hire you, you’ll miss out on lots of potential business.
That’s precisely why customer reviews are so crucial. On top of that, your local Google listing is directly affected by your customer reviews. How? Google now displays your business’s “average” star rating as soon as the first review is posted on your listing. You obviously don’t want your star rating determined by just one or two reviews, so it’s in your best interest to accumulate as many reviews as possible.
To achieve this, we recommend signing up with a company like Customer Lobby. Customer Lobby is a service that will contact past customers for reviews on your behalf, integrate those reviews with your website and social media, and even help you add them to your Google listing. We use Customer Lobby for our own marketing efforts, and we’ve had a great experience with the automated process. We barely have to lift a finger.

Get the Biggest Bang for Your Buck!

Now that you’ve already invested in an online marketing campaign from Prospect Genius, why not get the most out of it that you can? By adding any of the above tools to your campaign, your business will take off in new and exciting ways.
Reach out to us today to find out more!

Keep a Close Eye on Your Google Star Rating

Last Updated: March 30, 2017

Be on the lookout for any changes to your Google star rating!
Seeking to provide a valuable user experience, Google has long highlighted customer reviews and star ratings on its business listings. However, Google has altogether changed the way it determines and displays a business’s star rating.
Of course, it’s still based on customer reviews, but it now only requires a single review. Previously, Google wouldn’t generate a star rating until a business had at least five customer reviews. This change means a star rating, which displays right next to your business name, will appear even if you only have one customer review.
This could be good or bad for your business, depending on the review. If your only review is four stars, then your business will have a four-star rating on Google. Not too shabby, right? But if your only review is from a disgruntled customer who gave you a one-star review, your business won’t look so good. Most people would agree that a one-star rating is worse than no star rating at all.
At the risk of sounding melodramatic, a single customer review now has the ability to make or break your reputation on Google.
So how can you protect your online reputation from the whims of a single customer? By minimizing the impact of any one review. You do this by having lots of customer reviews. For suggestions on getting reviews, check out “How to Get More Customer Reviews Just by Asking for Them.”
For extra credit, take a look at Adam Heitzman’s article on Search Engine Journal for more details about Google’s policy change: “Google Reduces Star Rating Threshold: Why Businesses Should Take Notice.”

How You Can Use Word of Mouth to Edge Out the Competition

Last Updated: March 9, 2017

Does it feel like David vs. Goliath out there for your small business?
Big companies may be able to outspend you on ad campaigns and merchandising, but there are areas where ad spend has no power. One such area is word of mouth. Glowing reviews and personal referrals are just as good as—if not better than—any marketing money can buy. As long as you consistently deliver satisfying products and/or services, there will inevitably be some chatter about you. Your customers will mention you in conversation and may even give your name when asked for a referral.
In other words, big companies may have a leg up on spending, but no one has a monopoly on customer satisfaction.
Here’s how you can leverage word of mouth and give your small business the competitive edge it needs.

Online Reviews Are the New Word of Mouth

It’s easy to spread word of mouth through the digital grapevine. With the prominence of online communities like Facebook, Yelp, HomeAdvisor, Angie’s List, and even Google Maps, word travels fast.
Online, word of mouth exists in the form of customer reviews. You can establish your brand reputation just by delivering a memorable experience that customers will want to write about.

READ: How to Get More Customer Reviews Just by Asking for Them

Whether they’re on your social media pages or your directory listings, customer reviews are like word of mouth from strangers. In fact, a recent study revealed that 84% of people trust online reviews as much as recommendations from their friends. So if you’re a small business owner, all you have to do is wow your customers and ask them to leave you reviews online. The reviews will speak for themselves, as long as you have enough of them.
Here are some tricks to help you get started on collecting enough customer reviews:

Use an on-page feedback form or button right on your website.
Ask the customer directly during your interactions, and mention which site (e.g. Facebook, Yelp, etc.) you prefer them to use.
Send reminders in follow-up e-mails and even invoices.
Offer incentives for leaving a review, like coupons or small freebies.

Old-Fashioned Word of Mouth Still Works, Too

While the dynamics of social media and online interactions change, people are still the same. They still want to hear from friends and family—people they trust—about their personal recommendations.
For instance, when looking for a team to install new windows, they’ll probably first turn to anyone they know who recently had a home renovation. Failing that, they’ll probably use Facebook, a virtual megaphone, to shout from the rooftop and ask for all of their online friends’ recommendations. Think about it: You’ve probably seen at least one friend on Facebook do that this week.
At the same time, people are often looking out for each other. If they recently had a positive experience with any business from a roofing contractor to a new restaurant in town, they’re likely to speak up if they think one of their friends or family members would appreciate it, too.
However, you can further encourage them to speak up by directly asking for referrals. Here are some of our suggestions:

Ask customers at the beginning of your working relationship so they unconsciously keep an eye out for things they like about you.
Offer referral bonuses and incentives, like giving customers a discount on their next purchase when they refer a friend.
Surprise customers with unexpected freebies and other perks that keep them happy and wanting to gush about you.
Make referrals easy by providing customers with a clear form to fill out. Minimizing guesswork or confusion will make them much more likely to follow through with a referral.

A Positive Experience Is Invaluable

Ultimately, leaving customers with a positive experience and a good impression is the best way to build your reputation.
Susan Ward of The Balance offers a simple guideline:

To get good word of mouth building about your small business, think about what makes up a pleasant customer experience in your case and make sure that all the elements that would contribute to such an experience are in their best shape.

When it comes to word of mouth, there’s no substitute for customer satisfaction. You’ll have the edge over the big guys by giving your customers the personal care, friendly service, and attention to detail only a small business can provide. Use this to your advantage! Give them an experience they’ll be raving about.

How to Get More Customer Reviews Just by Asking for Them

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

Your business can’t have an effective online presence if it doesn’t have any customer reviews.
Why? Because when people are hiring a new business, they want to be sure they’re making the right choice. Reading about other people’s experiences helps them decide which business will best align with their needs. They’ll be able to see which companies are pleasant to work with, which ones are punctual, which ones deliver good results, and so on.
In fact, a 2016 Local Consumer Review Survey by BrightLocal reports 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as recommendations from friends! And 74% say positive reviews make them trust a business more.
It’s one thing for your business to appear prominently all over Google Maps and local search results. It’s another thing for your business to actually grab customers’ attention and get them to hire you. Customer reviews help close this gap.
In short, if you want your business to stand out and appeal to local consumers—essentially making all of your online marketing efforts worthwhile—then you need to get more customer reviews for them to read.
The best way to get more customer reviews? Just ask for them! Keep reading to discover how.

How to Get More Customer Reviews Just by Asking for Them

Ask and You Shall Receive

Did you know? According to BrightLocal’s 2016 survey, 7 out of 10 people will leave a review for a business if they’re asked to. This is a super promising sign that you’ll be able to get the customer reviews you need, as long as you’re proactive.
When trying to get more customer reviews, keep these three tips in mind:

Ask customers directly.
Make leaving a review foolproof.
Act quickly before customers forget.

There are a lot of specific tactics you can use to ensure better responses from your past customers. Read “Make Your Presence Known: Get More Customer Reviews Online” for further suggestions!

How to Get More Customer Reviews in Five Easy Steps

First, identify your best customers—the ones who loyally come back to you, and the ones who you’re confident will give you a good review. These people are more likely to help you out.
Next, contact these select customers by phone or e-mail and ask them directly if they would please take a few minutes to leave you a review online. Tell them your preferred platforms. Google Maps, Facebook, and Yelp are best. This should give you an initial boost in your number of customer reviews.
Then, develop a plan for future customers so you can start getting a continuous flow of reviews. Add an on-page feedback tool to your website (available through Prospect Genius). This way, customers can write a review in one place and the tool can disseminate the review to other platforms.
In the future, ask customers at the very beginning of your service, before you’ve even started the job. Say, “If you’re happy with our work once we’re finished, please consider leaving us a review on Google.” This will plant the seed in their minds early on.
Finally, remind customers again as soon as the job is complete. Attach links to follow-up e-mails, mention it in follow-up phone calls, and even add it to the bottom of your invoices. Customers are more likely to leave you a review while the experience is still fresh in their minds.

If this sounds like too much work on your end, you may want to look into a service like Customer Lobby. An automated service that follows up with previous customers on your behalf, Customer Lobby can do all the legwork for you. Prospect Genius refrains from officially endorsing specific products and services; however, we can say we’ve had good experiences using Customer Lobby ourselves.

Get More Customer Reviews Now!

As we’ve explained previously, having a large number of customer reviews can potentially save your business. Not only is it good for your online reputation, but it’s also helpful for improving your local search performance.
So if you’ve already invested in any type of online advertising, it only makes sense to strengthen it and give it the best chance possible to succeed. By following our advice, you’ll be able to get more customer reviews online and increase your business’s appeal.
If you have any questions or need a little guidance, don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

Is Yelp's Review Filter Hiding Your Positive Reviews?

Last Updated: June 7, 2016

Are you like the countless other small business owners who have been feeling frustrated—to say the least—with Yelp’s review filter?
It’s okay if you are. Prospect Genius certainly is, too.
Half of the frustration comes from how much Yelp’s review filter obviously favors paid advertisers. The other half comes from how skillfully Yelp seems to be covering it up.

Have any of these happened to your business?

Some of your customers have left you positive reviews, but they’ve been filtered out and hidden from your page.
You don’t have many negative reviews, but for some strange reason, these are the reviews that don’t get filtered out.
Yelp has called and offered to “help” with those hidden reviews if you just sign up for their advertising services.

We don’t know about you, but something doesn’t feel quite right. Of course, Yelp refutes any favoritism towards businesses that pay for advertising versus those that don’t. In fact, Yelp has dedicated an entire “Advertiser FAQ” page to doing just that.
But are Yelp’s claims what they seem? Yelp certainly chooses its words carefully. Let’s take a closer look at a couple of these claims and find out.

1. Yelp Doesn’t “Remove” Reviews…

…But it does filter them out. And filtering is as good as removing them, because filtered reviews are completely hidden from your page.
We have heard from other small businesses that Yelp’s review filter has a tendency to hide negative reviews for paying advertisers and to hide positive reviews for those who aren’t paying.
Obviously, this isn’t an exact rule for popular businesses (like trendy restaurants) that have hundreds and hundreds of reviews. In those cases, the sheer volume of positive reviews wins out. But when a business has a smaller following and isn’t a brick-and-mortar establishment that attracts a lot of in-person visitors, the number of reviews is much smaller—which makes the review filter all the more potent.
For example, Prospect Genius used to have a Yelp page (which has since been deleted), and we ran into this exact problem. We had several five-star reviews, all of which were buried by the filter. Meanwhile, the one and only negative review was left front and center on our page, causing us to have a one-star rating. To make matters worse, the negative review was written by an individual who had also used his own name to write positive reviews for his own business. Isn’t Yelp’s review filter supposed to be cutting down on this kind of shady behavior?
And it’s not just us. We’ve spoken to numerous clients and other small business owners who have had strikingly similar experiences. We’ve even been told by multiple clients of ours that Yelp called them and offered to “help” with negative reviews if they would sign up for advertising services.
FYI: You can read any business’s filtered reviews by scrolling all the way to the bottom of the displayed reviews and clicking on the tiny, grey link that says something like, “23 other reviews that are not currently recommended.”

2. You Don’t Automatically Get “Five Stars” for Paying…

…But you probably won’t get fewer than three.
On its “Advertiser FAQ” page, Yelp says,

“If advertisers could control their reviews, then you’d expect them all to have perfect 5-star ratings on Yelp. Spoiler alert: They don’t.”

This is true. They don’t all have perfect, five-star ratings. But how often do you see a Yelp ad for a business with fewer than three stars?
Our theory is, when a business becomes a paying advertiser, Yelp filters out just enough of their negative reviews to give them a sufficiently favorable rating. Since filtered reviews don’t impact a business’s star rating, this would do the trick.
We tested our hunch by searching Google for Yelp advertiser listings. (You can try it yourself by using this search term: site:yelp.com/biz “yelp advertiser”.) We pored over 21 pages of results and counted how many Yelp advertisers had each star rating (1 through 5). To keep our data consistent with Yelp’s, we rounded up half-star ratings to the next whole star. So 3.5 stars became 4, 4.5 stars became 5, and so on.
The results may shock you, but they shouldn’t. Out of a total 210 Yelp advertisers, 202 of them had ratings of 3 or more stars. That’s 96%.
Here’s a breakdown of our findings:

Our data shows Yelp advertisers overwhelmingly receive high ratings:

5 stars: 79%
4 stars: 16%
3 stars: 1%
2 stars: 0%
1 star: 1%
Hidden: 2%

Now compare this with data from Yelp’s fact sheet, which accounts for all businesses, not just advertisers:

5 stars: 44%
4 stars: 23%
3 stars: 11%
2 stars: 7%
1 star: 15%

When you take a look at all businesses, the distribution of star ratings seems a bit more even. What does that tell you?

Conclusion: It Pays to Pay

We obviously aren’t privy to the algorithm of Yelp’s review filter or what its sales team’s strategy looks like, but we do know that Yelp’s paid advertisers appear to have unlocked the secret to success. Statistically speaking, you’re more likely to get a good rating on Yelp if you become an advertiser.

Prospect Genius

Keep a Close Eye on Your Google Star Rating

Is Yelp's Review Filter Hiding Your Positive Reviews?

1. Yelp Doesn’t “Remove” Reviews…

2. You Don’t Automatically Get “Five Stars” for Paying…

Conclusion: It Pays to Pay

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