photo by Urupong via iStock
As we all know, your online presence can make or break your photography business in 2021, in all but the smallest of towns. Since your online presence is so important, you likely understand how frustrating it is to get just one bad review, since one bad review can throw a 5-star rating way off if you don’t have a lot of reviews.
So, to prevent this from happening to your business, and to make sure that your online presence remains pristine, you’re going to need to learn how to get more online reviews. I mean, think about it. A one-star review won’t hurt your reputation as bad if you have dozens or even hundreds of other five-star reviews.
The issue is that learning how to get more online reviews is really difficult. In a way, figuring out how to get customers to write reviews is way harder than any other sales aspects of photography, since there really isn’t anything in it for them.
With the photography business tips in this article, I hope to teach you how to get online reviews for your business so that you keep your business looking excellent online.
Ask for Them
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One of the hardest ways to learn how to get more online reviews is to learn how to simply ask for them. If people are genuinely happy with the services that you provided to them, they’ll usually be more than happy to oblige this simple request.
When I was first learning how to get more online reviews, I found that it was definitely most effective to ask my clients for reviews in person. So, after the last photoshoot has been wrapped up, or after the last deliverable has been handed over, I would take just two minutes to ask for an online review. This is also helpful because it lets me target where I want more reviews, since there are now so many websites that offer this service.
Of course, if you’re a little bit more shy, you may be more comfortable asking people via email. Figuring out how to get good reviews doesn’t have to be a terribly awkward experience. Just don’t let yourself forget to follow up.
Respond to Your Reviews
photo by Omar Osman via iStock
One of the easiest ways to learn how to get more online reviews is to respond to all of the reviews you already have online.
I’m sure you’ve seen other small businesses doing this before...no matter how positive or negative their reviews are, they take the time to personally respond to each and every one of them. Since the review process can feel so impersonal, this helps reassure people that they are genuinely helping out a small business by leaving a review.
You’ll never learn how to get more online reviews if your clients think that you don’t care about getting reviews that much. So, take five minutes everyday to respond to any reviews that have been left on the major reviewing websites, like Yelp and Google.
Learn More:
Use Your Social Media Accounts
photo by VioletaStoimenova via iStock
One of the fastest ways to learn how to get more online reviews is to use channels that you have pre-established. If you are already using Facebook and Instagram religiously to talk to your clients, then it makes a lot of sense that you would tell them about your review campaign here as well.
Of course, you don’t want to be overbearing on your social media accounts, so keep this in mind when you are building out your social media calendar. However, two or three posts over a week long period asking for reviews is totally reasonable.
You can even make it a little more rewarding for your clients and turn it into a raffle. For instance, if you want all of your followers to leave your business a review on Yelp, then you can give away a free mini-session to one of your followers who does so. This extra incentive could go a long way, and ultimately, help you learn how to get more online reviews.
Put Extra Effort Into Your Photoshoots
photo by AleksandarNakic via iStock
I’ve talked to photographers before who couldn’t figure out how to get more online reviews. And, after speaking to them for a short amount of time, it was easy to see that they weren’t getting reviews because they weren’t putting any extra effort into making their clients love their experience.
No matter how much you beg and plead for reviews, people aren’t going to be doing much for you if they didn’t think that you went above and beyond for them. Customers need to be absolutely amazed by your customer service, by their experience, and by the photos they ultimately receive.
This could look very different, depending upon the type of shooting that you’re doing. But, just think about what your clients are looking for and what would make them smile.
Make It Easy
The best way to learn how to get more online reviews is to simply make it as easy as possible for your customers to do. I’ve personally loved the service I received from a small business and assured the owner that I was going to follow up by leaving an online review for them and completely failed to do so because life got in the way and I forgot about it.
This is why I swear by Podium Reviews. Podium Reviews automates the entire reviewing process so that you never have to think about it again. By automating this service, you can stop stressing out about it and you’ll still bring in more reviews than you ever have before.
Podium simply sends a text message to your clients after their services have been completed with a link to whatever review website you want to use and asks for a review. Unlike email, text messages actually get opened and I’ve been amazed at how well this worked for me.
It’s important to note here that Podium is not a free service, but they are offering a free trial for PhotographyTalk members so that you can figure out whether or not it’s something you need for your business.
Learn More:
- No-Contact Photography Business Tools You Should Continue to Use
- Free Ways to Boost Your Photography Business