It’s February, and that means it is the month to show love and appreciation for the people (or businesses) in our lives!

Did you know that 89% of consumers read online reviews before choosing a business to work with?

Encourage your happy customers to share the love this month by leaving your business an online review about the work you did for them. Not only will they be helping you, but also other consumers who want to do their research before choosing a business to spend their money with.

It’s easier than you might think to get online reviews from your customers:

• Just ask. Over half of customers who are asked to leave a review will follow through and do so. It certainly never hurts to try so asking for a review is the perfect place to start.
• Make it easy. Provide your customers with a QR code they can simply scan that will direct them right to your Google listing so they can leave a review in one simple step. The easier it is for your busy customers to leave you a review, the more likely they are to actually do it.
• Respond. That’s right, after a customer takes the time to leave you a review, be sure to respond to it. This not only shows the reviewer how thankful you are for their feedback, but it shows searchers reading the review the character of your company. Just over a third of businesses respond to the reviews their customers leave them, so make yourself stand out by taking this quick, but important, step.

If you don’t feel comfortable asking in person, then consider sending a quick automated text after your happy customer’s service and ask them to leave an online review about their experience.

Whatever method of obtaining reviews works best for your business, make it a priority. Consumers want to show love to businesses that work hard for them, so this month is the perfect time to implement a plan for obtaining more online reviews.

​For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, subscribe to the FreshLime Newsletter here. Connect with Jay Bean, CEO and Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter. And last of all, if any of these tips have helped you or if you have anything to add please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!