Do you already encourage happy customers to leave some love on your online profiles? If you don’t have a process to request reviews, you must develop one in 2019 to remain competitive and enhance your digital reputation.  

More than 95 percent of business owners believe online reputations are critical for success, and as many as 98 percent say reviews are important. Knowing when to ask for a review for your Google My Business page or another profile can help you improve home improvement reputation management efforts in 2019 without negatively impacting your business. 

Obviously, you shouldn’t ask for reviews if your customer didn’t appear happy with services or products you provided. If the customer is pleased, however, don’t be shy about asking. Here are certain times during 2019 when a review request might be appropriate (and the customer delighted to comply): 

• When the homeowner tags your home improvement company in a social media post that shows off new enhancements to their windows or home  
• When a previous customer refers another homeowner to your business 
• When a homeowner buys additional products or arranges for new services after you’ve completed a job for them 
• When someone praises your staff or services in an email or on the phone 
• When someone appears to be revisiting your site or browsing products on your website after making a previous purchase of goods or services 

In 2019, you should typically point customers to Google first for reviews. The majority of people read Google reviews more often than reviews on other sites. Plus, more positive reviews on your Google My Business page will bolster your SEO position with the search engine. 

As you plan for 2019 home improvement reputation management efforts, make sure everyone on your team knows when it’s a good idea to ask for online reviews.

(Note: Monitoring your business’s online reputation is a requirement for success in the digital age. Try our free Review Scan now for an instant reputation report on your business.)