The Power of Reviews: Leveraging Customer Feedback for Growth

March 28, 2024

by Bridget Winfrey with No Comment Digital Marketing Local Marketing

Today’s consumers heavily rely on online research before making purchasing decisions. The significance of customer reviews cannot be overstated. These reviews serve as a vital source of information, offering insights into the quality of products, services, and overall customer experiences. Whether it’s choosing a restaurant, booking a hotel, or purchasing a product, reviews play a pivotal role in shaping consumer perceptions and influencing buying behavior.

For lawn mower and tractor dealerships, customer reviews hold even greater importance. In an industry where trust, reliability, and product quality are paramount, leveraging customer feedback can significantly impact growth and success. With the rise of online shopping and the increasing emphasis on local SEO, reviews have emerged as powerful tools for dealership marketing.

This blog post will delve into the multifaceted role of customer reviews in driving growth for lawn mower and tractor dealerships. We’ll explore the importance of reviews for local SEO and Google Business Profile ranking, uncover strategies for generating positive reviews, and discuss best practices for managing online reputation effectively. Through real-life case studies and examples, we’ll showcase how dealerships can harness the power of customer feedback to enhance credibility, attract new customers, and ultimately drive sustainable growth in the digital age. So, let’s dive in and discover the transformative potential of reviews in shaping the success of dealership businesses.

Why Customer Reviews Matter

Customer reviews are more than just testimonials; they serve as powerful tools for businesses to establish credibility, influence consumer decisions, shape brand reputation, and even impact their online visibility. Let’s explore the multifaceted reasons why customer reviews hold such significant importance in today’s digital landscape:

Establishing credibility & trustworthiness:

Customer reviews provide authentic insights into the experiences of past buyers, helping prospective customers gauge the reliability and trustworthiness of a dealership.
Positive reviews act as endorsements, reassuring potential buyers that they can expect quality products and exceptional service.
By showcasing a track record of positive feedback, dealerships can differentiate themselves from competitors and build a reputation as a trusted authority in the industry.

Influence on consumer purchasing decisions:

Studies have consistently shown that consumers heavily rely on reviews when making purchasing decisions. A majority of shoppers read reviews before making a purchase, and positive reviews can sway their choices.
Reviews offer social proof, validating the quality and value of products or services in the eyes of potential buyers.
Conversely, negative reviews can deter prospective customers, highlighting areas of concern or dissatisfaction and prompting them to explore alternatives.

Impact on brand reputation and perception:

Customer reviews contribute significantly to shaping a dealership’s brand reputation and overall perception in the market.
A consistently positive stream of reviews can enhance brand image, positioning the dealership as a reputable and customer-focused business.
Conversely, negative reviews or a lack of reviews can tarnish a dealership’s reputation, casting doubt on its credibility and causing potential customers to question its reliability.

The importance of reviews for local SEO & Google Business Profile:

In addition to their influence on consumer behavior, reviews play a crucial role in local search engine optimization (SEO) efforts.
Google and other search engines consider factors such as the quantity, quality, and recency of reviews when determining a business’s local search ranking.
Positive reviews not only enhance a dealership’s visibility in local search results but also improve its ranking on Google Business Profile, increasing its chances of being discovered by potential customers in the area.

Customer reviews are invaluable assets for lawn mower and tractor dealerships, serving as pillars of credibility, driving consumer purchasing decisions, shaping brand reputation, and boosting local SEO performance. By recognizing the importance of reviews and actively soliciting and managing feedback, dealerships can leverage this potent tool to foster growth, attract new customers, and cultivate long-term success.

The Importance of Reviews for Local SEO

Customer reviews play a pivotal role in the realm of local search engine optimization (SEO), significantly influencing a dealership’s online visibility and search ranking. Let’s explore why reviews are crucial for local SEO and how they can impact a dealership’s digital presence:

Reviews contribute to local SEO efforts:

Customer reviews provide valuable signals to search engines about a dealership’s relevance, credibility, and authority within a specific geographic area.
Search algorithms consider various factors when determining local search rankings, and reviews are among the key signals that indicate a dealership’s prominence and trustworthiness in local markets.
Positive reviews not only signal to search engines that a dealership offers quality products and services but also indicate customer satisfaction, which is vital for local SEO success.

Google’s emphasis on customer feedback in determining search rankings:

Google, the leading search engine, places significant emphasis on customer feedback, including reviews, when determining local search rankings.
Google’s algorithms prioritize businesses with a high volume of positive reviews, as they are more likely to deliver a positive experience to searchers.
The quantity, quality, and recency of reviews all factor into Google’s ranking algorithms, highlighting the importance of actively managing and soliciting customer feedback.

Correlation between reviews & local search visibility:

Dealerships with a robust portfolio of positive reviews often enjoy higher rankings in local search results, making them more visible to potential customers in their area.
Conversely, dealerships with limited or negative reviews may struggle to rank prominently in local searches, potentially losing out on valuable visibility and traffic.

Strategies for encouraging & managing customer reviews to enhance local SEO performance:

Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, and Facebook, emphasizing the importance of their feedback in supporting the dealership’s growth.
Implement review generation strategies, such as email campaigns, post-purchase follow-ups, and incentives for leaving feedback, to increase the volume of reviews.
Monitor and respond to customer reviews promptly, addressing both positive and negative feedback to demonstrate responsiveness and commitment to customer satisfaction.
Leverage review management tools and platforms to streamline the process of soliciting, monitoring, and managing customer reviews, ensuring consistency and effectiveness in local SEO efforts.

Customer reviews are integral to local SEO success, serving as powerful signals of a dealership’s relevance, credibility, and customer satisfaction in local markets. By understanding the importance of reviews and implementing strategies to encourage and manage customer feedback effectively, dealerships can enhance their local search visibility, attract more customers, and ultimately drive business growth in their communities.

Leveraging Google Business Profile Reviews

Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business) is a cornerstone of local online presence for businesses, including lawn mower and tractor dealerships. Understanding how to leverage customer reviews within this platform can significantly impact a dealership’s visibility, credibility, and ultimately, its growth. Let’s explore the various aspects of leveraging Google Business Profile reviews:

Google Business Profile and its significance for local businesses:

Google Business Profile is a free tool provided by Google that allows businesses to manage their online presence across Google Search and Maps.
It serves as a digital storefront, providing essential information such as dealership address, contact details, business hours, and customer reviews.
For local businesses like lawn mower and tractor dealerships, a well-optimized Google Business Profile is essential for attracting local customers and driving foot traffic to the dealership.

How customer reviews influence Google Business Profile ranking:

Customer reviews play a crucial role in determining a dealership’s ranking and visibility on Google Business Profile.
Google considers factors such as the quantity, quality, and recency of reviews when determining a business’s prominence in local search results.
Dealerships with a high volume of positive reviews are more likely to rank higher in local searches, making them more visible to potential customers in the area.

Tips for optimizing Google Business Profile for maximum review impact:

Claim and verify your dealership’s Google Business Profile to gain control over its content and ensure accuracy.
Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile by providing clear instructions and making the process as straightforward as possible.
Respond promptly to customer reviews, both positive and negative, to demonstrate engagement and a commitment to customer satisfaction.
Use high-quality images and detailed business information to enhance the overall appeal and credibility of your Google Business Profile.

Google Business Profile reviews are a powerful tool for lawn mower and tractor dealerships to enhance their online presence, attract local customers, and drive growth. By understanding the significance of Google Business Profile and implementing effective review management strategies, dealerships can leverage customer feedback to establish credibility, improve visibility, and ultimately, achieve business success.

Strategies for Generating Positive Reviews

Positive reviews are essential for building trust and credibility for lawn mower and tractor dealerships. Implementing effective strategies to generate positive reviews can significantly enhance the dealership’s online reputation and attract more customers. Here are some strategies to consider:

Providing excellent customer service & experiences:

Prioritize customer satisfaction by offering exceptional service and experiences at every touchpoint.
Train staff to be knowledgeable, helpful, and attentive to customer needs.
Go above and beyond to exceed customer expectations, leaving a lasting impression that prompts them to leave positive reviews.

Implementing proactive review generation tactics:

Actively solicit feedback from customers through follow-up emails, post-purchase surveys, or in-store feedback forms.
Incorporate calls-to-action on receipts, invoices, and marketing materials encouraging customers to leave reviews.
Leverage automation tools to streamline the review generation process and reach out to customers at the right time.

Encouraging satisfied customers to leave reviews through various channels:

Provide customers with multiple options for leaving reviews, including Google, Yelp, Facebook, and industry-specific review platforms.
Make it easy for customers to leave reviews by providing direct links and clear instructions.
Consider offering incentives or rewards for customers who take the time to leave feedback, such as discounts or entry into a prize draw.

Responding to reviews, both positive & negative, in a timely & professional manner:

Monitor review platforms regularly to stay informed of new reviews and feedback.
Respond promptly to all reviews, thanking customers for positive feedback and addressing any concerns or issues raised in negative reviews.
Keep responses professional, empathetic, and solution-oriented, demonstrating a commitment to customer satisfaction and continuous improvement.

Monitoring & Managing Online Reputation

Actively monitoring and managing online reputation is essential for lawn mower and tractor dealerships to maintain a positive brand image and effectively engage with customers. Here are key strategies for monitoring and managing online reputation:

Importance of actively monitoring and managing online reviews:

Online reviews have a significant impact on a dealership’s reputation and influence consumer purchasing decisions.
Actively monitoring reviews allows dealerships to stay informed of customer feedback, address concerns promptly, and maintain a positive online reputation.
Monitoring online reputation also provides insights into customer satisfaction levels and areas for improvement.

Tools and platforms for tracking and managing reviews efficiently:

Utilize review management tools and platforms, such as Google My Business, Yelp for Business Owners, and social media monitoring tools, to track and manage reviews efficiently.
These tools provide notifications of new reviews, allow for easy response management, and offer insights into review trends and sentiment.

Best practices for responding to negative reviews and turning them into opportunities for improvement:

Respond to negative reviews promptly and professionally, acknowledging the customer’s concerns and expressing a genuine desire to address them.
Take the conversation offline by providing contact information for further discussion and resolution.
Use negative reviews as learning opportunities to identify areas for improvement and implement necessary changes to prevent similar issues in the future.

Implementing effective strategies for generating positive reviews and monitoring and managing online reputation is essential for lawn mower and tractor dealerships to build trust, attract customers, and drive growth. By prioritizing customer satisfaction, actively soliciting feedback, and responding promptly and professionally to reviews, dealerships can cultivate a positive online presence and position themselves for long-term success.

Unlocking Growth Through Customer Feedback: A Path to Success for Dealerships

Customer feedback holds the key to unlocking growth and success for lawn mower and tractor dealerships. By harnessing the power of positive reviews and actively managing online reputation, dealerships can cultivate a strong brand presence, attract new customers, and foster long-term loyalty.

From establishing credibility and trustworthiness to influencing consumer purchasing decisions, customer reviews play a multifaceted role in shaping the success of dealerships. Moreover, their impact extends beyond mere customer perception, directly influencing local SEO efforts and Google Business Profile ranking.

By implementing strategies to generate positive reviews, such as providing exceptional customer service, actively soliciting feedback, and encouraging satisfied customers to share their experiences, dealerships can amplify their online presence and stand out in competitive markets.

Furthermore, effective reputation management practices ensure that dealerships can address customer concerns promptly, turn negative feedback into opportunities for improvement, and maintain a positive brand image.

Through proactive review generation, diligent monitoring of online reputation, and strategic response management, dealerships can navigate the digital landscape with confidence, driving growth, and cementing their position as trusted leaders in the industry.

Ultimately, by embracing customer feedback as a catalyst for growth, dealerships can forge stronger connections with their audience, cultivate a loyal customer base, and pave the way for sustained success in the ever-evolving digital marketplace.

7 Unconventional Ways to Generate Reviews for Your Lawnmower & Tractor Dealership

April 20, 2023

by Bridget Winfrey with No Comment Digital Marketing

As a lawnmower and tractor dealership, you know the importance of having positive customer reviews. In today’s digital age, online reviews can make or break your business. According to a survey conducted by BrightLocal, 92% of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase and 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. That’s why it’s crucial to have a strategy in place to generate reviews for your business.

While traditional methods of generating customer reviews, like sending follow-up emails or asking for reviews in-person, can be effective, there are also many unconventional ways to generate reviews that can help set your dealership apart from the competition. In this blog post, we’ll explore seven unconventional ways to generate reviews for your lawnmower and tractor dealership.

Host a Customer Appreciation Event

Hosting a customer appreciation event is a unique way to generate customer reviews, especially for lawnmower and tractor dealerships. These types of events can create a positive and fun atmosphere that encourages customers to engage with your dealership. A large number of dealerships do a Spring Demo Day or Field Day of some sort each year. You can use already scheduled events and sales as unique opportunities to generate reviews.

Consider hosting a BBQ, open house, or customer appreciation day where you offer special discounts and promotions. During the event, you can encourage customers to leave a review by providing them with a tablet or computer where they can easily leave their feedback. You could also offer incentives such as a raffle for leaving a review or a discount on their next purchase.

By creating a positive experience for your customers, you increase the likelihood that they will leave a positive review. Additionally, hosting an event can help you build stronger relationships with your customers and show them that you appreciate their business.

When planning your event, consider promoting it on your website and social media channels to attract more attendees. You can also send email invitations to your customer base to ensure that they are aware of the event.

Hosting a customer appreciation event is a great way to generate customer reviews and build strong relationships with your customers. By creating a positive experience and providing incentives, you can increase the likelihood that your customers will leave a review and help your dealership stand out in the online marketplace.

Use Video Testimonials

In addition to written reviews, video testimonials are a powerful tool to showcase your customers’ experiences with your dealership. Video testimonials allow customers to share their experiences in a more personal and engaging way, making them more impactful and credible.

To create video testimonials, consider asking satisfied customers if they would be willing to record a short video sharing their experience with your products and services. You can do this in person or remotely, depending on what works best for you and your customers. Some customers may feel more comfortable recording themselves, while others may prefer to record in person with a member of your team.

When creating video testimonials, keep them short and to the point. Encourage customers to share specific details about their experience, such as how your products or services helped them, or how your team went above and beyond to provide excellent service as well as the specific item(s) or services they purchased from your dealership. These details can help potential customers get a better sense of what it’s like to work with your dealership and can build trust and credibility.

Once you have recorded video testimonials, share them on your website, social media profiles and in email marketing campaigns. Consider creating a dedicated page on your website where customers can view all of your video testimonials in one place. This can help potential customers find the information they need to make an informed purchase decision and can help your dealership stand out from competitors.

Video testimonials are a great way to showcase your customers’ experiences and build trust and credibility with potential customers. By making the process as easy as possible for your customers, you can generate more video testimonials and create a strong online presence for your dealership.

Partner with a Local Influencer

Partnering with local influencers or bloggers can be a powerful way to generate customer reviews for your lawnmower and tractor dealership. These individuals have established followings and can help you reach a wider audience and build trust with potential customers.

To get started, research local influencers in your industry or niche who have an engaged following. Look for influencers who are active on social media and who have an audience that aligns with your target customer base. Some of my favorite in the Lawn Industry are OPE It’s Mow Time, The Lawn Whisperer and The Lawn Tools. Once you have identified potential influencers, reach out to them and offer them a free product or service in exchange for an honest review.

When working with influencers, it’s important to set clear expectations and guidelines for the review. Make sure the influencer understands your brand values and the key benefits of your products and services. Provide them with the necessary information and resources to create a thoughtful and informative review.

Once the review is posted, be sure to share it on your own social media channels and website. This can help to amplify the reach of the review and generate more visibility for your dealership. Additionally, consider offering a discount or promotion to customers who mention the influencer’s review when making a purchase.

Partnering with influencers can be a great way to build brand awareness and increase your dealership’s visibility. By leveraging the reach and influence of these individuals, you can generate more positive reviews and attract new customers to your business.

Partnering with local influencers or bloggers can be a powerful strategy for generating customer reviews for your lawnmower and tractor dealership. By building relationships with these individuals and providing them with a positive experience, you can generate more visibility and credibility for your business.

Gamify the Review Process

Gamifying the review process can be a unique and engaging way to encourage customers to leave feedback for your lawnmower and tractor dealership. By adding an element of fun and competition, you can incentivize customers to leave reviews and generate more positive feedback.

One way to gamify the review process is to offer a prize or discount to customers who leave a review. For example, you could offer a free oil change or a percentage off their next purchase for leaving a review. This provides customers with a tangible reward for their time and effort and can increase the likelihood that they will leave a review.

When gamifying the review process, it’s important to make sure that the rules and guidelines are clear and easy to understand. Be transparent about the prizes and rewards that are available and make sure that customers understand how to leave a review and how their participation will be tracked.

Additionally, make sure that the review process is easy and accessible for customers. Provide clear instructions on how to leave a review and consider providing a tablet or computer in-store where customers can easily leave feedback. Make it as simple and convenient as possible for customers to participate in the gamified review process.

By gamifying the review process, you can make leaving feedback a fun and engaging experience for your customers. This can help to increase participation and generate more positive reviews, ultimately building trust and credibility with potential customers.

Use SMS Marketing

SMS marketing can be an effective way to generate customer reviews for your lawnmower and tractor dealership. With a high open rate and fast response time, SMS messages can quickly reach customers and encourage them to leave feedback about their recent experience.

To use SMS marketing for review generation, start by identifying customers who have recently made a purchase or had a service appointment. This could be as simple as pulling a list of customers who have made a purchase within the last 30 days. Once you have identified these customers, craft a personalized message that thanks them for their recent business and asks for their feedback.

Make sure the message includes a direct link to the review platform of your choice, such as Google or Yelp. This makes it easy for customers to leave a review without having to search for your dealership’s page on their own. You could also consider offering a small incentive or discount to customers who leave a review, such as a percentage off their next purchase or a free service upgrade.

When using SMS marketing for review generation, it’s important to be respectful of customers’ time and privacy. Make sure the message is personalized and relevant to the customer and avoid sending too many messages in a short period of time. Additionally, make sure that customers have the option to opt-out of future SMS messages if they choose to do so.

Overall, SMS marketing can be a quick and convenient way to reach customers and encourage them to leave feedback about their experience with your dealership. By making it easy for customers to leave a review and offering a small incentive, you can increase the likelihood of generating positive reviews and building trust with potential customers.

You can send SMS Messages through platforms such as DealerAmp, that allow you to send a large number of personalized texts and emails at once.

Hire a Review Service

Hiring a review service to your customers can be a unique and effective way to generate reviews for your lawnmower and tractor dealership. By hiring a third-party review service, you can streamline the process of gathering feedback from customers and increase the likelihood of receiving positive reviews.

A review service can work by following up with customers after a purchase or service appointment and asking them to leave a review. This takes the burden off of your dealership’s staff and makes it easier for customers to leave feedback without feeling pressured or overwhelmed. Additionally, a review service can help to ensure that all customers are given the opportunity to leave a review, not just the ones who are most passionate (either positively or negatively) about their experience.

When choosing a review service, look for one that is reputable and has experience working with businesses in your industry such as DealerAmp. Make sure the service is transparent about their methods for generating reviews and that they adhere to ethical and legal guidelines. Additionally, make sure the service provides detailed reporting and analytics, so you can track your progress and make adjustments as needed.

One benefit of working with a review service is that it can help to ensure that your dealership is consistently receiving positive reviews. By using a third-party service to gather feedback, you can identify areas for improvement and make changes to your business practices as needed. This can help to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, ultimately leading to more positive reviews and word-of-mouth referrals.

Hiring a review service to your customers can be a unique and effective way to generate reviews for your lawnmower and tractor dealership. By streamlining the review process and working with a reputable review service, you can increase the likelihood of receiving positive reviews and building trust with potential customers.

Utilize User-Generated Content

User-generated content is a great way to not only generate customer reviews but also build brand awareness and create a sense of community around your dealership. By encouraging customers to share their experiences with your products and services on social media, you can showcase your products and services to a wider audience.

One way to encourage user-generated content is to create a branded hashtag and encourage customers to use it when sharing their posts on social media. This can help you track and monitor customer posts and easily share them on your dealership’s social media profiles.

You can also host a social media contest where customers can win prizes for sharing their photos or videos using your branded hashtag. This can help to increase participation and generate more user-generated content.

Sharing user-generated content on your dealership’s website and social media profiles can also help to build social proof and trust with potential customers. When customers see real people using and enjoying your products and services, they are more likely to trust your dealership and make a purchase.

In addition, sharing user-generated content can also help to build a sense of community around your dealership. When customers see that others are also using and enjoying your products and services, they may feel more connected to your dealership and be more likely to become repeat customers.

Incorporating user-generated content into your digital marketing strategy can be a powerful way to generate customer reviews, build brand awareness and create a sense of community around your dealership.

Take Action to Generate More Reviews for Your Lawnmower and Tractor Dealership Today!

Generating customer reviews is essential for the success of your lawnmower and tractor dealership. While traditional methods of generating reviews can be effective, don’t be afraid to think outside the box and try unconventional tactics to encourage customers to leave feedback. Hosting customer appreciation events, using video testimonials, partnering with local influencers, gamifying the review process, utilizing SMS marketing, Hiring a review service and utilizing user-generated content are all unique ways to generate reviews and build trust with potential customers.

By implementing these strategies, you can create a strong online presence and reputation, helping your dealership stand out from the competition and attract new customers. Remember, reviews are not just a way to boost your online reputation; they can also provide valuable feedback that can help you improve your products and services. So, get creative and start generating positive customer reviews today!

Maximizing Your Reputation: The Importance of Customer Reviews for Outdoor Power Equipment Dealerships & 5 Proven Strategies to Boost Them

February 2, 2023

by Bridget Winfrey with No Comment Digital Marketing Local Marketing

Why are Customer Reviews Important?

Customer reviews are essential for outdoor power equipment dealers as they can make or break a dealership’s reputation. Good reviews will help to build a dealership’s credibility, while bad reviews could damage your success. They are a powerful tool that provide valuable insights into customer experience, boosting credibility and visibility, and helping to build a strong reputation for the dealership.

The Benefits & Impact of Customer Reviews

Increased Visibility & Credibility: Customer reviews can help increase a dealership’s visibility and credibility by providing valuable content for the dealership’s website, social media, and review websites. This content can increase your dealerships online presence and help potential customers find your dealership more easily.

Positive reviews can improve the reputation of your dealership and attract new customers. Addressing negative reviews can help mitigate any damage to your dealership’s reputation.

Improved Search Engine Rankings Positive customer reviews can help improve your dealerships search engine rankings, making it easier for potential customers to find the dealership when searching for related keywords.

Reviews can provide additional, relevant and unique content on a website, which positively impacts your rankings. Customer reviews are a large part of local search engine optimization. If your customer includes location specific keywords and information, it can help you rank higher on search engines.

Boosts Customer Confidence & Trust: Customer reviews can help build trust and confidence in your dealership with potential customers. Positive reviews can show that your dealership provides quality products and excellent customer service. The way you handle negative reviews can persuade a customer to give your dealership a chance despite the negative review.

Reviews provide and open and transparent view of your dealership. This allows customers to see both positive and negative experiences. This transparency can increase customer confidence and trust and they can make a more informed decision based on actual experiences.

Valuable Customer Feedback: Customer reviews provide valuable feedback for your dealership. This feedback can help you to identify pain points or customer frustrations, and actively work toward making a better customer experience.

This feedback can also help you identify areas that customers have unmet needs or preferences which can help your dealership develop new products or services or improve existing ones to better accommodate your customer’s needs and wants.

Increased Social Proof: Positive customer reviews can increase social proof and help build a strong reputation for your dealership. This can lead to more positive word of mouth referrals and increased customer loyalty.

Reviews serve as social proof that others have had a positive experience with your dealership, which can increase customer confidence and trust.

5 Proven Strategies to Boost Customer Reviews

Encourage Customers to Leave Reviews: Encouraging customers to leave reviews for your dealership can be a challenge, but with the right strategies, it can be done effectively. Most customers don’t leave a review because they forget. If you aren’t asking people for the review, most won’t remember to do it.

You also want to make it as easy as possible for customers to leave a review. Provide clear directions on how to leave a review and make the process as simple and straightforward as possible.

Respond to Customer Reviews: Responding to both negative and positive customer reviews can help encourage people to leave more reviews in the future. Responding shows that your dealership cares about your customers have to say and is committed to providing a positive experience.

How you respond to negative reviews shows potential customers that you listen, and you will make it right with them, should they have an issue when shopping with your dealership.

Use Email & Social Media: Reach out to customers via email after they make a purchase and ask them how they are enjoying their product and to leave a review. You are much more likely to get a review when you ask at a time that is convenient for your customer and give them a chance to go back to it if they are busy.

Use social media to reach out to customers and ask for a review, or to showcase good reviews for your Facebook audience to see.

Personalize the Request & Offer Incentives: Address the customer by name and mention the product they purchased or other details about their visit. This will make the request seem more personal and less generic. Offer and incentive such as a discount or free accessory product for the review. Customers want to feel rewarded for their completing your request.

Review data can be used to make informed marketing efforts and help you target your audience more effectively. In turn, being able to personalize your review request even more.

Implement a Review Request Process: Implementing a review request process ensures that every customer is asked for a review. This also allows you to gather valuable feedback (both good and bad) from both customers and employees. This can help you identify areas for improvement and increase overall satisfaction.

A review request process shows that a business values the opinions of those who shop with them. It also shows that you are interested in their experience, and can lead to stronger, more positive customer relationships.

An Essential Tool to Boost Business Growth

Customer reviews are an essential tool for businesses looking to build and maintain long-term success. They provide valuable feedback, boost customer confidence and trust and can even boost those search engine rankings! For Outdoor Power Equipment Dealerships, collecting and utilizing customer reviews can have a significant impact on your success.

By gathering honest insights from customers, dealerships can identify areas for improvement, prioritize their efforts, and help to make targeted changes to their products and services. Positive reviews can help improve your dealership’s reputation and credibility, attracting new customers and boosting customer confidence in your products and services.

Implementing a review request process can show customers that a dealership values their opinions and experiences, leading to stronger, more positive customer relationships. This can lead to increased customer satisfaction, loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing.

Outdoor Power Equipment dealerships should make customer reviews a priority and actively seek out and utilize customer feedback to drive long-term success. By doing so, you can continuously improve your offerings and enhance the customer experience, setting yourself apart from the competition and build a thriving business.

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Harnessing the Power of the Customer Journey to Drive Business Growth

January 26, 2023

by Bridget Winfrey with No Comment Digital Marketing Local Marketing Search Engine Optimization Social Media

Mastering the Customer Experience

Managing customer experiences is crucial for any business looking to drive business growth and retain customers. After reading reviews about a business, almost all potential customers will take their next step in a space that the business has complete control over. This means that the majority of customer interactions and experiences are within your control. Whether it’s through your website, physical location, or communication channels, the power to shape the customer experience is in your hands. By effectively managing these spaces, you can turn leads into paying customers and create a positive, lasting impression that will keep them coming back. In this blog post, we’ll dive deep into the importance of managing customer experiences and provide you with tips and best practices for optimizing your website, creating a positive in-store experience, and managing communication channels to improve customer engagement and satisfaction.

The Customer’s Journey: By the Numbers

96% of adults read Local Business Reviews
91% of consumers take the next step in the buyer’s journey.
51% of those people will visit your website.
27% of those people will visit your physical business location.
13% of those people will contact you (phone, text, email, live chat)
8% of consumers move from reviews to your social media profiles.

Source: The Impact of Local Business Reviews on Consumer Behavior

Owning the Customer Experience

It is more important now than ever to create a positive and seamless customer experience across all touch points. By effectively controlling your website, physical location, and communication channels, your dealership can create a consistent and cohesive brand image and message. Additionally, you can use customer data and insights gathered from these spaces to personalize and optimize the customer experience, improving the chances of conversion.

Maximizing your control over the customer experience starts with identifying and addressing pain points. Utilizing data from your website, physical location, and communication channels can help you do just that. By analyzing website data, you can pinpoint areas that need improvement and enhance the user experience. Similarly, data from your physical location can be used to optimize store layout and improve the in-store experience. And by monitoring communication channels, you can improve customer service and address concerns in a timely manner. By utilizing data from all these sources, you can create a seamless and positive customer experience that drives business growth.

Let’s take a deeper look at each touch point.

Utilizing Your Website to Drive Business Growth

Having a strong online presence is crucial for businesses in today’s digital age. A website can be a powerful tool for attracting and retaining customers for lawn mower, tractor, and outdoor power equipment dealers. A well-designed website can provide customers with information about the products and services offered, as well as detailed specifications and pricing. It can also allow customers to easily browse and purchase products online, making the buying process more convenient for them.

Your dealership’s website can also be used to create a sense of trust and credibility with your customers. By including customer testimonials, photos, and videos of products in use, and detailed information about the company’s history and experience in the industry, a website can establish the business as a reputable and trustworthy provider of lawn mower, tractor, and outdoor power equipment.

A website can also be used to provide customers with ongoing support and education. For example, a dealer can provide information on how to properly maintain and repair equipment, or tips on how to get the most out of their equipment. This can help to build customer loyalty and encourage repeat business.

If your dealership has no website, or it isn’t quite up to par, we can help. Dealers Digital can help you maximize your online exposure and boost sales. We are the green industries digital marketing experts with over twenty years of digital media experience. Contact us today to get started.

Optimizing Your Dealership’s Website

Here are a few tips and best practices to optimize your dealership’s website to drive conversions and improve the overall customer experience.

Navigation: Make sure that your website is easy to navigate. Use a clear and consistent layout, organize your content in a logical and easy to understand way.
Optimize for Mobile: Over 80% of people browse the internet via mobile and expect for their experiences to be seamless. Your website should be responsive, meaning it adjusts to fit the screen size of the device being used to view it.
Clear Calls to Action (CTA): Your site should have clear CTA’s that guide visitors towards the next step. Whether that is to make a purchase, request more information, or to schedule a consultation.
Contact Information: Make it easy for visitors to contact you by including your phone number, email and physical address and contact form prominently on your website.
Testimonials & Reviews: Use testimonials and reviews from satisfied customers to help build trust and credibility with potential customers.
Search Engine Optimization: Optimizing your website for search engines (IE: Google) can help increase your visibility and drive more traffic to your site. There are many free resources out there to learn about and implement SEO, or you can hire an agency, like Dealers Digital, to help. Get your Free Local SEO Report.

The Value of Your Physical Location

Reviews are a powerful tool for driving foot traffic to your dealership! Reviews provide customers with valuable information about your dealership’s products and services, and can influence their decision to visit your dealership in person. A dealership with a high number of positive reviews is more likely to attract customers, which in turn, increases sales.

Your dealership should make an effort to encourage customers to leave reviews, and respond to both positive and negative reviews in a timely and professional manner. The way that a company handles a poor review says a lot about who they are.

Cultivating a Positive In-Store Experience & Utilizing Your Physical Location

Here are some tips on how to cultivate positive in store experiences and utilize your physical location to drive sales.

Create a Positive In-Store Experience: A positive in-store experience can help to turn customers in loyal brand ambassadors and encourage them to leave positive reviews. By providing excellent customer service, having a knowledgeable staff and creating an inviting and visually appealing store layout can help you to achieve this.
Utilize Your Physical Location: You can offer promotions and sales that are only available in-store or highlight products that aren’t available for purchase online. You can create in-store displays, or by offering special discounts or deals for customers who visit the store in person.
Provide in-store consultation: Offer in-store consultation services like product demonstrations, product trials or shopping assistants. This will allow your customers to have a more hands-on experience and get more personalized recommendations, which can lead to increased sales.
Encourage Customers to Leave Reviews: Encourage customers to leave reviews by providing a clear call to action, like a sign or card that directs them to the review. Respond to reviews in a timely and professional manner, and then use the positive reviews to help promote your dealership.

3 Types of Communication Channels

Effective communication is crucial for providing a positive customer experience and driving conversions for lawnmower and tractor dealerships. By managing phone, email and live chat effectively, your dealership can ensure that you are responsive to customer inquiries, provide accurate information, and address any issues in a timely and professional manner.

Phone: Phone communication allows for immediate, personal contact with customers. It is important to have well-trained staff who can answer questions and help quickly and efficiently. Business texting has become increasingly important in managing customer pickup and service notifications.

Email: Email communication can be used to provide detailed information to customers, such as product specifications, financing offers or promotions. It is important to respond promptly to customer inquiries and to make sure that the information provided is accurate and up to date. We offer automation solutions.

Live Chat: Live chat allows customers to receive immediate assistance while browsing your dealership’s website. It is important to have staff available to answer to chat requests in real time, or use a chat-widget, like Dealeramp to provide 24/7 automated responses.

Managing Communication Channels Effectively

By effectively managing these communication channels, your dealership can improve your customer’s experience and increase the likelihood of conversions. You’re also likely to increase your customer engagement and satisfaction while you are at it. Customers can reach out to your dealership in the way that they feel the most comfortable and convenient. This provides them with a greater sense of control over their buying experience.

Set clear expectations: Let customers know when they can expect a response to their inquiry, regardless of the channel. This will help manage the customer’s expectations and reduce frustration.
Respond promptly: Respond to all customer inquiries as quickly as possible. This shows that your dealership values the customer’s time and is committed to providing a positive experience.
Train Staff: Ensure that your entire staff is well trained in your dealership’s products and services, as well as in communication and customer service best practices.
Personalize your communication: Address customers by name and make sure to use a professional and friendly tone. Your customer will feel more valued and comfortable.
Gather and act on feedback: Regularly gather feedback from customers and find ways to act on it. This can help the dealership identify areas for improvement and make changes to better meet customer needs.

The Importance of Social Media Marketing

Despite the statistic that only a small percentage of customers may move from reviews to social media profiles, managing and maintaining a strong presence on social media platforms is crucial for any dealership’s marketing strategy. While the customer journey may vary, social media offers a variety of opportunities for dealerships to increase brand awareness, engage with customers, manage reputation, generate leads and stay informed about industry trends and customer preferences. By effectively utilizing social media, dealerships can improve the customer experience, drive conversions, and gain a competitive advantage in the market.

Brand presence and awareness: Having a strong social media presence can help increase brand awareness and establish your dealership as a reputable and trustworthy source.

Customer Engagement: social media offers an opportunity for your dealership to engage with customers, answer questions and provide information about products and services. This helps build loyalty and trust with your customers.

Reputation Management: Social media can be used to monitor and respond to feedback from customers. This can help your dealership proactively address any issues and maintain a positive reputation.

Industry insights: social media can be used to track industry trends, competitors activity and customer preferences.

Managing Social Media Profiles

Let’s look at some tips for creating engaging and effective social media profiles that can help drive business growth.

Define your target audience: Understand who your ideal customer is and tailor your content to fit their interests and needs.
Create a consistent brand image: Use consistent branding across all of your profiles.
Use Storytelling: Use storytelling to create engaging content that highlights the dealership’s unique selling points and the benefits of its products and services.
Engage with customers: responds to comments and messages in a timely manner and use social media as an opportunity to build relationships with customers.
Create a content calendar: Plan and schedule content in advance to ensure that you project a consistent and organized approach to your content.

Harness the Power

Mastering the customer experience is key for any business looking to drive growth and retain customers. By harnessing the power of managing customer experiences, dealerships can take control of the customer journey and turn leads into paying customers. Through effectively managing your website, physical location, and communication channels, businesses can create a consistent and cohesive brand image, personalize, and optimize the customer experience, and improve the chances of conversion. By utilizing data from these spaces, businesses can identify and address pain points, creating a seamless and positive customer experience that drives business growth. By implementing the tips and best practices discussed in this post, businesses can maximize their control over the customer experience and drive business growth. Harnessing the power of mastering the customer experience is essential for any business looking to succeed in today’s competitive market.

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Brand Reputation Management: What is it & Why is it Important?

September 29, 2022

by Bridget Winfrey with No Comment Digital Marketing

What is Brand Reputation Management?

Your Online Brand Reputation is the image of your company seen by internet users. It’s how the public feels about your products and perceives your brand. A positive brand reputation- both on and offline- means that customers not only trust your business, but they are also likely to purchase your product or service.

Brand Reputation Management is the process of monitoring how consumers perceive your business and taking strategic action when necessary to improve your brands image.

The key to a winning reputation management strategy is recognizing that you don’t have to wait for people to form their own opinions of your brand. Instead, by building your brand’s experiences around your target customers’ needs, wants, values and opinions, you can also shape how they perceive your company.

Brand safety ensures advertisements, their content and any content shared by brands are appropriate and not associated with topics of consumer opinions that may be negative. By making sure your advertising is legitimate, your consumers won’t feel deceived by your brand and keeps them from having to second guess your business or distrust what you have to offer.

Various factors such as, online reviews, consumer forums, news articles, social media behavior and visibility in search results all impact your brand reputation. Your online brand reputation has become increasingly more important as the digital era continues to explode.

Building a strong brand takes a lot of work. Having a solid reputation strategy will not only help you on your goals of achieving your ideal perception but will also help when your brand inevitably must deal with a crisis.

Why is Brand Reputation Management Important?

Creates More Loyal Customers: For Outdoor Power Equipment companies, the majority of earnings come from a long and loyal customer set. When you follow a brand management strategy, you can look more closely at what avenues will attract and retain the most loyal customers. Customer Loyalty programs work because people like to do business with people they like and trust. Maintaining your brand’s reputation helps to build that trust.

Quickens Your Response to the Competition: Having a marketing strategy in place will help you identify what marketing or sales tactics you need when dealing with a competitive threat. Your Brand reputation strategy can help you decide if it’s a better idea to prioritize a new marketing campaign that focuses on selling to your existing clients, or if it’s better to narrow in on acquiring new customers in a currently under-served area.

Stabilizes Employee Growth: If you articulate the way you want your brand to be perceived, it’s much easier to identify good hires that will promote the culture you are trying to create. People look for jobs where they feel fulfilled and can make a meaningful contribution to something they believe in. Companies that have a clear brand identity and a well-founded brand reputation are the ones who offer these types of opportunities to perspective employees. With a great reputation both inside and outside, a company will have a more devoted workforce and lower levels of turnover and turmoil.

Key Elements to a Winning Brand Reputation Management Strategy:

Build Your Brand Identity: Before you can even begin to think about a brand management strategy, you must first create a brand worth managing. Developing a strong brand identity ensures you have a clear understanding of what your company stands for and can help guide decisions in certain situations.

Your brand identity should include:

Logo, Colors & Imagery that are Cohesive
A Consistent Voice from the Brand
A Clear Company Mission, Vision and Value Statement

Establish Your Online Presence: Create a website that will allow visitors to experience your brand identity and form an accurate impression of your business right from the start. Setup and Manage your Google Business Profile and Social Media Accounts.

Actively Ask for and Respond to Reviews: The average consumer will read 10 reviews of your company prior to deciding they can or cannot trust your brand. Make sure to include a place for customers to leave reviews and include them as testimonials on your website. No matter the venue, make sure that you respond to every review as they come in, even the bad ones. If you address them honestly and quickly, many times you will find that you are able to turn a poor experience around and retain your customer’s business. Not only that, but it will show other people reading the reviews, that your brand cares about your consumers and that you will listen and resolve issues and complaints when they arise.

Listen to Feedback: Keeping an eye on what is being said about your brand is key to reputation management. Add a form to your website to create a place for customer feedback. The input you will receive is incredibly valuable.

Improve the Customer Experience: According to Microsoft Consumer Data, 58% of Consumers who feel like their experience falls short with a brand will sever all ties with them. It’s not just the lost revenue that you should concern yourself with. Customers who have had a poor experience are much more likely to leave a public facing review for a company than those who had a good one.

94% of consumers say a bad review has convinced them to avoid a business.

You must be ready to manage your brand reputation before others do it for you. A single bad review can deter multiple potential customers from doing business with your brand.

Company Culture Counts: Good things happen when a company promotes a healthy and positive internal environment. By giving your team members meaningful work and empowering them to take charge of their professional lives, they will become more confident and productive collaborators instead of individual contributors. This has a huge impact on your public reputation. When employees are more satisfied and fulfilled by their work, they will take pride in what they do, and as a result, do better work. Company culture also effects your internal brand reputation. The better supported your employees feel, the prouder of their work they will be which in turn will have a positive influence on your overall brand reputation.

Create a Brand Style Guide: As your company grows. You must always maintain the same identity and message across all channels with internal documentation. Creating a Brand Style Guide ensures that everything remains consistent when it comes to design choices, communication strategies, quality of customer service, etc.

Brand Reputation is critical to any growing business. A Positive brand reputation builds loyalty and increases customer confidence in your brand and product, ultimately, driving both sales and bottom-line growth.

Learn more about Dealers Digital here.

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You suck! – Why your online reputation matters

June 18, 2020

by Brett Morris with No Comment Social Media

A business’s reputation used to be what they said about themselves in their advertising, and how far the voices of their customers could reach.

Now, consumers are pushing out a company’s reputation and image collectively by providing real-time feedback online through review sites, social media, forums and other channels. Essentially, if it is an online source and a consumer can say something about a business on it, then it is a channel where your business’s reputation should be managed.

Digital marketing and online reputation management for businesses

Online reputation management is a part of a greater digital marketing strategy. This strategy should work alongside review management, business listings, paid search/ads, social media management and SEO to help your business stay competitive and relevant online.

While your business should be managing each of these segments to maintain your online presence and (consequently) offline reputation, many businesses are not.

Four in five consumers surveyed use search engines to find local information from multiple devices to find store address, business hours, product availability and directions.

Online reputation management: your business has options

Your business’s reputation can be affected at any time, on just about any source across the web.

You can use products, third-party services or hire people to cut down on your personal reputation management time expenditure. Even if your business tracks and constantly checks on social media, there may be sources that your business is unaware of such as a new review site from a listing that your business never knew that existed.

Your business should weigh the pros and cons of conducting online reputation management in-house or outsourcing, but there are definite best practices when responding to reviews that your business should be aware of.

Maintaining your business’s online presence is one of the most worthwhile services you can invest in.

Why your business’s online reputation matters

An online reputation needs to be backed by reviews and ratings by consumers. Without them, there would be no reputation to manage and quite frankly, it would appear as if no one ever visited the business.

Ready or not, consumers are talking about your business

Whether a business chooses to manage their reputation online or not, consumers are talking about their favorite and not-so-favorite businesses. If a business simply ignores their reputation online, the consequences can be detrimental.

Unmanaged negative responses can create an angry mob mentality and bad word of mouth spreads like wildfire. While a business may not realize how exactly one instance can affect their online reputation, it is possible that only one negative post on a highly ranked site can actually be what shows up near the top of a search results page when a consumer searches for that business’s name.

Consumers Control the Conversation and Everyone’s Feedback Matters

Social media is a two-way conversation — businesses can no longer broadcast the message they want people to see. There is a democratic nature to social, with brands, consumers and everyone having an equal voice in a shared space. Customers can rave about a business or let everyone know they had a terrible experience. Social networks have dramatically changed the way businesses communicate. Today, consumers can converse with brands and vice versa as if they were talking to a friend. As a result, businesses have had to become more personable than simply a business entity and manage their social presence in a manner that reflects as such.
Reputation drives conversion

What people see online matters.

Approximately 74% of customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations—this is a huge shift in thinking that has become more prominent as time goes on. This trust in reviews translates to dollars, as customers put their money where their trust is. A Harvard Business School study found that a restaurant that sees a one star increase on Yelp will see revenues increase anywhere from five to nine per cent.

As discussed previously, many businesses find that cultivating their digital profile on their own is too time consuming. There are reputation monitoring tools that make keeping up with customers way easier, saving time and money. Whatever your business does, it is essential that you are not perceived to be ignoring your customers online. The worst thing your business can do is appear unresponsive.

What makes a good online reputation?

Being present (listed online) and having a good reputation (reviews and reputation management) go hand in hand. Not being listed on a reference site customers use is just as bad as having bad reviews on that site. Building a consistent online presence and a positive reputation is important for both consumers and search engines. Some of the most important aspects of the online footprint include:

number of business listings
consistency of business listing information (name, address, phone)
overall sentiment in reviews
frequency or current velocity of new reviews
overall volume of reviews
social activity and engagement (especially with reviewers)

Customers now view social recommendations and reviews as more authentic, expecting reviews to be a mirror of the actual customer experience that they would experience themselves. This means that maintaining your business’s online reputation is gaining importance as each review is a perceived snippet of what your potential customer expects to experience.

Online reputation management: the main sell

According to Google, 9 out of 10 of local searches lead to action, with more than 50% leading to sales. If businesses have a good web presence, customers will go to them rather than the competitor. Once they’re in the store, 79% of customer use their smartphones inside to look at reviews or compare prices and 74% of them end up making a purchase. Those numbers alone make the opportunity clear: online reputation management is essential for your business to get consumers in the door to make the sale.

If you think all this reputation management stuff sounds too complex, or too time-consuming, give us a call!

Dealers Digital offers Reputation Management services.