How to Increase Yelp Reviews for Your Restoration Company

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By Samantha Hager

For restoration companies, the ability to acquire frequent Yelp reviews is an entirely different ballgame than it is for restaurants, stores, and other company models. Since restoration teams are usually hired to help with uncomfortable or sometimes devastating restoration projects, it can be hard to even bring up the topic of a review without sounding apathetic or selfish.  

However, Yelp reviews offer value to companies and help them organically grow their customer base locally without the need for marketing and social media campaigns. Knowing this, it’s time we break down some of the best ways to increase your Yelp reviews as a restoration business owner without giving the wrong impression to your clients in the process.  

yelp review power

The definitive power of Yelp reviews

Before we can delve into the best methods for Yelp review acquisition, it’s best to first explain why Yelp reviews are so valuable to companies.  

According to Yelp’s own statistics, approximately 69 million people per month use Yelp via desktop. Meanwhile, 45% of online shoppers used Yelp to review their decisions before making a purchase. Furthermore, €‹ €‹in a BrightLocal consumer trend report, 87% of consumers reported reading online reviews for local businesses.  

With this many consumers turning to Yelp for a company’s value and image, it makes sense why industry experts and leaders spend so much time refining their Yelp pages and encouraging their clients to review them on the site.  

Having a positive and complete Yelp page full of reviews from local customers helps you to stand out from the competition and create a profitable brand image locally.  

However, the problem still remains: how can restoration companies take this information and use it to their benefit in an industry where the vast majority of clients are dealing with unfortunate and unexpected damage to their homes? To find a way to encourage Yelp reviews without seeming insensitive as a business owner, let’s take a look at 5 of the most optimal and incentivized options below.  

review methods

Top 5 methods to encourage client Yelp reviews

Although these methods aren’t the only ways to get reviews for your company online, they serve as a great foundation for a Yelp campaign. They also are five of the best ways to encourage your clients to review your company without seeming disrespectful or pushy. For that reason alone, they are well worth the effort of implementing them as a restoration brand moving forward.  

1) Create a review discount offer

One of the most effective methods to encourage your clients to rate your company is by offering an incentive. For most companies, a simple discount in exchange for a review is enough to get customers to take the time and make sure the review is thorough likewise. Most companies will offer a percentage discount but you could also offer a free service if that aligns more with your company and your process.  

The discount you choose is something you can promote on your Yelp page, in your store, and on your website to guarantee more reviews in the future. As you put this plan in place, be sure to also tell your team and encourage them to share this information when out in the field. Sometimes, all it takes is a simple person-to-person nudge from one of your charismatic employees for your client to take the time and review your company’s work.  

2) Share positive Yelp reviews on your social media

Another way to nonchalantly nudge your customers to get more reviews is by sharing the positive reviews you’ve gained thus far on your social media accounts.  

Since most people tend to follow social media accounts for the companies they work with, it’s easy to connect with your entire clientele base in this way and show them how positive your reviews have been in the past. This also helps to show prospects that you are respected by others in the community and that your reviews are reflective of the work you and your team does.  

To do this in a professional and fun way, try using one of the Canva quote templates and posting social media copy along the lines of, “Check out what [client name] has to say about our excellent service and team!” You can also share your reviews directly from Yelp, but stylizing them helps to attract the eye of social media users more easily.  

3) Use a Yelp badge on your website

You’re bound to see the Yelp badge on websites, brochures, and in the windows of just about every restaurant, company, and shop across the nation. However, website badges have the most positive effect and serve as a simple way to let your customers know you have a Yelp page you want reviews on without directly asking for them.  

Adding the yelp badge to your site and even having a blog post about your Yelp page will help you to promote your company on the platform. It also doesn’t feel selfish or rude since it is your company site to obviously promote on. You can find the Yelp badge and other business assets on this Yelp assets resource page.  

4) Complete your Yelp business page

As you begin to get more reviews, you will also want to ensure that your Yelp page is complete and polished. To do this, make sure your company bio is on the page, your contact info is up to date, your offers or discounts are current, and your photos are high quality.  

If you don’t have photos currently, this could be significantly affecting your organic customer acquisition rates and making past customers unsure as to whether or not your yelp page is actually yours. Some great Yelp page examples to emulate A2Z restoration in San Francisco and Big Apple Mold Removal in New York.  

What you’ll find on these two companies’ pages is that they promote their certifications and tenure as well as their services, bio, updates, and projects. With photos, regular posts, and positive reviews, they know exactly how to promote restoration services on Yelp in an effective way.  

5) Run an ad on Yelp

Lastly, when organic methods aren’t enough, creating a Yelp ad is sure to increase your reviews and customer acquisition likewise. Getting started with Yelp ads may seem daunting, but there are plenty of guides to help you along the way. The main thing is to determine what you want to achieve with your ads and how to connect with past and potential clients in a productive manner.  

By determining your goals, you can create an ad that helps you to expand your brand and grow your audience base both on Yelp and in general.  

At the end of the day, Yelp is one platform companies should never take for granted. However, to really stand out on Yelp and outperform the competition, you must be willing to encourage your clients to review your work regularly. Fortunately, with the five methods above, you can begin to create a strategy to do just this in a way that resonates with your market seamlessly.

For more Yelp marketing strategies from Cleanfax, check out 5 Ways to Make the Most out of Your Yelp Profile next!  

 

Cleanfax Staff

Cleanfax provides cleaning and restoration professionals with information designed to help them manage and grow their businesses.

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