No matter the size of your business, online reputation is important in consumer-driven industries. If you weren't paying attention to your reputation before, it's never too late to start.

A Local Consumer Review Survey in 2020 found that 87% of consumers read online reviews of local businesses and those reviews factor into whether they choose to interact with those businesses or not. Here are a few more high-level findings from the 2020 survey:

• Consumers prefer to work with businesses with 4 stars or higher.
• More consumers than ever are leaving reviews for businesses they interact with.
• Consumers frequent Google reviews the most, but they place the most trust in Better Business Bureau reviews.
• Over 70% of consumers will only look at reviews added in the last month, so recency is a major factor.

In the highly competitive Property Management industry, it's important to set yourself apart from the pack. Owners are likely to "shop around" and recent, positive reviews can help your business stand out from the rest. That also means making a positive impression well before a prospective resident even schedules a showing.

With a regular flow of positive reviews, as well as appropriate responses to negative ones, you can shine when viewed by prospective owners or residents.

What about negative reviews?

Of course negative reviews may happen sometimes, but even negative reviews can be to your advantage if they are responded to appropriately. Try to see these as opportunities to let your customer service skills shine. Replying to reviews in a professional and empathetic manner gives those reading your reviews an idea of your responsiveness and how much you care about the services you provide.

The survey found that reviewers expect a timely reply to their review, so replying quickly can help turn negative reviews into positive interactions, and leave a positive impression on whoever is checking out your reviews before working with you.

How do I get more reviews?

Gathering reviews can be tricky. Here are a few ideas for how to generate more reviews for your business:

• Prominently display links to your preferred review sites. Place links on your website, in your email signatures, and anywhere that your customers are likely to see frequently.
• Emphasize how easy it is to leave a review by providing simple instructions.
• Ask for reviews in person and in social media posts.
• Incentivize leaving a review with some sort of reward for the reviewer. Perhaps a review can count as an entry to a raffle for a desirable item. Be creative! Think about what is meaningful or exciting for your customers.
• Distribute physical cards or mailers to customers encouraging them to make a review and providing an easy short link for them to use.

How can ShowMojo help us manage our reputation?

We understand how important those public positive reviews are, so we've built features into ShowMojo to help you gather your happy prospects and leverage them into positive reviews! 

• First, ShowMojo solicits Post-Showing Prospect Feedback on showings of rental listings, so you can hear more about the prospect's experience. 
• Second, Reputation Boost can be enabled to automatically prompt prospects who leave positive feedback to leave a review on a review site of your choosing. 

By prompting happy prospects to leave a positive review, you can gather more positive reviews online, which can draw in future prospects. Good reviews can generate leads to your listings as well and even attract more owners. 

It's a win-win situation, and automation makes it all possible with minimal setup.