Reviews are your customer's way of getting to know you. People trust other people's reviews. Just think about it. The last time you went to a restaurant, or a hotel, or some other shop you've never visited, chances are you took a look at the reviews. Reviews are the easiest way to gain someone's trust or completely lose their business. Collecting local business reviews is not always easy. In this article, we will cover a few ways you can get them and why they are so important to your campground's success.
Why Local Business Reviews are So Important
Before we get into how to collect local business reviews, let's quickly cover why they are so important. They add credibility, provide insights into the business, and come from people within your town. As a campground owner, you want to have an established position within your local area as the go-to vacation spot. And the truth is if people within the town are leaving negative reviews, it's going to be hard for you to survive.
Check out this infographic on the importance of reviews before you continue reading this article.
On the other hand, positive reviews will shine a light on your campground's best features. Adding massive credibility to your campground. People will use these reviews to learn more about what you have to offer, what they can expect while visiting, and why they should visit in the first place. So, simply put, reviews are important. In fact, so important that 80% of people will choose to go elsewhere if they read a bad business review of a place they are thinking about visiting. Check out this infographic on the importance of reviews before you continue reading this article. It provides valuable insight into the power of good reviews.
80% of people will choose to go elsewhere if they read a bad business review
How to Get The Right Types of Reviews
Getting these high-quality local business reviews is not always easy. In fact, at times, it can seem impossible. Worst yet, some of the reviews you get might be negative ones. Learn how to protect your RV park and its ratings in this easy-to-read article. Learn what to do with positive ratings and how to deal with negative ones.
Now rvResortScout is going to outline some of the best ways to get more local reviews from your best customers. Once you get a system in place, it will seem like second nature, and the reviews will come flooding in.
4 Easy Ways to Gather Reviews
- Include a card with each customer's booking: Every time a customer makes a booking at your campground, it could pay dividends to hand out an appreciation bag that includes a free item, some info on the campground, some trinket, and an easy to fill out a form for your customers to leave reviews. This can be something as simple as a QR code that your customers can scan with their phones and leave a review.
- After the stay, email a review form: Once the stay at your campground has been completed, you can email your customers a survey asking them questions about their stay. This is a non-invasive way to collect honest feedback about their stay while capturing more reviews. Be sure to thank them for their stay in the email, let them know you appreciate the honest feedback, and do your best to respond to any emails that list complaints about their stay.
- Placing Signs: Something as simple as a sign next to the main campground sign can encourage local business reviews. Setting up an easy to scan QR code that takes them to a survey landing page on your website is the perfect way to capture these reviews. Other popular places to place signs include the rec center, pool area, on-site shops, and restrooms.
- Old fashion Conversation: Nothing beats asking for a review in person. People are far more likely to leave you a review if you directly ask them for one. When your guests are checking out, this is the perfect time to ask them how their stay was and give them the opportunity to fill out a quick survey. Having a QR code handy that your customers can sign makes this process even easier.
Final Verdict: Getting Local Business Reviews Takes Time and Dedication
Don't expect reviews to come flooding in overnight. Gathering a steady stream of reviews takes time and dedication. You need to commit to setting up one or more of the processes listed above and give them time to work. And if they don't work, try different techniques, place signs in different places, train your employees to ask for reviews. All of these tricks need to be employed in order to get good feedback. If you're interested in getting more people into your campground, schedule a call today with our marketing team. We can set you up on a premier directory listing that will help drive new customers to your campground.
