When Confucius said, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated”, he wasn’t talking about online reviews.

But he might as well have been because that’s exactly what many advisers and planners do.

The result? Fewer reviews and missed opportunities to impress potential clients.

3 review hills we’ll die on

When it comes to online reviews, there are three hills we will die on:

1. Reviews help you stand out and impress potential clients on their digital journey to your door

We have plenty of evidence and anecdotes to support this view.

For example, research from BrightLocal shows that 81% of consumers say that online reviews are either important or very important when deciding whether to use a particular company. And 87% of consumers used Google to evaluate local businesses in 2022 (up from 81% in 2021).

Then we had this in from an adviser a couple of weeks ago: “Just to let you know reviews work! Had a new lead, she found us on Google, we are a little further out than other advisers but went with us because we had good reviews!”

2. There’s an inescapable logic to using two platforms, usually Google and VouchedFor

Google reviews, while important, aren’t easy to get. So, if you only offer one platform, you’re sending your clients down a dead end.

Plus, Google reviews appear when someone searches for your business, and VouchedFor when they look up an individual adviser/planner’s name.

So, you need to use two platforms.

3. If your processes are correct and you get adviser/planner buy-in, your review count will rise steadily each month

It’s here things start to go wrong.

In our experience, most advisers/planners are happy to join us on the first and second hills, but they struggle with the third. They overcomplicate processes and systems to the point where they don’t work.

So, we’ve been thinking about how to simplify things. We believe that building an effective ratings and review process is as simple as 1-2-3.

One message, usually sent by email, but we’ve seen some firms have great success with WhatsApp and text messages, sent after each and every review meeting.

With two links, one to Google and the other to VouchedFor.

And step three? Make sure the message is wholly, exclusively, and only about the review request, and press send. It’s as simple as that.

Following this simple, 1-2-3 approach helps you avoid the traps and overcomplications we’ve seen some advisers fall into:

• Worrying about including two links
• Asking for reviews using their online portal
• Adding the review request to a longer email or letter about lots of other things
• Asking for reviews verbally, but not sending the follow-up email.

Each month, we monitor the progress dozens of firms are making with their online reviews. Without exception those who see their numbers rise each month are the ones who keep it simple and follow the simple 1-2-3 approach.

So, if you’re struggling to collect reviews, it’s time to take another look at your processes.

Free resources to help you collect more reviews

As you’d expect from us, we have plenty of resources to help you collect more Google and VouchedFor reviews.

Our definitive guide to help financial advisers and planners collect more online reviews is the ideal place to start.

You can then use our free template to request more Google and VouchedFor reviews. Click here to request a copy.

Finally, our marketing KPI dashboard will help you monitor important marketing metrics, including the number of reviews you collect each month. Click here to request a copy.

Finally, if you’d like our help, we’re just a phone call or email away. Just ring 0115 8965 300 or email phil@theyardstickagency.co.uk and we can set up a meeting to discuss how we can help you get more online reviews.