Creating a Service to Help Small Businesses Get More Google Reviews

⭐️ They say the best way to succeed in business is to solve a problem that someone else has and charge for it.

In this edition of the Easy Startup Ideas newsletter, we’ll outline how you can make some serious money helping businesses in your area (or anywhere) get more Google reviews.

Today’s Idea

A virtual service helping small businesses increase their Google reviews by contacting past customers and implementing systematic, automated follow-ups via email, SMS, or over-the-phone.

This service handles everything from outreach to tracking and reporting, offering businesses an effortless way to boost their online reputation and local SEO rankings.

Ideal Customer

• Small Businesses: Especially service-based businesses like HVAC, electricians, cleaning services, salons, restaurants, medical offices, or law firms.

• Time-Conscious Owners: Entrepreneurs who don’t have time to manually request reviews or manage their online reputation.

• Businesses with Mailing Lists: Companies that already collect customer emails or phone numbers but don’t know how to leverage them for reviews.

Why It Will Succeed

1. Critical Role of Google Reviews:

   • SEO Impact: More Google reviews improve local search rankings, making businesses appear at the top of “near me” searches.

   • Customer Trust: 90% of customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

   • Click-Through Rate Boost: Listings with a higher review count receive more clicks and calls.

2. Neglected Opportunity:

   • Many businesses fail to ask for reviews at all or don’t have a system to follow up with customers.

   • Past satisfied customers represent untapped potential. A single follow-up can generate valuable reviews.

3. Scalable Automation:

   • Tasks like email outreach, SMS reminders, and reporting can be automated, making it efficient and affordable for both the client and your business.

Getting Started and Building an MVP

Core Features of the Service:

• Automated Email & SMS Campaigns: Create follow-up sequences using tools like ActiveCampaign or Mailchimp.

• Dynamic Review Links: Provide businesses with personalized links to their Google review pages. Tools like Linktree can help consolidate links for easy access.

• Phone-Based Outreach: Offer call-based review requests for businesses with less tech-savvy customer bases.

• Reporting Dashboard: Use platforms like Google Data Studio to create visual reports showing the number of reviews generated.

Tools & Resources:

• Email Automation: Beehiiv.

• SMS Automation: Twilio or SimpleTexting.

• Google Review Links: Use Whitespark’s Review Link Generator to create direct review URLs.

• Survey Tools: Google Forms or Typeform for gathering feedback from reluctant reviewers.

• CRM Integration: HubSpot to import customer data (this likely won’t be necessary early on).

Steps to Build the MVP:

1. Finding Your Ideal Customers:

   • Search for businesses that are service-based or customer-facing (e.g., salons, contractors, restaurants, medical offices).

   • They should operate locally and rely on Google search visibility.

   • Ensure they have existing but underutilized contact lists (you can gauge this by asking or observing their engagement levels).

   • Use Google Maps or local directories to identify businesses with few reviews (e.g., less than 50).

   • Search for businesses in industries where reviews have a significant impact, such as home services or hospitality.

2. Reach Out to Business Owners:
   The goal is to explain your service and gain access to their customer contact lists in a secure and trusted way.

   • Cold Emails: Use tools like Hunter.io to find email addresses of business owners and send them a personalized email pitch.

   • Cold Calls: Contact business owners directly to explain how reviews impact their bottom line and offer a free consultation.

   • Social Media Outreach: Engage with owners via LinkedIn or Facebook, particularly in local business groups.

   • Value Proposition: Explain what it is you do and offer value upfront, such as a free audit of their current Google reviews.

3. Obtain Customer Contact Lists:
   To build trust, it’s crucial to assure business owners that their data is handled securely and only used for review outreach.

   • Request an export of their customer database from tools they’re already using, such as Square, QuickBooks, or HubSpot.

   • If they lack a digital system, ask for spreadsheets or files containing email/phone data (e.g., from appointment booking tools like Calendly).

   • Use a secure file-sharing platform like Dropbox or Google Drive for data transfer.

   • Explain that their customer data will only be used to request reviews and won’t be shared with third parties.

   • Provide a simple agreement or terms of service if needed to formalize the arrangement.

4. Set Up Automated Outreach Campaigns:
   Use automation to contact customers on behalf of the business in a polite, professional way.

   • Import the customer data into an email platform like Beehiiv.

   • Write an engaging, customizable email template that can be used more than once.

   • Schedule emails to be sent in batches to avoid spam filters.

   • Use SMS tools like Twilio or SimpleTexting for text-based follow-ups.

   • Provide an opt-out option to comply with GDPR or other data privacy regulations.

5. Track and Report Results:
   Offer transparency by showing the business owner how many reviews were generated and how the process benefited their visibility.

   • Use tools like Google Data Studio to create simple, visual dashboards showing metrics like:

     • Emails/SMS sent.

     • Reviews received.

     • Star rating improvements.

   • Deliver a report at the end of the campaign to demonstrate value.

6. Follow Up with the Business Owner:
   Build a long-term relationship by suggesting continuous review campaigns or add-on services.

   • After the initial campaign, schedule a call or meeting to discuss results.

   • Offer subscription-based services for ongoing review management.

   • Introduce additional features like review responses or multi-platform review strategies (e.g., Yelp, Facebook).

7. Refine Your MVP Based on Feedback:
   Use feedback from early clients to tweak your service. For example:

   • Adjust email templates for tone or frequency.

   • Introduce more advanced automation if you notice inefficiencies.

   • Add educational resources for businesses about responding to reviews.

Monetization Strategies

1. Subscription Plans: Offer tiered monthly packages (e.g., $99/month for up to 500 review requests).

2. Pay-for-Performance: Charge a flat fee per review generated (e.g., $5 per verified review).

3. Single Payment: Charge a single flat fee for the service (e.g. $499 with a moneyback guarentee if you don’t get a certain minimum number of reviews).

4. Setup Fees: Charge an initial onboarding fee to configure automation and integrate customer data.

5. Add-Ons: Offer additional services like SEO consultations, reputation management, or tailored customer feedback reports.

6. White-Label Options: Allow marketing agencies to resell your service under their brand for a commission.

Marketing Strategies

1. Cold Outreach: Contact small businesses with low review counts, highlighting how they’re losing local visibility and potential customers. Use tools like Hunter.io to find business emails.

2. Webinars & Free Guides: Offer educational webinars or downloadable guides like “The Ultimate Guide to Getting Google Reviews.” Use WebinarJam or Zoom to host.

3. Social Proof: Share client testimonials and before-and-after case studies on your website and social media.

4. Google Ads: Target local business owners searching for terms like “how to get more Google reviews.”

5. Affiliate Program: Partner with web developers or marketing agencies to refer clients to you in exchange for a referral fee.

6. LinkedIn Outreach: Build connections with local business owners and offer a free audit of their online reviews.

Expanding and Improving

1. Multi-Platform Review Requests: Expand services to include Yelp, Facebook, and other review platforms.

2. AI Review Insights: Integrate AI tools like MonkeyLearn to analyze review trends and provide actionable insights.

3. API Integrations: Automate data imports from popular booking tools like Square or Calendly.

4. Video Reviews: Help businesses collect customer video testimonials via platforms like Vocal Video.

5. Localization Features: Enable multi-language review requests to serve diverse customer bases.

Brainstormed Business Names

1. ReviewReach

2. ReputationRevive

3. BoostMyBiz Reviews

4. StarStream

5. TrustTrail

6. GlowGrowth

7. FeedbackFlow

8. ReviewEngine

9. TrustBoosters

10. ReputationPro

Additional Resources

Check out this guy on YouTube who makes $22k/month doing exactly this:

Thanks for checking out another edition of Easy Startup Ideas!

As an Amazon Associate and affiliate of various partnership programs, the owner of this publication may receive commissions to linked products or services in this newsletter at no additional expense to the reader.