If you are getting along with your server and you are enjoying your food or experience, chances are very good that your server will give you their business card with their name on it. They’ll say something like, “If you write a review on Google or Yelp or TripAdvisor be sure to mention my name – I’ll get a gift card from the owner!”
It’s that simple. The restaurant owner has Incentivized the servers to solicit reviews. For each review with a server’s name mentioned, the server gets a gift card to a different restaurant in town. It’s a way for the server to earn more “tips” so they are enthusiastic about it.
And it’s working. 50 new Google reviews in December! If they keep this up in a year they’ll have over 1,000 Google reviews. That will be dominant in this little town. Of course not all 50 reviews include the name of servers so it’s not a huge marketing expense for the owner, but what it does is prompt/remind the customer to write a review after their experience.
Is there a way for you to incentivize or encourage your staff to solicit reviews?
This could take the burden off you as the business owner and create some greater sense of “ownership” for your staff. Online reviews can help your business thrive online and this is good for your staff as well. Do you need help figuring out creative ways to solicit reviews? Give us a call! We’re happy to help.
Jeffrey Magner
Local SEO Strategist
Jeffrey Magner has been focused on Local SEO since 2008 and has worked directly with thousands of small business clients. Jeffrey founded Trumpet Local Media in Boulder, Colorado as a local SEO agency that was sold to Ramblin Jackson in 2013. Bighorn Local SEO has offices in Portland and Sisters, Oregon and offers monthly packages focusing on marketing strategy for local business owners. Our actual testimonials show how some of our clients feel about working with us.
If you are looking for a trustworthy Local SEO professional, you must do your research first! Take a peek at who we are and what we've been up to. We're based in Portland, Oregon but work with clients from around the country. We're good at getting Google to trust your business and understand precisely what you offer and where you offer it. Then it's up to you to simply be awesome with all your new customers.