Today I'm talking with Mike Blumenthal, an expert in online reputation creation & management as well as search optimization and online presence building. Three years ago, only about 50% of Americans were potentially willing to leave a review about their experience with a business. In the past three years, that number has gone up to 65%. With two-thirds of customers and clients potentially ready to review your business, you can no longer get by with assuming a customer with a lukewarm experience won't leave a review for the whole world to see. In our conversation today, he uses his expertise to offer a huge amount of actionable advice. If you have a business with any sort of an online presence, you need to hear this episode!

Find Out More About Mike Here:

Blumenthal's Mike Blumenthal's blog @mblumenthal on Twitter Mike Blumenthal on LinkedIn Mike Blumenthal on Get Five Stars

In This Episode:

• [01:14] - Mike suggests starting off by talking not about reputation management, but rather reputation development.
• [03:30] - We learn what a Net Promoter Score is, and why it's a valuable number to keep track of.
• [05:24] - Mike touches on why most small businesses don't like Yelp, then explains that many reviews are now showing up on Google anyway.
• [07:29] - If Yelp is ranking #2 for your company game in Google, that makes its contents more important, right?
• [08:57] - In general, Mike suggests just leaving sites like Ripoff Report alone and ignoring them.
• [09:34] - Stephan steps in to explain a bit about how Google features various sites. Mike then defines rich snippets.
• [11:15] - Mike explains more about the use of rich snippets and other review-related items on your own site.
• [13:04] - Are you allowed to take reviews you find elsewhere (like from Yelp) and put them on your website?
• [14:40] - We hear about Mike's suggestions on the process of getting reviews on your own site. He then offers advice for what to do if you already have testimonials.
• [19:39] - The term for paying for fake reviews is "astroturfing."
• [21:22] - Mike discusses how to correct Knowledge Panel information about their business.
• [25:38] - Can Moz Local fix things in existing listings, or is it only for new listings?
• [26:37] - Mike strongly recommends hiring a consultant to write your Wikipedia content instead of doing it yourself.
• [27:27] - We move on to Facebook, with Stephan and Mike talking about its increasing popularity as a review site.
• [30:35] - Mike offers advice for how to get Yelp reviews if you need to manage a currently negative Yelp profile. He and Stephan also discuss the importance of having Yelp friends.
• [33:27] - Should we pay attention to sites like YP.com and Superpages? [35:44] - Mike discusses Glassdoor and how to use it to your advantage.
• [38:43] - Stephan recommends a previous Marketing Speak episode with Kenton Hutcherson if you want to learn more about Ripoff Report.
• [39:25] - We hear Mike's tips for getting better images to show for your business.
• [42:25] - Do you still need to upload inside photos if you run a home-based business rather than a retail store, for example?
• [43:42] - Mike offers Barbara Oliver Jewelry as an example of a site that has done a great job with its reviews page. Stephan then talks about his own testimonials page.
• [46:59] - In the world of reviews and ratings, what does Mike recommend that people do in terms of badges?
• [49:27] - Mike shares his thoughts on Trustpilot.
• [50:31] - Does Mike have any suggestions on types of awards to apply for?
• [51:51] - Local search is fundamentally different than organic search, Mike explains. He talks about how these differences are relevant and how to take them into account for your business.
• [57:13] - Mike points out that it's important to have followers who engage and share your content, not just disengaged followers.
• [59:04] - Mike offers listeners several resources, including his Moz Local 2017 presentation.

Links and Resources:

Blumenthal's Mike Blumenthal's blog @mblumenthal on Twitter Mike Blumenthal on LinkedIn Mike Blumenthal on Get Five Stars GetFiveStars Local U Net Promoter Score Yelp Barbara Oliver Jewelry Ripoff Report Pissed Consumer Rich snippets Schema.org Gravity Forms Astroturfing The Carter Center Wikidata Knowledge Panel David Deering Touch Point Digital Marketing Moz Local Jonathan Hochman on Marketing Speak YP.com Superpages Houzz Glassdoor Kenton Hutcherson on Marketing Speak Google My Business forum Better Business Bureau Trustpilot Davey Awards The killing of Cecil the lion Are Words the New Links? - Mike Blumenthal's Moz Local 2017 presentation