Now that more and more parents are moving their social circles and communications online, attracting their attention and staying within their radar while maintaining a reputable image is now a crucial factor in playing the complex social media game. No longer are newspaper clippings or bench advertisements the norm, it’s all about social media now! As much as we dread it sometimes, we simply have to adopt it as an extension of us and our business.
In this new technological age, Facebook and Google pioneer in establishing ratings and influencing our opinions on any business out there that are connected to the internet, including children's activities clubs. Reviews? Recommendations? Ratings? Seems daunting doesn’t it? A business reputation now lies in the hands and opinions of those we serve? And now their voices are made louder and can be amplified by social media? Indeed, it is daunting. But instead of being intimated, we should utilize this as a tool for developing our business name. We’re only the best in the industry if people tell others that we’re the best, right?
Take for example, AirBnB. They’ve revolutionised the accommodation industry with their innovative solution for wanting an affordable, comfortable and stylish lifestyle while traveling. A majority of the beautiful homes on AirBnB can definitely compete with the likes of hotel giants the Four Seasons or even the Ritz, however, there’s a jarring difference between the two. Yeap, it’s reviews. AirBnB has reviews for every host and the spaces that their offer on their public profiles, open and accessible for potential visitors to read. Why? Because it holds the hosts accountable for how they deliver their services. If something horrible has gone wrong, the whole community will hear about it.
(Source of image: AirBnB)
And this idea is now applied to many other businesses, including children's activities clubs. You want to be the best coach you can be, and have as many students as possible learn the activity that you’re teaching, but how will parents know how to trust you? Sure, there’s word of mouth, but that can only bring you so far in your business growth. The reality is, your image online matters, and reviews are a perfect way for parents to choose you over your competition.
Here at ClassForKids, we strive on performing at our best and we’re so grateful that our care, support and services has resulted in customers leaving us amazing feedback online. So based on research and our own experience, we want to share with you, coaches and children’s activities club owners, 5 key reasons why you should care about reviews as a business.
Reviews provide you with the feedback that you need. If a customer or parent isn’t too happy about something and gives you feedback regarding their displeasure, it’s a perfect way for you as a coach or club owner to reflect and upgrade. It also adds a healthy amount of pressure to keep delivery of quality of work as consistent as possible. No one wants a bad rep! Especially if it’s being shared by angry moms!
Rather that how good you think you’re delivering your services, online reviews allows you to understand the average customer (and parent) satisfaction. Understanding how parents and customers feel will give you some insight on what is good or bad about your services, and what you can potentially improve on. And since everything is online, you can communicate with them instantly to further establish a better connection and relationship with them and their children! Win-win!
When 5 star ratings and reviews are left about your club, it can assure you that you’re doing your job right, and it immediately builds trust and loyalty amongst parents and potential customers who want to send their children to join your club too. It’s important to have a good reputation, especially one that you can see online and compare to with other clubs in the same industry. And let’s face it, with a 5 star rating, you’d totally be on top of the competition and all parents would rush to book classes for their kids with you!
Good reviews left by your customers usually highlight the best features of you and your club. When parents are searching for an activity for their child, chances are they’ll go straight to the reviews and look for keywords that’ll influence their decision to sign them up with you. “Great coach”, “Amazing activity space”, “Friendly”, “Fun”! Don’t you want parents to know that you and your club are all these things?!
5. SEARCH ENGINES LOVE GOOD REVIEWS
To get into the technical part of it, parents and customers leaving you reviews are great for your Google ‘searchability’. The more reviews you receive, the more the algorithms favour you and your club! And this means that it would be easier for your website or social media to be found when anyone searches for you online.
BONUS! HERE ARE TIPS ON HOW TO HANDLE NEGATIVE REVIEWS:
