(0:59) Good reviews are great. And there's no doubt they are critical to your business success. But it takes more than a positive review or two to be successful.(0:55) Today's consumers are Internet savvy. They use TripAdvisor to find restaurants and hotels, Amazon reviews to purchase goods, and Angie's List to select plumbers and electricians. They know how to "read" reviews to separate the wheat from the chaff.
(0:48) So while every positive review you receive is important, equally important is the number of reviews your have and the consistency of those reviews.
(0:43) A marina that averages 5.0 stars with 2 or 3 reviews will not be taken seriously. Most of us could accomplish that by appealing to our family members. But a marina with an average 4.3 stars and 146 reviews will make a boater sit up and take notice.
(0:36) Recently, we have seen many previous naysayers suddenly discover the value of real boater input. They have begun to accept boater reviews. I've been asked if it is best for a marina to list every possible review source or not. My answer is no because you'd be spreading yourself too thin.
(0:28) Unless you have an angry boater on a crusade, no one is going to write more than a single review for your marina. How likely are you after even the best meal to sit down and write several different restaurant reviews on several different review sites?
(0:22) When you reach out to boaters requesting a review you need to tell them where you have chosen to concentrate your online reputation. You do not want to spread your positive reviews so thin they loose their impact.
(0:17) Take some time to analyze where your business is coming from. Ask boaters what brought them to your marina. Don't guess or assume or even listen to what businesses tell you - including me at ActiveCaptain. Ask.
(0:11) Only then can you intelligently select which boater review source you want to encourage boaters to use. Then promote that source and watch your reviews grow.
(0:07) You've worked hard to cultivate a good reputation for your marina. Don't spread yourself so thin you become invisible. Concentrate your power. Then watch your business grow.
(0:02) And that's the marina minute.
