How to Drive More Google Reviews for your Dispensary

One of the best ways to grow your retail dispensary is to establish yourself as the best shop in your region. The hill you have to climb is earning those positive reviews from guests. In a recent survey, 93% of people said that they were influenced by online reviews, and when that sentiment is translated into a world as taboo as cannabis, positive sentiment is king. Positive reviews build the reputation your business needs to grow in the same way that negative reviews can bury your business in the ground. However, in an industry like cannabis where so many dispensary shoppers are concerned for their anonymity, how do you get guests to vouch for your business? With Alleaves, the authority in legal cannabis retail and the best seed-to-sale POS software, we make the uphill battle a walk in the park. 

Hone Your Focus
Yelp and Facebook reviews are a dying breed. Google alone houses 73% of all online reviews, while Yelp has 6% and Facebook accounts for a measly 3%. With the strength in numbers of the mighty Google, it’s worth it to focus purely on driving Google reviews. It’s a good idea to continue to monitor Yelp and Facebook, but for the purposes of building positive brand sentiment, put your energy into Google. Focusing on one clear call to action makes it easy for customers to remember and to execute on. 

Eyes on the Prize

With your sights set on Google greatness, the best way to get tons of reviews is to make your dispensary easy to review. Make sure your team has someone dedicated to keeping the Google business page for your dispensary updated and monitored. This includes responding to reviews, thanking guests for positive ones, and resolving issues from negative ones. Keeping the Google presence well-maintained keeps the page strong and relevant for your business. 

Ask and You Shall Receive

With an action plan for ongoing Google maintenance, it’s time to start keeping that page busy with tons of glowing reviews. To keep reviews coming in, you’ll need multiple touchpoints across your dispensary, both in-store and online, directing shoppers to leave a review. These need to be clear and direct to make the full action super easy on the user end. 

Here are five rapid-fire ways to drive more Google reviews for your dispensary:

1. Put a Google review widget on your dispensary’s website. Users will click through and it’ll land directly on an open review for your dispensary
2. Include a Google review call to action banner at the end of all customer emails
3. Put the link to review the dispensary in your social media links (or in your Linktr.ee listings) 
4. Create a QR code or a Bluetooth tap to review sign in your dispensary so customers can get to the link while they’re still in the store having a great time 
5. Include the same QR code on exit bags or at the end of receipts (if locally allowed) so customers have a physical reminder to leave a review when they leave the store 

Say it Out Loud 

One of the most impactful touchpoints for driving reviews begins with budtenders. Budtenders are on the front lines of customer interaction and are going to be one of the biggest reasons for good reviews. Remind the team in the pre-shift meetings to remind customers to drop a Google review or point out the review signage in-store. Some stores internally reward staff members who get called out in positive reviews. Using samples or glass as recognition awards can work in your favor as an easy way to help the team remember to drive reviews. 

Leverage the Love

Once you start getting some Google reviews trickling in, you’ll be able to use them to earn more positive reviews. As your team monitors incoming reviews, have them pull some of their favorite callouts from users. If you’re concerned with the anonymity of users, you can say the quotes are from real customers and omit their names. Take a quote like “great budtenders & prices” and put that quote in a stylized social media post along with the imagery of a full five stars. It’ll emphasize how great your dispensary is and simultaneously reiterate the importance of customers writing reviews. 

Alleaves is purpose-built for success in cannabis. For more free cannabis business resources, stay tuned to our blog.