The short answer
Social media and reputation is how you show up on social platforms and review sites, and how you earn and answer honest reviews. For a small business, reviews are often the first thing a new customer reads, and they help decide who gets the call. Owning your accounts and asking every happy customer for a review protects that trust.
Key Points
The three things to take away.
- 1
Pick your platforms
Pick one or two platforms where your customers already spend time and do them well. A home service business often gets the most from a Google Business Profile and Facebook, while a business with strong visual work may add Instagram. A business that sells to other businesses may lean on LinkedIn.
Spreading thin across every platform leads to dead accounts that make the business look closed. Claim your name on the others to keep it safe, then put your time into the few that bring calls. Review the choice once a year.
- Ask customers which apps they use
- Choose one or two main platforms
- Claim your name on the rest
- Review the mix once a year
- 2
Own the accounts
Set up every social, review and listing account under a business email address you control, with two-step login turned on. Add your marketing helper or agency as a manager or partner, never as the owner.
When a helper owns the account, you can lose years of posts, reviews and followers the day they leave. Keep a private list of every account, its login email and who has access, and store passwords in a password manager. Remove access for anyone who no longer works with you, the same day they leave.
- Use a business email you control
- Turn on two-step login everywhere
- Add helpers as managers, not owners
- Keep a list of accounts and access
- 3
Posting plan
Post on a steady schedule you can keep, such as once or twice a week. Rotate a few kinds of posts, such as finished jobs, before and after photos, tips that answer common questions, team introductions and customer reviews you have permission to share.
A small plan you follow beats a big plan you drop. Batch your photos and captions once a month and schedule them ahead with the platform's own tools or simple software. Post your best work to your Google Business Profile too, since local searchers see it there.
- Set a weekly posting schedule you can keep
- Take job photos on every project
- Batch and schedule posts once a month
- Share your best posts on your Google profile
- 4
Asking for reviews
Ask every customer for a review, right after the job, with a direct link that opens the review form. Send it by text or email and keep the message short. Your Google Business Profile gives you a share link for this.
Ask everyone, not only the customers you think are happy. Picking only happy customers, called review gating, breaks Google's rules. Do not pay for reviews, offer discounts for them or write them yourself. The Federal Trade Commission treats fake and bought reviews as deceptive, and the platforms remove them. Some sites, such as Yelp, ask businesses not to request reviews at all, so follow each site's rules.
- Get your Google review link
- Send it to every customer after the job
- Never pay or trade for a review
- Follow each review site's own rules
- 5
Replying to reviews
Reply to every review, good or bad, within a few days. Thank people by name for good reviews and mention the type of work you did when it fits.
For a bad review, stay calm and keep it short. Thank them, say you are sorry for their experience, state any facts plainly without blame and offer to talk offline with a phone number or email. Do not share private details about the customer or the job. Future customers read your reply more than the complaint, and a fair answer often earns trust. If a review threatens legal action, talk to your attorney before you reply.
- Reply to every review within a few days
- Thank good reviewers by name
- Take complaints offline with a phone number
- Never share private customer details
- 6
Monitoring and flagging
Turn on review alerts in your Google Business Profile and on every site where you are listed, so you see new reviews the day they post. Check your name in a search engine now and then to catch listings you did not know about.
Flag a review for removal only when it breaks the site's rules, such as spam, a fake account, a review meant for another business, hate speech or a conflict of interest. Use the site's own report tool and keep a record of what you reported. A review you simply disagree with will usually stay up, so answer it instead.
- Turn on review alerts on every site
- Search your business name now and then
- Flag only reviews that break site rules
- Keep a record of every report you file
Mistakes to avoid
- Letting a marketing helper own the Facebook page or Google profile.
- Asking only the happy customers for reviews.
- Arguing with an angry reviewer in public.
Common questions
How do I ask customers for Google reviews?
Copy the review link from your Google Business Profile and text or email it to every customer right after the job. Keep the message short and personal. Ask everyone, and never offer anything in return.
Can I offer a discount for a review?
No. Google does not allow incentives for reviews, and the Federal Trade Commission treats bought or rewarded reviews as deceptive. Ask for honest feedback with nothing attached.
How do I get a fake review removed from Google?
Use the report option on the review in your Google Business Profile and pick the policy it breaks, such as spam or a conflict of interest. Google decides what comes down, and a review you just disagree with usually stays. Post a calm reply while you wait.
Which social media platform is best for a local business?
Start with your Google Business Profile and the one platform your customers use most, often Facebook for local services. Add a second only when you can post on it regularly. Ask your customers which apps they use.
Can my employees or family review my business?
The FTC review rule lets them only if they clearly say how they are connected to you. Google goes further and removes reviews with a conflict of interest, such as from staff or family. Ask real customers instead.
General information only, not legal, tax or financial advice. See the Disclaimer.