Reputation marketing is the habit of asking every customer for an honest review, replying to every review you get, and using what customers say to improve how you sell. In Greater Victoria, where a recommendation from a neighbour, a strata council or a community group often decides the job, reviews are how that recommendation reaches the next person.
This is a marketing service. VictoriaAgency.ca is not a contractor; we help you earn and show proof of good work, we don't do the work.
Why reviews matter more in a region this size
In a big city, a business can survive on volume and anonymity. Across the capital region, customers are more likely to know someone who has used you, and more likely to check. A review that says "they rebuilt our back steps in Fernwood and left the garden tidier than they found it" does three jobs: it reassures a buyer, it mentions a neighbourhood, and it describes a service.
Reviews also feed local search. Google lists prominence as one of the factors in local results, and review count and rating are part of how it judges prominence.
Who this is for
- Firms with plenty of happy customers and very few reviews to show for it.
- Businesses hurt by a handful of negative reviews that went unanswered.
- New businesses that need to build credibility quickly in a market of established names.
- Multi-crew companies where the asking depends on whoever happens to be on the job.
What's included
- A review request script for crews, front-desk staff or yourself, written in your voice and short enough to say at the door.
- A follow-up text and email template sent shortly after the job or visit, with a direct link to your review page. You send these yourself, or through your booking software, to customers who have agreed to hear from you.
- A reply guide with examples for five-star reviews, mixed reviews and angry ones, so replies are consistent and calm.
- Monthly monitoring of Google and any other platforms that matter in your trade.
- Policy flags for reviews that appear to break platform rules, filed through the proper channels.
- A themes report every quarter: what customers praise, what they complain about, and what that suggests for your website and ads.
Staying inside the rules
Google prohibits fake engagement, including paid or incentivised reviews and reviews from owners or employees. Canada's Competition Bureau also treats misleading reviews as a deceptive marketing practice. So we never write reviews, never suggest discounts in exchange for them, and never filter requests so only happy customers are asked. We describe these rules for your planning; for legal questions, speak with a lawyer.
Timeline
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Review audit; script and templates drafted |
| Week 2 | Team briefed; first requests going out |
| Months 1–3 | Monthly monitoring and replies; first themes report |
| Ongoing | Script refined as you learn which moment works best |
How results are measured
We track new reviews per month, average rating over the last 90 days, your reply rate and reply time. Alongside those, we watch whether calls from your Google profile rise as fresh reviews arrive. The aim is a steady rhythm, not a burst followed by silence.
A reply example you can adapt
Say a customer in View Royal leaves three stars: the work was good, but the crew arrived two hours late without warning. A useful reply thanks them by first name, owns the delay without excuses, explains the one change you've made (for example, a text when the crew is running behind) and invites them to call you directly. It runs to four sentences at most. The next reader sees a business that listens, which often matters more than the original complaint.
Common mistakes
- Asking only when you remember. A routine tied to job completion beats good intentions.
- Replying defensively to criticism. Future customers read your reply more closely than the complaint.
- Copy-paste replies. "Thanks for the review!" fifty times in a row looks automated.
- Ignoring other platforms customers in your trade actually use.
- Bulk-asking old customers all at once, which can look unnatural.
Next steps
Reviews make every other channel stronger, from websites to paid ads. Read the results page for how review-led growth worked in our HVAC work, or get in touch to talk through your current reviews.
Frequently asked questions
Can you remove bad reviews?
Only Google or the platform can remove a review, and only when it breaks their policies. We help you flag reviews that genuinely break the rules and write calm, useful replies to the ones that don't.
Can we offer a discount for reviews?
No. Google's policies prohibit offering incentives for reviews, and doing so can lead to removed reviews or penalties. Ask every customer, not just the happy ones you pick, and keep it simple.
How many reviews do we need?
There is no magic number. What matters is that they are recent, steady and describe real work. A business with a few new reviews every month usually looks more trustworthy than one with a hundred from five years ago.
Do you write reviews for us?
Never. Every review must come from a real customer in their own words. Fake reviews break platform rules and Canadian consumer law, and they tend to be spotted.