How Digital Marketing Agencies Can Sell Review Management

Let me be direct. If you're running a digital marketing agency and you're not selling review management services, you're leaving money on the table. Not small money. Recurring, high-margin, easy-to-deliver money.

The online reputation management market is projected to hit $12.57 billion by 2030, growing at 12.8% annually. Small and medium businesses (SMBs) are adopting these services at a 17.2% growth rate—faster than the overall market. Translation: your clients already need this service. They're either doing it poorly in-house, ignoring it entirely, or paying someone else.

Here's what's actually happening. 89% of customers check online reviews before making purchase decisions. But most small businesses get zero to two reviews per month because they don't have a system. They ask customers manually, customers forget, and the opportunity passes. Meanwhile, their competitors with better review profiles are capturing customers they should be winning.

This isn't theoretical. A 1-star rating increase boosts conversions by 44%. Businesses ranking in Google's top 3 local pack earn 126% more traffic than positions 4-10. Reviews directly impact where clients rank (SEO) and who converts (sales). Yet most businesses treat reviews as an afterthought.

That gap is your opportunity.

This guide shows you how to sell review management services to SMB clients, structure pricing that delivers healthy margins, handle objections, and deliver results using tools that don't require you to hire a dedicated team. Whether you're an established agency or a solo consultant, review management is one of the easiest services to add to your stack—and one of the stickiest.

Why Your Clients Actually Need This (The Pain Point)

Before you can sell review management, you need to understand the real problem your clients face. It's not that they don't know reviews matter. Every business owner knows reviews matter. The problem is they don't have a system that works.

The Manual Approach Doesn't Scale

Here's what most businesses do:

• Owner or front-desk staff manually asks customers for reviews
• Customers say "sure" and then forget
• Staff forgets to ask during busy periods
• No follow-up system exists
• Review requests stop entirely when the owner goes on vacation

Result: 1-2 reviews per month if they're lucky. Zero during slow months.

96% of consumers are open to leaving reviews if asked at the right moment, but that moment lasts about 24 hours. After 48 hours, response rates drop 40-60%. Without automation, businesses miss nearly every opportunity.

The Review Recency Problem Nobody Talks About

Here's a stat that should terrify your clients: 73% of consumers only trust reviews less than 30 days old.

A business can have 100 reviews with a 4.9-star average, but if all of them are from 2022, consumers don't trust them. They assume quality dropped, the business changed ownership, or the reviews were fake.

Google's algorithm knows this too. It favors businesses with fresh review activity. Businesses that generated reviews 2 years ago and then stopped are now wondering why their rankings dropped. The algorithm moved on. Competitors kept getting new reviews. They didn't.

The "I Don't Know What to Write" Barrier

Even when customers want to leave reviews, most freeze when faced with a blank text box. Writing is tedious. They don't know what to say. They don't know how long it should be. So they close the tab and tell themselves they'll do it later.

Later never comes.

This is why businesses using AI-powered review generation—like Spokk, which creates review drafts based on quick customer feedback—see 5x higher completion rates compared to traditional "write your own" requests. The friction disappears.

The Bottom-Line Impact

Let's translate this into dollars your clients care about.

Say a business gets 500 Google profile views per month and converts 3% into customers (15 customers). If they improve their star rating by 1 full star (e.g., from 3.5 to 4.5), their conversion rate increases by 44%—now 21.6 customers per month.

At $500 average customer value, that's $3,300 additional monthly revenue ($39,600/year) from the same traffic. Add in the fact that businesses with better reviews also rank higher (more traffic), and the ROI compounds.

Most clients have never done this math. When you show them, the service sells itself.

The Economics: How to Price Review Management Services

Pricing is where most agencies get stuck. Too low and you're working for nothing. Too high and clients balk. Here's how to structure pricing that delivers healthy margins while staying competitive.

What Agencies Actually Charge

Based on research from GatherUp and industry benchmarks, here's what the market looks like:

Single-location businesses:

• Entry tier: $300-$500/month
• Mid tier: $500-$700/month

2-5 locations:

• Professional tier: $700-$1,000/month

Multi-location (6+ locations, franchises, chains):

• Enterprise tier: $1,500-$3,000+/month

These are retainer-based prices for 6-12 month contracts. Month-to-month pricing typically runs 20-30% higher to account for churn risk.

Your Cost Structure

Your costs depend on which tools you use to deliver the service. Here's what popular options cost:

For most agencies, Spokk offers the best margin structure. At $1,599/year ($133/month), you can service 10-20 clients depending on their volume, giving you a per-client cost of $7-13/month while charging $300-$1,500/month. That's a 50-90% gross margin.

With GatherUp at $99-199/month for the agency, you're looking at higher fixed costs but more comprehensive features if you want to offer full review monitoring and management (not just collection).

Target Profit Margins

Digital marketing agencies typically aim for:

• 50-75% gross margin (revenue minus direct costs)
• 20-40% net profit margin (after overhead, salaries, etc.)

Review management services can easily hit these targets because:

• Software costs are low and predictable
• No inventory or physical goods
• Minimal ongoing labor after setup
• High client retention (services are sticky)

Pricing Strategy: Retainer vs. Bundled

Retainer Model (Standalone Service):

Charge monthly fees based on complexity:

• 1 location: $300-500/mo
• 2-5 locations: $700-1,000/mo
• 6+ locations: $1,500+/mo

Pros: Clear pricing, easy to sell Cons: Higher churn risk, harder to differentiate

Bundled Model (Recommended):

Bundle review management with existing SEO, PPC, or social media services. Offer a 10-20% discount on the review management component when purchased as part of a package.

Example:

• Local SEO: $1,000/mo
• Review Management (standalone): $500/mo
• Bundled price: $1,400/mo (saves $100)

Pros: Higher retention, larger total contract value, lower churn Cons: More complex pricing conversations

Why bundling works: Reviews directly impact local SEO rankings (9% of ranking factors) and PPC conversion rates (better reviews = higher Quality Score and lower CPA). It's a natural fit that delivers compounding value.

Contract Length: Why 6-12 Months Minimum

Month-to-month contracts sound appealing to clients, but they're poison for agencies. Here's why reputation management must be a long-term service:

1. Results take time: It takes 60-90 days to see meaningful SEO improvements from increased review volume and velocity
2. Consistency matters: 73% of consumers only trust reviews less than 30 days old, meaning clients need ongoing service forever
3. Setup work: You'll invest 2-4 hours setting up automation, training staff, and configuring tools—you need at least 6 months to recoup that time

Offer 10-15% discounts for annual prepayment to lock in revenue and improve cash flow.

How to Actually Sell Review Management (The Sales Process)

Knowing what to sell and how to price it is half the battle. The other half is having a sales process that converts prospects into clients. Here's what works.

Step 1: Discovery Questions That Reveal the Gap

Don't lead with a pitch. Lead with questions that make prospects realize they have a problem. Here are the exact questions top-performing agencies use:

Question 1: "How many Google reviews did you get last month?"

Most will say zero, one, or two. This immediately reveals they don't have a system. Even if they say "five," ask the follow-up: "How many customers did you serve last month?" The gap becomes obvious.

Question 2: "How often do your staff ask customers for reviews?"

Common answers: "When they remember," "During slow times," or "Not really." This exposes the manual, inconsistent approach.

Question 3: "What's your current Google star rating, and how does it compare to your top 3 competitors?"

Most business owners don't know. Have them pull up Google Maps during the call. If competitors have higher ratings or more reviews, the visual comparison does the selling for you.

Question 4: "How many customers do you think would leave a review if you made it dead simple?"

Most say "probably half" or "a lot." Then ask: "So if you're serving 50 customers a month and half would review, that's 25 reviews. But you're getting 1-2. Where are the other 23 going?"

Silence. That's the gap. That's the problem you solve.

Step 2: Position the Value, Not the Features

Don't talk about "automated review requests" or "AI-generated drafts." Talk about outcomes:

Bad pitch:

"We use AI to generate review drafts and send automated SMS and email requests with multi-touch follow-up sequences."

Good pitch:

"We'll get you 10-25 new Google reviews every month, which will move you from the bottom of page 2 to the top 3 results in local search. Based on your current traffic, that means an extra 15-20 customers per month at your average $500 transaction value—about $7,500-$10,000 additional monthly revenue."

See the difference? One is a feature list. The other is a revenue projection.

Use language your client already uses:

• "More customers finding you on Google"
• "Higher conversion rates from your website"
• "Better reputation than your competitors"

Avoid jargon like "review velocity," "sentiment analysis," or "multi-channel attribution."

Step 3: Show Them the ROI Math

Pull out the calculator (literally or figuratively) during the sales conversation. Use their actual numbers.

Example:

"You're getting 500 Google profile views per month and converting about 3%, so that's 15 customers. If we improve your star rating from 3.8 to 4.5, research shows you'll see a 44% conversion boost. That's 21-22 customers per month instead of 15. At your $500 average sale, that's $3,000-$3,500 more revenue per month. We charge $500/month, so your ROI is 6-7x. Does that make sense?"

When clients see the math, price objections disappear. If they're still hesitant, add: "Even if we're half as effective as the research suggests, you're still making $1,500 extra per month on a $500 investment. That's 3x ROI."

Step 4: Handle Common Objections

Here's how to respond to the top objections you'll face:

Objection: "That seems expensive."

Response: "Compared to what? If this service generates even one additional customer per month at your $500 average sale, it pays for itself 3-4 times over. And we're targeting 10-25 new reviews per month, which historically drives 15-20 extra customers. Would you pay $500 to make $7,500?"

Objection: "We'll just do it ourselves."

Response: "That's fair. How's that been working so far? [Pause]. Here's the problem: 96% of customers will leave a review if asked at the right moment, but that moment lasts 24 hours. Without automation, you forget, they forget, and the opportunity disappears. Plus, customers don't know what to write, so 80% of people who intend to review never complete it. We remove both problems. You focus on running your business. We handle the reviews."

Objection: "Can't we just ask customers ourselves?"

Response: "You absolutely can, and you should. But let me ask: how many customers did you personally ask last week? [Pause]. The issue isn't whether you can ask—it's whether you will ask every single customer, at the right moment, with the right follow-up, consistently, forever. That's what automation does. It removes the human error and ensures no opportunity is missed."

Objection: "We don't want to look desperate."

Response: "I get that. But here's the thing: 89% of customers check reviews before buying. If you're not asking for reviews, you're letting competitors with worse service but better review systems win your customers. Asking for feedback isn't desperate—it's professional. We make it tasteful, automated, and consistent."

Objection: "What if we get negative reviews?"

Response: "You're going to get negative reviews whether you ask for them or not. The difference is, with a system in place, we can route unhappy customers to private feedback first, so you can fix issues before they go public. Plus, 44.6% of customers will still engage with your business after seeing a professional response to a negative review. It's not about avoiding negatives—it's about handling them well."

Step 5: Close with a Pilot or Trial Period

If prospects are still hesitant, offer a 90-day pilot:

"Let's run this for 90 days. If you don't see at least 20 new reviews and measurable traffic or conversion improvements, we'll part ways. But I'm confident you'll want to continue because the results speak for themselves."

This removes risk and makes the decision easier. Most clients who start a 90-day pilot convert to annual contracts because results are visible within 30-45 days.

How to Deliver Review Management (The Fulfillment)

Selling the service is one thing. Delivering results is another. Here's how to set up review management for clients without building a massive team.

Step 1: Choose Your Tool Stack

You need software to automate review requests, collect feedback, and (optionally) monitor reviews across platforms. Here's how to decide:

For most agencies, Spokk is the best starting point because:

• Lowest cost per response ($0.64 vs. $2-5 elsewhere)
• AI-generated review drafts solve the "I don't know what to write" problem
• Unlimited companies under one agency account
• Integrates with Zapier/Pabbly for automation

If clients need full review monitoring (tracking reviews across Google, Yelp, Facebook, etc.), add GatherUp or BrightLocal for an extra $35-199/month.

Step 2: Set Up Automation Triggers

Reviews need to be requested automatically, not manually. Here's the standard workflow:

Trigger 1: In-person ask (immediate, 30-50% conversion)

• Train client's staff to mention reviews during checkout
• Provide QR code cards customers can scan on the spot
• Script: "If you're happy with today's service, we'd love if you could share that on Google. Just scan this card—takes 15 seconds."

Trigger 2: SMS follow-up (2-4 hours post-service, 15-25% conversion)

• Use Spokk's SMS feature or integrate via Zapier
• Personalized message: "Hi [Name], thanks for visiting [Business] today! If you're happy with how things went, we'd love your feedback: [LINK]."

Trigger 3: Email follow-up (24 hours later, 5-10% conversion)

• Automated email referencing their specific service
• Direct link to feedback form (not "search for us on Google")

Trigger 4: Final reminder (7 days later if no response, 3-5% conversion)

• Gentle nudge: "We're always looking to improve. Your feedback would mean a lot."

Businesses using this multi-touch approach get 2x more reviews than single-channel methods.

Step 3: Configure Feedback Routing (Critical for Compliance)

This is how you stay compliant with Google's policies while protecting client reputation:

1. Customer receives feedback request (not review request)
2. They submit a quick rating (emoji scale: 😡 😐 😍)
3. If positive (😍) → Show Google review link + AI-generated draft to copy/paste
4. If negative (😡 or 😐) → Route privately to client for resolution, no public review link

This isn't review gating (which is prohibited) because you're asking everyone. You're just routing feedback intelligently based on sentiment. Happy customers get encouraged to post publicly. Unhappy customers get a chance to resolve issues privately.

Spokk's feedback routing handles this automatically. Negative feedback triggers private alerts. Positive feedback gets turned into AI-generated review drafts customers can post.

Step 4: Train Client Staff (15-Minute Onboarding)

Staff training is the weakest link in most implementations. Keep it simple:

What staff need to know:

• Mention reviews verbally at checkout: "If you're happy, we'd love a quick review on Google."
• Hand out QR code cards (have them visible at checkout)
• Don't pressure or incentivize—just ask

What staff DON'T need to do:

• Follow up manually (automation handles this)
• Write reviews for customers (illegal)
• Only ask happy customers (review gating violates Google's policies)

Create a one-page cheat sheet with sample scripts and QR code placement ideas. That's it.

Step 5: Set Up Reporting (Monthly Minimum)

Clients need to see results to justify the cost. Report on:

Monthly:

• Number of new reviews
• Average star rating (current vs. last month)
• Review response rate (what % of reviews did you respond to)
• Profile views and direction requests (from Google Business Profile insights)

Quarterly:

• Local pack ranking changes (position 1-3 vs. 4-10 vs. off first page)
• Year-over-year review growth
• Competitor comparison (how they stack up against top 3 competitors)

Most tools (Spokk, GatherUp, BrightLocal) generate these reports automatically. Spend 10 minutes per client customizing and sending.

Upselling Existing Clients (The Easiest Path to Revenue)

The fastest way to add review management revenue isn't prospecting new clients. It's upselling existing clients who already trust you.

The Upsell Pitch for Current SEO Clients

"We've been working on your SEO for [X months], and you're ranking well for [keywords]. But I noticed your competitors have significantly more reviews than you do, and that's holding you back. Reviews account for about 9% of local ranking factors, and your top competitor has 47 reviews while you have 12. We can fix that with a review generation system. It's $400/month added to your current package, or $350 if we bundle it. Want to close that gap?"

Most clients say yes because:

1. You've already built trust
2. You're framing it as fixing a problem they didn't know existed
3. The cost is small relative to what they're already paying

The Upsell Pitch for Current PPC Clients

"Your ads are performing well, but I'm seeing that your competitors with better reviews are getting lower CPCs and higher conversion rates than you. Google rewards businesses with strong review profiles because they convert better. If we improve your star rating from 3.8 to 4.5, you'll see better Quality Scores, lower CPCs, and higher landing page conversion rates. We can run a review generation campaign alongside your ads for $400/month. It'll improve your ad ROI, not just your reputation."

PPC clients care about metrics. When you connect reviews to CPA and ROAS, they're sold.

Bundling = Higher Retention

Clients with multiple services from you are 3-4x less likely to churn. If a client is paying $1,500/month for SEO + PPC + reviews, they're not going to cancel over a $50 price increase. But if reviews are standalone at $400/month, they might cut it during a slow quarter.

Bundle aggressively. Offer 10-20% discounts on review management when purchased with other services. The lower per-unit revenue is offset by higher retention and larger total contract value.

Common Mistakes Agencies Make (And How to Avoid Them)

Mistake 1: Pricing Too Low

If you're charging $150-200/month for review management, you're not making money. After tool costs, reporting, client communication, and support, you're working for $50-75/month per client. That's not sustainable.

Minimum pricing should be $300/month for single locations. If clients say that's too expensive, they're not your ideal clients. Target businesses that understand the ROI and can afford proper services.

Mistake 2: Offering Month-to-Month Contracts

Month-to-month sounds client-friendly, but it's terrible for cash flow and retention. You'll spend 2-4 hours setting up automation, training staff, and configuring integrations. If clients cancel after 2-3 months, you're operating at a loss.

Require 6-month minimums. Offer 10-15% discounts for annual prepayment. Lock in revenue and give yourself time to deliver results.

Mistake 3: Not Responding to Client Reviews

If you're collecting reviews for clients but not responding to them, you're leaving value on the table. Responding to 100% of reviews increases conversion rates by 16.4% compared to not responding.

Either include review response management in your service (charge extra) or train clients to respond themselves using AI-drafted templates.

Mistake 4: Ignoring Compliance

Google's review policies explicitly prohibit review gating (only asking happy customers) and incentivizing reviews (offering discounts/rewards for reviews). If you violate these, clients' profiles can get flagged or suspended.

Always:

• Ask ALL customers for feedback (not just happy ones)
• Route unhappy feedback privately (this is compliant)
• Never offer incentives tied to leaving reviews
• Never have staff or bots write fake reviews

The FTC now fines businesses up to $51,744 per violation for review manipulation. Don't risk it.

Mistake 5: Overpromising Results

Don't promise specific review counts ("You'll get 50 reviews per month"). You can't control customer behavior.

Instead, promise process: "We'll automate requests to 100% of your customers using proven multi-touch sequences. Based on industry benchmarks, businesses typically see 15-25 new reviews per month, but results vary by industry and customer engagement."

Under-promise and over-deliver.

Final Thoughts: Why This Is the Service Every Agency Should Offer

The online reputation management market is growing at 12.8% annually and will hit $12.57 billion by 2030. SMBs are adopting these services faster than any other segment. Your clients already need this. They're either struggling to do it themselves or paying someone else.

Review management checks every box for a perfect agency service:

• High margins (50-75% gross, 20-40% net)
• Recurring revenue (clients need it forever, not just once)
• Low overhead (software costs $50-200/month per client)
• Sticky (once automated, clients don't want to rebuild elsewhere)
• Measurable ROI (reviews directly impact rankings and conversions)
• Easy to deliver (setup takes 2-4 hours, maintenance is minimal)

If you're not offering this service, you're leaving money on the table while competitors capture recurring revenue from your potential clients.

Start with your existing client base. Upsell 5-10 clients in the next 30 days. Use Spokk's Agency Plan to keep costs low while you validate demand. Once you've proven the model, scale to new clients.

The market is there. The tools exist. The margins are healthy. The only question is: are you going to capitalize on it?

FAQs

How much should I charge for review management services?

Most agencies charge $300-$500/month for single-location businesses, $700-$1,000/month for 2-5 locations, and $1,500+ for multi-location enterprises. Price based on your market, the complexity of delivery, and desired profit margins (aim for 50-75% gross margin).

Is review management profitable for agencies?

Yes. With tools like Spokk ($1,599/year for 2,500 responses) or GatherUp ($99-199/month), your cost per client is $50-200/month while charging $300-$1,500+. Target 50-75% gross margins and 20-40% net profit after overhead.

How do I convince clients they need review management?

Show them the data: 89% of customers check reviews before buying, 73% only trust reviews less than 30 days old, and a 1-star rating increase boosts conversions by 44%. Then ask: "How many reviews did you get last month?" Most will say zero or 1-2, revealing the gap.

Should I bundle review management with other services?

Yes. Bundling with SEO or PPC increases retention by 15-25% and makes pricing easier to justify. Reviews directly improve local SEO rankings and ad conversion rates, so it's a natural fit. Offer 10-20% bundle discounts to incentivize package deals.

What tools do agencies use to deliver review management?

Popular options include Spokk ($1,599/year, best for AI review generation), GatherUp ($99-199/month, full white label), BrightLocal ($35+/month, SEO-focused), and Text Request ($99/month, SMS-first). Choose based on whether you want review collection, monitoring, or full management.

How do I handle the "we'll do it ourselves" objection?

Ask: "How's that working so far? How many reviews did you get last month?" Then explain that 96% of customers will leave reviews if asked at the right moment, but that moment lasts 24 hours. Without automation, they forget, customers forget, and opportunities disappear.

Can I white label review management services?

Yes. Tools like Spokk, GatherUp, and BrightLocal offer white label or agency plans where you resell under your brand. Spokk's Agency Plan costs $1,599/year for 2,500 responses across unlimited clients, making it easy to scale profitably.

How long does it take to see results for clients?

Clients should see 15-20% more reviews within 30 days of launching automated requests. By month 3, expect 2-3x their baseline volume. SEO improvements from increased review velocity take 60-90 days to show in rankings.

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