5 ways to encourage their customers to post reviews online
It is common knowledge in marketing that your brand is not what you say, but what others say. You can spend thousands on what you think about your business, but ultimately, people will decide.
Online reviews are powerful tools because they are part of traditional marketing that people really trust. The majority - 90% of US consumers say they read online reviews before visiting a business, and 85% trust them as much as personal recommendations.
In fact, almost three quarters of your potential customers will only make a purchase after reading a positive review of your product / service.
In this blog post, I'll share five of the most effective methods you can use to get customers to leave reviews online and promote your business.
Actually ask them
It may seem too simple, but if you don't ask, you won't get an answer.
A recent study by BrightLocal found that 68% of customers would like to leave a review when asked by a seller. But, unfortunately, most don't.
A well-sent email can significantly increase the number of reviews you leave.
When you have to ask will depend on your product / service and industry. For example, requesting a revocation immediately after the service ends is relevant for companies like Uber because the service they offer is temporary. And in a month or a week it will be difficult to get feedback from the client.
Whereas if you sell electronics, you should wait a few weeks after the item is delivered or purchased before asking for feedback, because people want to test the item in use before giving their opinion.
Know how and when to ask
In addition to timing your request correctly, you should be mindful of how you request feedback.
Your clients will not be good at answering open-ended questions. Instead, you should make them think about your recent purchase by asking the closed-ended question "Do you like your new [product]?"
To avoid generating negative reviews, offer a solution to dissatisfied customers before submitting them to your review platform. If your request is based on email, you can take an example from Amazon and include a simple 5-star rating system to generate interest.
The success rate of your question will also depend on when you submit your request during the sales process. Highlights:
- Immediately after purchase (if this is a service)
- In a letter confirming delivery
- When they re-purchase a product or service
- After they tagged you on social media
- When they refer someone else to you
Give them an incentive
Depending on what you sell, it can take more time and effort to post a review than some customers are willing to give.
To get more feedback, offer discounts on future purchases, vouchers and gift cards for third-party products or services, or free entry to a prize draw that offers a much more valuable gift.
If you are encouraging to leave reviews, write about it on social media and on the website, as well as directly to new customers. This approach can entice existing customers who haven't had a chance to leave a review to post a review now, even if they haven't bought from you for a long time.
Use multiple viewing channels
The variety of places open for testimonials will depend on your sales channels and type of business. You should use the channels that most people in your industry use, as well as those that are generally popular.
The global search engine Google is also the king of online reviews, according to Vendust.
To receive reviews on Google and other search engines such as Yelp and Bing, you need to create a business account for each and register your details.
Share existing reviews
People are much more likely to do something if they see others do it first. Social media generation has always been an important marketing tactic as well as important for driving online reviews.
Include the latest testimonials from other customers in your email or other post where you make review requests.
Alternatively, show your social media followers and website users your existing positive reviews to motivate them to leave alone as well.
Many useful plugins can parse reviews from different platforms to your site.
Bonus tip: If you're going to be posting a lot of reviews on your website or hosting reviews from other platforms there, make sure your web hosting plan, free or paid , has enough bandwidth to support additional data without slowing down your site. Otherwise, you will give on one side to take on the other.
Final thoughts ...
Online reviews are a powerful marketing tool that can continue to pay off even after you've invested in creating them. While promoting online reviews is a smart business move, it can be costly to do it poorly. So make sure your business is doing the right thing by following these five simple tips and watch your sales grow.