Customer Reviews Lacking for Your Business? Here's How to Get More
How important are online customer reviews?
Well, 90% of customers make purchases based upon reading reviews..and that’s really saying something!
Putting your focus on getting more reviews for your business can make a huge difference in converting customers, and actually have a lasting impact on overall success.
In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the best ways to encourage positive online reviews.
1. Make profiles on 3rd party review sites
If you want to get reviews, you need to give customers a place to share about their experiences.
Websites like Yelp allow businesses to set up profiles and, for more popular review sites, your reviews will show up in local search engines. That means more local SEO visibility for you.
Here are some popular 3rd party review sites to consider for making profiles.
- Yelp
- Trip Advisor
- Angie’s List
- Glassdoor
2. Send out review requests
Setting up an automated online review form is an efficient way for you to request reviews. It’s also easier for the customer to deliver a fast response, making them more apt to share.
Basically, you’re creating an email that goes out to customers 3 to 5 days after they’ve made a purchase.
Save the links from the profiles you’ve set up and share it in the email. This makes it fast and easy for customers to click right from the email to leave a review.
3. Don’t freak out over negative reviews
Unfortunately, with positive reviews also comes a few negative ones. The key to dealing with them is by putting your feelings aside and taking steps to correspond in a professional manner.
Start by contemplating the review. Is there any truth to what the customer is saying? Look at it as a way to improve your business instead of something to dwell upon.
Plus, if there is improvement needed and it’s not acknowledged, you can count on more reviews streaming in that highlight the same negative experience.
Finally, you’ll want to write a response that let’s the customer know you have taken note and you’re doing something about it.
Keep your tone professional, not argumentative, because it won’t get anyone anywhere if things get sassy (we’ve all seen those posted review wars on social media).
By letting the customer know (in a timely fashion) that you are doing something to improve your business, this shows future customers that you prioritize customer service.
