How To Increase Your Reviews
How To Increase Your Reviews
Why do I need online reviews?
88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
WOW, ok we’re listening!
Customers use online reviews to help them make decisions on who to spend their money with.
The 3 most important factors are:
- Star rating
- Legitimacy
- Recency
Where to start with getting reviews?
1. Create a reviews link
For Google:
You can create a short URL of your Google My Business reviews page to invite your customers to rate your business.
This can be useful for posting on social channels or including in your email footer to let customers know where to share their experience.
For other platforms for example, Trustpilot, Checkatrade etc… Just copy and paste the URL for your business profile with the page that says ‘leave a review’.
Please note: Feefo and some other review platforms have the option of only allowing reviews from those who receive a link so you’ll have to send these individual links but can still follow the next steps except step 7!
2. Ask loyal customers
We all know that typically people won’t write reviews unprompted unless they had a terrible experience and want to warn others, or it was so good they want to influence other people’s buying decisions.
That said, research from BrightLocal shows that 72 per cent of consumers asked to write a review went on to do so – so people will be happy to share their positive experience if you ask them to.
A personal message goes a long way, so why not try emailing some of your most loyal customers (or even asking in person) and tell them you’d really appreciate them leaving a review.
TOP TIP: If you have permission to, you can text your client and ask for a review. Be sure to include the link but people are less likely to ignore text messages over emails!
3. Follow up with buyers
Asking for a review when customers have just used your service or bought a product from you is when they’ll be most motivated to share their experience. If you sell products online, for example, you could send an email shortly after delivery to invite the buyer to leave a review.
4. Launch an email campaign
How about sending an email to your customer list to boost your star rating? This can be a short and simple email that asks for a review and directs people straight to your Google reviews page.
Explain that you value customer feedback as it really helps you deliver the best possible service and supports other potential customers with their decisions. The idea of ‘writing a review’ can seem daunting, so emphasise it only takes a minute for them to share their experience.
5. Reply to all your reviews
Good, bad, or ugly, it’s important to reply to all your Google reviews. In fact, according to a study from Google, businesses that respond to reviews are 1.7x more trustworthy than businesses who don’t.
There’s a way to do this though. Make sure your response is timely, considered, and honest. As a general rule of thumb, you should try to reply to all reviews within 24 hours as this shows customers you care.
6. Showcase existing reviews
Already got some glowing customer reviews? Well done. Your next step is to create a buzz around what your customers are saying and encourage more people to share their experience too.
Showcasing customer testimonials is a valuable part of any marketing strategy as it brings an authentic, human element to your brand. It can be the reason why someone chooses you over a competitor.
When it comes to showing off your Google reviews, you could create a testimonials page on your website – you might even be able to embed your Google reviews straight into your site depending on what platform you use.
You can also make use of free poster templates and social posts with Google’s marketing kit to inspire other people to leave a review.
7. Print a review card
Why not print some small review cards to invite people to tell you what they think? Say something simple like ‘Love your order? Leave us a review’ and include it in your product packaging. Or display a ‘How did we do?’ card in your premises to prompt customers to give you their feedback.
Unsure where to start when it comes to design? Give us a message and we’ll help you!
8. Share your reviews on social media
Use the fantastic templates available on Canva or create your own and simply copy and paste the content from your Google Review onto the template then download and share it!
