Review analysis is a vital factor to consider before you make an online purchase. People read reviews regardless of what they buy – services or products. For that reason, business owners always encourage clients to leave reviews or testimonials to successfully close a purchase.
Did you know? 85% of small business owners globally believe that word-to-mouth referrals are the best way to boost business and increase profit margins.
Boasting Google reviews and rankings are a great way for business owners to highlight their products and services in the marketplace and boost sales too.
Not sure that reviews have significant value? These figures from BrightLocal might change your view:
- 79% of people around the world would easily trust online reviews compared to friendly suggestions.
- Statistics show that 87% of customers compare local businesses and competitor reviews before purchasing.
- Positive ratings increase people’s likelihood to utilise a firm by 94%, whereas negative ones deter 92% of consumers.
The simple truth is that, in one way or another, prospective clients will probably base their decision to do business with you on what others are saying about you online. You have two options: you can disregard this fact OR read this article to learn the simplest ways to get more reviews.
Now, there are several review sites to get reviews for your business. All you have to do is set up accounts and be smart and agile in your strategies to achieve them. . We’ll tell you how:
Set Up Accounts On Different Review Sites
Take into account all the websites that are pertinent to your company, including LinkedIn, Angie’s List, Google Local, TripAdvisor, Yahoo Local and CitySearch. General review sites like TrustLink and Trustpilot are excellent even if you don’t believe you work in a sector that relies heavily on customer reviews. The hospitality sector highlights such features (Trustpilot provides the additional benefits of showing up on Google).
Find The Right Time To Ask For Reviews
People could work in transaction-focused industries, such as salons, spas or auto repair. This gives you the leverage to ask customers for reviews in an informal manner. It also helps to have a physical space where you can post review stickers.
The planning of how to obtain online reviews will need to be more strategic for those of you in industries with lengthier sales cycles, such as real estate, mortgage lending, and insurance.
Do make sure to ask for a review after the transaction has been completed. Don’t delay in asking, as reviews from someone with fresh experience should be an aim. A couple of weeks after the purchase is the best time frame to seek a customer review.
Perfect Way to Ask
It’s the era of digitalization, there are several ways to communicate and be social with your clients. You just have to find the right approach. If a customer reaches out to you to appreciate your services, ensure to get back a review from them for the same. This is the easiest ways to get more reviews from your clients and build a loyal customer base too.
An example:
You recently purchased a property and hired a mover service. It’s a new business that is trying to grow. They are eager to receive Yelp reviews. They expressed how much they’d like Yelp reviews as they were bringing in the rest of your stuff.
The service owner emails you two days after moving in to make sure everything went according to plan. He/she requests your willingness to submit a review once more and provides a link to the Yelp page for his business. You concur that this two-day period was adequate for settling in, yet it was still close enough to the job to have details in mind.
Tip: Ask them for reviews when they are probably home. Make it convenient for them to leave reviews.
Speaking of convenience…
Make It Easier To Leave Reviews
If you make the process simple for your clients, you’ll have a better chance of getting a review. It’s the easy way to get more reviews .
- Create review page badges for your website
So that your consumers may notice them when they visit, you might incorporate website badges on your review pages on the website. Additionally, this makes it simpler for prospective customers to browse internet product reviews.
- Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly
Your website should be mobile-friendly for easier surfing as many clients read emails and browse websites on their smartphones.
- Add a link to your email
If you are sending out emails asking for reviews, it’s just convenient to include the links to the review sites.
- Include QR codes
Start adding QR codes on your handouts and flyers. If you are handing out the flyers from your physical stores/store, do make sure to add the QR codes there. This way, they won’t have to walk the extra mile to find your store.
Give No Incentives
Offering incentives may make it simpler to persuade people to delete reviews, but it’s not exactly the best practice.
Reviews are effective because they are sincere and written by unpaid individuals. Customers trust them because of this. The credibility you’re intending to establish through internet reviews will be ruined if you provide incentives to obtain them and folks learn about it (which they will undoubtedly do).
Furthermore, the majority of independent review websites are stringent about how companies solicit feedback. They may penalise you if they learn that you are using incentives to persuade clients.
Thank Your Reviewers
Thank each customer who reviews your service or product if the review site permits it. Additionally, when a top reviewer has left a review, you can pleasantly surprise them by sending them a coupon code or free gift. A delighted client might become a regular customer with this simple action.
Prioritise Google Reviews
Gaining more Google reviews might benefit your business by improving lead generation and search engine rankings. However, obtaining additional Google reviews is a difficult procedure. You must have a worker who is responsible for all aspects of your business’s reviews, such as:
- Establishing and overseeing your company’s review process
- Observing fresh reviews
- Addressing both favourable and negative Google reviews (and other platforms, like Yelp, BBB, Facebook, etc.)
- Escalating unsatisfactory customer experiences and negative customer feedback to the appropriate teammate (i.e., management)
Parting Thoughts
When you put so much effort into satisfying each of your customers, why don’t you get the best of that effort. A happy customer spreads goodwill about a business whether you ask for it or not. By asking for it, you can increase the conversion and sale rate of your online and offline shop. And we can only hope this blog about simple ways to get more reviews helps you achieve that.