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How to Encourage Customers to Leave More Reviews

Having a loyal base of customers can be a lifeline for your company. They can spread positive word of mouth and act as brand ambassadors, and you can rely on them for repeat business. However, even if your customers are singing your praises, you must find a way to show that to the public. Sometimes, amassing many positive reviews can be challenging, and many new business owners have no idea where to begin. At eSEOspace, we specialize in digital marketing and promoting businesses through SEO. We have experience in increasing companies’ visibility in online spaces, and we will share tips on how to encourage customers to leave more reviews. Keep in mind that you should temper your expectations. As with anything relating to digital marketing, it might take some time before you achieve measurable results.

 

Before You Encourage Customers to Leave More Reviews

Instead of immediately pushing customers to leave you reviews, we suggest you make preparations to ensure everything goes smoothly. Users typically have an adverse reaction whenever businesses act too forcefully. Even though you want to get reviews, your customers don’t need to know the exact details. Here is how to prepare to get more reviews:

1.Research Your Customers

Although you might know who is buying your products and services, it would still be best to create a profile of the ideal customer—research where they spend time online and which social platforms they use. Asking for reviews on the wrong platform won’t get a large response, so you’ll need to focus most of your efforts on your customers’ social networks.

2.Monitor Your Current Reputation

Before launching any marketing campaign, you should understand how your audience views you. Imagine getting an influx of new reviews where most of them turn out to be negative. Perhaps it would be better to monitor your online reputation and launch a PR campaign if you realize your reviews need improvement.

3.Implement Social Proof

Have a plan of what you will do with reviews once you gather them. For example, if you plan to ask for reviews on your Google profile, leaving them unnoticed would be a shame. Imagine all the users who don’t look at Google reviews missing out on the positive testimonials you have amassed.

We suggest implementing elements of social proof on your website. You can have a dedicated page to display reviews and share comments from satisfied customers. Additionally, consider placing some reviews on the landing page of your website or in your marketing emails.

 

How to Encourage Customers to Leave More Reviews:

1.Engage Customers in Conversation

Users will be much more likely to leave you a review if they regularly interact with your business. Getting customers to care about your business doesn’t happen overnight, but you can build a friendly rapport. Remember when we told you to research which social media platforms your users frequent – that is where you need to start building a following. Even if your website has a comments section for user messages, most people would rather interact with businesses through social media.

You shouldn’t misinterpret this advice and open a business profile on social media to ask for reviews. No one will stick around for that, and being overly promotional will only alienate your audience. Instead, you should foster meaningful conversation and give users a reason to participate.

2.Ask Nicely

You will frequently find multiple elaborate strategies if you seek advice on getting reviews. However, the most basic approach is often overlooked despite being incredibly practical. Politely ask customers for reviews – that’s it. However, you may not know when is the best time or how to ask for a review.

Send your customers an email after they complete a purchase. Depending on the type of products you sell and the expected delivery times, you can do a follow-up after a few weeks. Send a simple message stating, “Thank you for your business. Consider leaving us a review if you are satisfied with our products.” Of course, you should also include a way for users to leave you a review, which brings us to our next point.

 

3.Respond to Your Customers

Your customers might be dissuaded from leaving reviews or comments if they see many unanswered questions in your reviews section. Responding to customer reviews is essential to ensure your audience that you care. Moreover, this includes responding to negative comments and reviews. Take the time to craft a good response and show your customers you care about their feedback. Remember that you should also act on this feedback and implement necessary changes to your business. You will get more positive reviews if you demonstrate that you listen to what customers say and take their issues seriously.

 

4.Make it Easy to Leave a Review

Imagine the following scenario. You convince one of your customers to leave you a review, and when they go to write one, they are met with a complicated login form. They will pass, and you will be left without a review. Google suggests giving users a direct URL to leave a review on your Business Profile. However, if you want reviews on your WordPress website, you can simplify and streamline the forms users need to fill out. You can even consider allowing users to leave reviews without creating new accounts.

 

The Bottom Line

Many positive reviews can go a long way in convincing skeptical users that your company is reputable and worth their time. Now that you’ve learned how to encourage customers to leave more reviews, it’s time to put our advice into practice. Of course, if you want positive reviews, you must provide your users with an exceptional shopping experience and customer support. Managing your online reputation is essential for any business, and customer reviews are the easiest way to let users know you are running a stand-up business.

 

Author Bio: Fred Stanley is a Customer Relationship Management Expert focused on improving the user experience and facilitating communication between sales representatives and the end-user. Fred enjoys helping businesses reach their full potential in a humane and meaningful way. Fred loves relaxing with a good book and a cup of tea when he isn’t resolving sales disputes.