Think that online reviews are overrated? Think again! Nearly 80% of customers say they trust online reviews just as much as they trust personal recommendations. The simple fact of the matter is that if you don’t have a lot of online reviews about your business, you’re losing out on new customers.
So, how do you get more reviews? One way to do it is to just ask.
If you’re not sure how to ask for a review from past customers, you’re not alone. It can feel a little uncomfortable at first. However, you’ve come to the right place for help. Keep reading to learn how to ask for a review so you can help build your company’s credibility.
Face to Face
If you have a business that deals with in-person customers, don’t be afraid to ask for reviews face to face. For example, if you have a retail store, you might have cashiers ask customers to leave a review at the end of the transaction.
If you’re not sure how to approach it, the best time to ask for a review is in response to praise from a customer. If they take the time to give you a compliment, say thank you, and ask if they’d mind leaving an online review about their experience. It truly never hurts to ask!
Via Email
If you’d prefer a more passive approach, email helps to get reviews from past customers on their time. All you need to do is set up a simple email template that you can send out to customers once they’ve completed a purchase. From the email, you can even set up a short survey with the opportunity for them to leave a review that you can then use on your website.
You can also include links to your Google listing or other online review portals to encourage them to give feedback in multiple places. This allows customers to write a thoughtful review when it best fits their schedule.
Over the Phone
Does your business model use customer service representatives that interact with customers over the phone? If so, this is another perfect opportunity to ask for reviews. Once your reps have helped the customer, have them end the call by asking the customers to leave a review about the service they received.
This can lead to especially powerful reviews from customers who had a problem that was solved by a helpful representative.
On Print Materials
Finally, consider asking for reviews on various print materials that you hand out to customers. For example, on receipts, you can have a small call out about where customers can go to leave reviews.
Or, you might send out a postcard campaign to previous customers, asking for feedback about their experience. In that case, you can send them to a specific landing page where they can leave their review in just a matter of minutes.
It Never Hurts to Ask For a Review
After reading through this brief guide, you should feel more confident in knowing how to ask for a review in ways that won’t make your customers feel uncomfortable. Even if only 1 out of every 10 people ends up leaving a review, that can still do wonders in helping new customers find your business.
Interested in reading more about business and marketing? Be sure to check out our other articles before you go.
