Customer reviews are important to any business, whether it's an e-commerce business, marketing agency, SaaS company, or local store business. But getting customers to write positive reviews about a business may not be easy. As Jonathan Aufray of Growth Hackers says, “Most happy customers never tell you they're happy. Unhappy customers will let you know.”
So how do you get happy customers to write rave reviews for your business on public websites? Here are 9 tips to help you go beyond expectations with product reviews and customer testimonials…
Why are customer reviews important?
One of the most important reasons customer reviews are important is that they have a huge influence on your potential customers' purchasing decisions. The more consumers and potential customers turn to self-research, the more they rely on the opinions and experiences of other customers in reviews when evaluating options and making purchasing decisions. Having positive reviews helps build trust in your business and its products/services.
Here are a few reasons why customer reviews are important:
Provides social proof: When customers leave positive reviews about a product or service, it can help convince other potential customers that the product or service is worth buying. This is because people tend to trust the opinions of others who have used a product or service before.
Gives feedback: Customer reviews can help a business identify areas where it excels and needs improvement. This feedback can help businesses make changes to their products or services to better meet their customers' needs.
Can improve search engine rankings: Search engines like Google take customer reviews into account when determining how a business will rank in search results. This means businesses with more positive reviews will likely rank higher in search results, making it easier for potential customers to find them.
It can increase sales: Positive customer reviews can increase sales by reassuring potential customers that they made a good choice. In fact, research has shown that products with positive reviews are more likely to be purchased than products with no reviews or negative reviews. Overall, customer reviews are an important tool businesses can use to build trust with potential customers, gather feedback, and improve their product or service.
12 Proven Ways to Encourage Customers to Write Reviews
Customer reviews are critical to the success of businesses. It helps potential customers make more informed decisions about whether to purchase a product or service. That's why it's so important to encourage your customers to leave reviews about your business. Here are 12 proven ways to encourage customers to write reviews:
#1: PROVIDE A GREAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
The first and most important step in persuading customers to write reviews is to give them a great experience. Make sure your product or service exceeds expectations. This means providing quality products or services, responsive to customer needs, and providing excellent customer service. When this happens, your customers will be more likely to write a positive review.
#2: MAKE EVALUATION EASIER
Feed a direct link to your reviews page or platform so customers don't have to search for it. Add a “Review Now” etc to your website, social media pages or email signature to make it easier for customers to leave reviews. you can add a call to action button. The easier it is to leave a review, the more likely customers will be to take action.
#3: SUPPORT WITH AN EMAIL
After a purchase or interaction, send an incentive email thanking the customer and inviting them to write a review. When sending the email, keep it as short as possible, make the customer feel special, and include a link that will take them directly to the review process. You can also offer guidance on what your client will write in the review. This will show that you value customers' opinions and encourage them to share their experiences.
#4: OFFER INCENTIVES
Offering a small incentive such as a discount, trial or free product can motivate customers to leave a review. In exchange for leaving a comment, you can offer a discount code or a free trial of your product/service . Just make sure the incentive is relevant to your business and not perceived as a direct response.
#5: MAKE PERSONALIZATIONS
Personalization is a very important leverage in building relationships and a great way to increase reviews. Use the customer's name and reference the product or service they purchased in your review request. This will make the request more personalized and increase the chances of the customer leaving a review. You can also use customer data to target your request to customers who are more likely to leave a positive review.
#6: EXPLAIN WHY REVIEWS ARE IMPORTANT
Feel free to ask for feedback from your customers and take advantage of it. We can say that one of the most effective ways to increase feedback is to add small gifts and notes to orders. Propose the idea that leaving a review benefits other consumers. If you write in the note how valuable the customer's comment is to you and that it will make a significant contribution to improving your business, they will not want to break this request. Customers who want to support you will show their support in the form of positive reviews.
#7: USE THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Share customer reviews on your social media platforms and encourage others to leave comments as well. You can also use social media to run contests or campaigns that require customers to leave a review to participate. Social media is a powerful tool for generating excitement about your business and encouraging customer engagement.
#7: DISPLAY REVIEWS ON YOUR WEBSITE
Feature reviews prominently on your website to show potential customers the positive experiences others have had with your business. You can also use customer quotes in your marketing strategies. This will build trust and loyalty with potential customers and help you stand out from your competitors.
#8: ANSWER REVIEWS
Respond to both positive and negative reviews to show that you value feedback and are committed to improving your business. This also encourages customers to leave reviews because they know their feedback will be appreciated. Responding to negative reviews is especially important as it gives you the opportunity to address the customer's concerns and turn a negative experience into a positive one.
#9: PROVIDE PRINT TEMPLATE FOR ASSESSMENTS
Another way to make it easier for customers to leave reviews and write testimonials is to prepare some or all of the review for them. Provide clear instructions on how to leave comments. A nice side effect of this approach is that it allows you to influence what customers have to say. As a bonus, your customers won't have to think too hard about sharing feedback, which will increase their likelihood of submitting a review.
Overall, reviews and product reviews can be one of the biggest selling tools. Online shoppers make a purchase by doing preliminary research and collecting information about the product they want to buy. Reading users' experiences, product reviews and ratings is an important part of the purchasing decision. More than 70% of consumers say they look at product reviews before making a purchase, and around 63% say they're more likely to buy from a site with product ratings and reviews.
When you receive feedback, whether positive or negative, you can take action and improve the product or your business. It is important to know how to turn a negative assessment into an opportunity. By the way, don't be afraid of negative comments; - as long as it doesn't get too extreme - because a store filled with only positive reviews arouses the suspicion that it's been faked by customers. The negative experiences shared in the reviews also confirm the authenticity of the purchasing experience. In summary, social proof.
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