One of the best ways to build a winning online reputation and attract new customers is to get more reviews. After all, online reviews are one of the biggest factors influencing consumer behavior today. Great reviews also foster goodwill, and they can make a positive impact on your brand’s search performance.
According to online reviews statistics, 94% of consumers have avoided a business after reading negative online reviews. This makes it extremely important for brands to learn how to get more reviews and generate positive customer feedback and social proof — thereby minimizing the impact of negative reviews.
With a steady stream of great reviews, brands can also build credibility and a great online reputation, improve search visibility, and positively influence consumers’ purchase decisions. Working on generating more reviews for your brand should also lead to the following benefits:
- Reputation boost. A stream of 5-star ratings and reviews from customers helps showcase your brand and creates powerful social proof for inspiring shopper confidence and driving sales.
- Instant outreach. Proactively asking for feedback helps strengthen customer relationships — and connects your business to the voices that matter the most.
- Amplified SEO. Fresh reviews can dramatically improve your search engine performance, essential to attracting more customers and increasing conversion.
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How to Get More Reviews Method 1: Local Listing Management
It’s important for brands — particularly those with physical stores or business locations — to create, claim, and manage their local listings. This strategy is called local listing management. This allows you to secure your business or brand name across the Internet and plant your brand’s flag on social media sites, business review sites, local search networks, and business directories.
By managing your listings, you can listen to and join customer-driven conversations about your brand, wherever these conversations are taking place. A collection of well-managed local listings also provide multiple channels for customers to leave reviews.
Simply put: having control of your brand’s multiple listings should help you cast a wider net that not only captures new audiences but helps previous customers easily find and review you online.
How to Get More Reviews Method 2: Email and SMS Campaigns
Oftentimes, the best way to get more reviews is simply to ask your customers. After all, when you’re already delivering experiences that customers love, they won’t hesitate to vouch for you. All you have to do is ask.
Asking for reviews is a tried and tested online review management tactic that serves businesses of all types and sizes, and it works whether your starting point is zero or a hundred reviews. For today’s marketers, the most effective way of asking for reviews is often through email and SMS campaigns.
You can encourage customers to leave a rating or review on specific sites, but you can also include open-ended queries such as “How was our service?” or “Tell us about your experience.” Using these prompts helps set the tone before a customer writes their review.
If you need inspiration for what content to use in your review requests, feel free to use some of these feedback request templates. Also, keep in mind that not all review websites will allow you to solicit reviews from customers. Before reaching out to your customers for reviews, make sure you read each individual site’s terms of service and content guidelines.
How to Get More Reviews Method 3: Review Request Handouts
Apart from email and SMS campaigns, you may also choose to print and distribute physical review request handouts, which are perfect for customers in post-transactional situations.
Compared to text messages and emails, handouts have a more immediate impact in terms of getting the attention of your customers. Write appealing copy encouraging them to leave a review on a specific listing or your own website. You can even use the handout to promote your brand’s presence on social media and business review sites.
Not sure what to write? Find inspiration by downloading the free Ask Review Template.
How to Get More Reviews Method 4: Offline Engagement
If you’re able to create meaningful personable relationships with your customers, the more likely it is that they’ll leave you with a positive review.
Find ways to drive and increase engagement levels offline. When possible, surprise loyal customers with small but unforgettable gestures like, say, an off-the-menu treat, dessert on the house, or a free room upgrade.
You can also drive more engagement by making your brand more visible within the local community in which you operate. One way of expanding your reach and influence in the local community is to make your business available as a resource for fundraising and charitable activities.
This is a great way to gain the goodwill of potential and existing customers, as well as build positive buzz around your brand. On online review sites, businesses that are perceived as charitable and vested with their local community often outrank, outperform, and outscore those that take a more passive approach.
How to Get More Reviews Method 5: Review Responses
You’re more likely to get more reviews if you show a commitment to responding to existing ones. Even if it’s just a simple “thank you” or “We’re sorry”, learning how to respond to negative reviews as well as positive feedback lets potential and existing customers know that your business cares about what they have to say, making them more likely to engage and post reviews of their own.
Before you respond to every review on your local listings, make sure that you have a review response plan in place that addresses topics such as what type of tone to use in your responses, who owns the task of responding, how to provide contact information, and how to resolve high-impact issues effectively.
Invest in Tools to Get More Reviews
Having an online review management strategy should not be limited to monitoring and responding to reviews. You should be able to generate them, too. A combination of in-person and digital methods for getting more reviews ensures that your brand has a 5-star reputation on all the sites and listings that matter. Over time, these reviews will help drive your customer acquisition and retention strategies.
To ensure efficiency, consider investing in online reputation management software that offers tools to help your brand get more reviews. The Ask Tool, ReviewTrackers’ intelligent review and feedback request workflow, is the easiest way to generate reviews.
It also helps your organization close the feedback loop and drive review volume growth with zero lift. With only a few clicks of a button, you can turn happy customers into brand advocates on the sites that matter the most — with the peace of mind of knowing that ReviewTrackers keeps your customer data secure at all times. The Ask Tool enables brands to fully customize all aspects of their campaigns, including content and design elements, in an easy-to-navigate interface.
