We all know that online reviews are crucial to any company operating today. 72% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they trust the opinion of a friend (grade.us). But, that doesn’t mean getting your customers to leave a review is simple. Reviews can be hard to come by; for this reason we have created a list of ways that you can ask for a review, without begging. Do keep in mind that it is frowned upon to give rewards or pay for reviews and in some cases you could get banned from the review site.
Create some type of review card.
Design a card that kindly asks your customers for a review. Make sure you provide an easy way of directing them to the review sites that you use. Depending on your business, after you’ve finished a job or service, physically hand a card to a customer and ask them for feedback. Make sure to ask in a low pressure phrase in a way that shows that you would genuinely like their feedback to better your business. Here is an example:
“Thanks for coming in today. We’d love to hear what you thought about today’s service.”
By giving out these cards you are able to stay in the mind of the reviewer and make it easy for them to review you. By also adding the sites that you are listed on and manage you are able to target customer reviews to specific sites.
Send an email.
Most business owners have the emails of their customers but don’t use them. If you have your clients email, this is a great way to send them a note, thank them for their business, and ask for their feedback.
This email should be short and sweet, you can even use the same template for each email that you send. Simply say “thank you” for their business and provide them hyperlinks that direct them straight to the review sites that you manage. This is a more personal way to ask for a review adding a bonus to your customer service. We usually recommend these emails for a mid-level products or services that you provide.
The great thing about an email is that the hyperlinks make it the most simple for your customers to use. All they need to do is click the link and they are directed to the review site, taking away the extra steps of searching for your business on review sites.
Send a thank you note.
This is one of our favorite methods! How often do you get a hand written thank you note? Probably not very often. This will leave a great, lasting impression with your customer. We suggest mailing the thank you note right after the customer makes the purchase. By sending this letter in the mail you are showing just how much you care for your customers or clients. They will really appreciate the note and most likely will feel inclined to give you a review.
We recommend these notes for more high end products or services that you provide. This adds a VIP feel to the product or service and will make the customer feel great about your company and their experience.
If you need help with any type of reputation management do not hesitate to contact us at grow@crushmymarket.com. Our customized feedback service makes it easy for your customers to leave feedback and to post it to all of your review pages.
