{"id":28630,"date":"2022-01-21T13:46:12","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T08:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplify360.com\/blog\/2022\/01\/21\/ways-to-get-more-reviews-for-your-business\/"},"modified":"2023-08-17T05:47:27","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T05:47:27","slug":"ways-to-get-more-reviews-for-your-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplify360.com\/blog\/ways-to-get-more-reviews-for-your-business\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Proven Ways to Get More Reviews for Your Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Review generation is hard! And if you\u2019re running a business, you sure do know how difficult it is to get more reviews for your business!<\/p>

Today, people totally rely on online reviews to purchase a product or avail a service. Put short, online reviews have become an individual\u2019s deciding factor.<\/p>

A statistic from Trustpilot says that 89% of people read online reviews before they make a purchase. That\u2019s nearly 9 out of 10 people!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>

And not sure if you knew this already but a massive 79% of people consider and trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. That\u2019s how important online reviews have become today.<\/p>

So, in this article, we\u2019ll be looking at the ways that can help you generate more reviews online for your business with ease. We\u2019ve also included a couple of review generation templates that can help you bag a customer review with ease.<\/p>

Before we start discussing the ways to get more reviews for your business, we\u2019ll quickly discuss the impact review generation can have on your business!<\/p>

How Do Reviews Help Businesses?<\/h2>

In a sentence, reviews can be a game-changer for your business!<\/p>

How? Let\u2019s break it down for you!<\/p>

1. Reviews Drive More Purchases\u200b<\/h4>

Online reviews are the social proof that drives customer decisions today. Here\u2019s an example to help you understand better.<\/p>

Let\u2019s assume you\u2019re searching for something on Amazon. You\u2019ve come across a product. The first thing you\u2019ll be looking for is the reviews<\/strong> (sometimes the price)<\/em>.<\/p>

You\u2019ll be looking at the total number of reviews, the number of 5-star reviews and a couple of written reviews as well. It\u2019s only after this you decide whether to make a purchase or not!<\/p>

Like you, all potential buyers out there look for reviews before they make a purchase or choose a service. The positive reviews are a clear sign that other people have purchased the product and they\u2019ve found it useful, paving the way for more new purchases.<\/p>

Having positive reviews will not only attract customers but will also influence their purchase decisions and increase sales figures.<\/p>

2. Positive Reviews Build Trust<\/h4>

When a customer leaves a positive review for your business, it means they\u2019re totally satisfied and are expressing it in the form of reviews. What this also means is that they trust you and you\u2019ve just acquired a loyal customer for your business.<\/p>

As for the trust factor, the more positive reviews you have, you get to build trust in the community as well. Anyone who comes across your business and gets to look at the positive reviews immediately knows you are doing some good work – the trust factor passes on.<\/p>

It\u2019s even better if you could get your customers to share their positive reviews on external websites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, or whatever you find appropriate for your business.<\/p>

3. Free Social Proof Materials<\/h4>

If you\u2019ve got the reviews, why don\u2019t you just go ahead and flaunt them? After all, it\u2019s something you\u2019ve earned!<\/p>

Reviews aren\u2019t something you acquire and forget! Like we already said, they are the social proof that drives customer decisions.<\/p>

You can use the reviews to showcase how good your services or products are. Showcase them on your website, social media channels, or any other place that would do your business some good – visibility, traffic and conversions!<\/p>

4. Reviews Improve Search Ranking<\/h4>

This is one of the best benefits of getting more reviews for your business!<\/p>

Moz stated<\/a> that reviews are one of the top three factors in local search ranking. So, if you\u2019re running a local business, you probably should get more reviews for your business.<\/p>

When the ratings are high on Google and other relevant review sites, it\u2019s a clear indication that you\u2019re offering good service and this will improve your search rankings.<\/p>

Better ranking means better visibility. And better visibility means more customers.<\/p>

Now that you\u2019re clear about the impact reviews can have on your business, let\u2019s look at the ways to generate reviews online!<\/p>

Review Generation – How to Generate Reviews for Your Business<\/h2>

1. Start Off By Simply Asking for Reviews<\/h3>

That\u2019s as easy as it sounds! When you need to generate more online reviews for your business, all you have to do is ask for them!<\/p>

You\u2019d be surprised by looking at the number of customers who are willing to write positive reviews for your business but they just didn\u2019t where or how to do it. And by simply asking them, you can generate a couple of reviews for your business without much effort!<\/p>

But there are a couple of things you should keep an eye on and do before asking your customers for reviews.<\/p>

Ask Reviews At the Right Time<\/strong><\/p>

Yes! The timing should be impeccable! Knowing when to ask for reviews is one of the important factors while trying to get more reviews for your business.<\/p>

When you ask your customers for reviews at the right time, there\u2019s a high chance you\u2019ll get one. The right time could be when your customer has just completed a transaction – they could have purchased a product, renewed their subscription, or simply have their issue resolved.<\/p>

The point is to ask for a review when a good incident is fresh in their minds. Not after a while or when the memory fades! This also means that you\u2019re having a proper method in place for review generation.<\/p>

Choose the Right Customers<\/strong><\/p>

Not every customer who has purchased from you is an ideal pick to ask for reviews. You should be selective in your approach. Ask reviews from customers who have just experienced or you think might have experienced a WOW customer service moment.<\/p>

A review is a personal endorsement a customer gives to your brand. And they might think twice before doing it. But when you ask for reviews from customers who you think have a good connection with your brand, they won\u2019t think much.<\/p>

As for customers who you think are not the right fit to ask for reviews, consider asking them to rate your business or service privately. If you are satisfied with the ratings, go ahead and ask them for a review.<\/p>

If not, ask for their feedback and try implementing them. Customers love when they are being heard! You never know, the same person could end up giving a good review for your business later!<\/p>

Personalize the Request<\/strong><\/p>

How interested would you be in reading an email that addresses you only with a \u201cHi\u201d<\/strong>? Yes, we know that face! It\u2019s pretty much the same here.<\/p>

When you want your customers to write reviews for your business, you should personalize the ask. If you\u2019re sending out an email campaign, make sure you personalize it as much as possible.<\/p>

Add the first name, if possible bring up a few specifics on when they first signed up as your customer, a couple of interactions that happened with them and finally, explain how important their review is for your business to grow.<\/p>

Coming up with such personalized emails can definitely help you generate more reviews online.<\/p>

Here\u2019s a review generation email template that caught our eye,<\/p>

\"Review\"
Image Source: Odd Dog<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The email copy has the first name and mentions how long the individual has been their customer. They\u2019ve taken a different route here, asking the customer to help others find the best dentist – witty, but would work!<\/p>

That\u2019s the kind of email we are talking about!<\/p>

P.S. We\u2019ve come up with a couple of review generation templates for you below!<\/em><\/p>

So, those are the couple of things you should be doing when you set out to ask for reviews from your customers.<\/p>

2. Make the Process Easy for Your Customers<\/h3>

To get more reviews, you should make the process as easy as possible for your customers.<\/p>

Remember that your customers are taking additional effort to write reviews for your business. And if they find the process to be hard and time-consuming, you\u2019re not going to get the review.<\/p>

\"\"
GIF Source: Giphy<\/figcaption><\/figure>

If you\u2019re sending out an email, make sure to include the review link by mentioning and highlighting the same (the email template we saw above has nailed this)<\/em>. If you are talking to your customer in a call, clearly give them instructions on how to proceed with the review writing process.<\/p>

Making the review generation process easy will get more reviews for your business. Your customers are doing a favor for your business and you should ensure that the process they go through is a smooth one!<\/p>

3. Automate the Review Asking Process<\/h3>

It\u2019s impossible to ask for customer reviews manually every single time. And that\u2019s when automation comes in!<\/p>

As your business grows, it becomes hard for your team to reach out individually and collect reviews.<\/p>

Say you\u2019re running an eCommerce store and you have around 2000 customers. You cannot reach out to every one of them asking for reviews. Instead, a better way would be to automate your review generation emails based on certain criteria.<\/p>

For example, you can set criteria where your customer receives a review request email 10 days after he or she completes the checkout process.<\/p>

The timeline usually differs – if your customer is buying a product from you, you should give them some time to use it. If it\u2019s a service they\u2019re availing from you, then consider sending out the email within a week or so.<\/p>

Automating the review generation process will not only save time for you but also keep the reviews flowing in constantly.<\/p>

Pro Tip:<\/strong><\/em> It\u2019s always a good idea to make your customers fill out an NPS survey first. Based on the results, you can then send automated review generation emails. No one wants a bad review showing up!<\/em><\/p>

4. Follow Up on Your Review Requests<\/h3>

Like we already said, your customers are busy and writing a review for your business isn\u2019t going to be the top priority on their to-do list. They sometimes even forget that you asked them for a review in the first place.<\/p>

This is exactly why you should be following up on your review requests. All those customers who forgot to leave a review, feel a sense of responsibility and they eventually write a review for your business (second time’s the charm)<\/em>.<\/p>

If you think following up on your review requests might make you look bad and desperate, you\u2019re totally wrong. Following up on your request the first time is not harmful. But when you go beyond that, it might make you look desperate. And that\u2019s something you\u2019d want to avoid!<\/p>

If you\u2019ve sent an email the first time, send a follow-up email stating it as a gentle reminder. If a specific agent is in touch with your customer via call, well, they know how to follow up!<\/p>

5. Help Customers With The Reviews<\/h3>

Remember where we told you about making the overall process easy for your customers? This is about that!<\/p>

If you get half the work done for your customers, they\u2019ll find it easy to do the remaining half. Try giving your customers a review template that they could use as a reference. You can include a couple of pointers, explaining how you would want them to write a review and what to include in it.<\/p>

This allows you to have some control while generating reviews from your customers.<\/p>

However, not every customer would appreciate this. They\u2019d want to write their own reviews. It\u2019s best when you state it clearly that the template is something they can use if they\u2019d like to (be subtle)<\/em>! And their personal views are always welcome!<\/p>

6. Offer Incentives for Reviews<\/h3>

What\u2019s better than offering your customers an incentive?<\/p>

An incentive could be anything – could be a gift card coupon, subscription extension, or a huge discount on products.<\/p>

Incentives motivate your customers to write reviews. You would have already picked the best customers to generate reviews. And if you offer them an incentive, there\u2019s nothing stopping them from writing a review for your business.<\/p>

Here\u2019s a clean review generation email template that offers an incentive,<\/p>

\"Review\"
Image Source: Smartrmail<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Another great incentive would be free shoutouts! When a customer writes a review, you can showcase it on your social media platforms and mention a little about them or their business. Everyone loves free publicity!<\/p>

7. Ask for Reviews Via Multiple Channels<\/h3>

Don\u2019t just rely only on emails to get more reviews for your business. Emails are great! But why do you want to miss out on other equally promising ways?<\/p>

Here are some of them for you!<\/p>