One of the most common pitfalls in any new relationship is not understanding your partner’s love language. Is showering them with lavish gifts what it takes to make them feel attended to, or are simple words of affirmation the best way to show them you care. Thankfully, the relationship between customers and businesses can be bonded or broken based on one universal love language: online reviews. Nothing makes a business’ heart pitter-patter quite like seeing five stars and a glowing testimonial, and they’ll be sure to return the love by continuing to provide excellent service Of course, no relationship can thrive without communication, so it’s important that you are able to convey your desire for positive reviews rather than waiting for one to appear on its own. Here are 5 strategies to entice your customers to show your business some love through positive online reviews.
1) Ask For Them
Sometimes the most obvious strategy is the most overlooked strategy. While you might initially want to avoid directly asking your customers to provide reviews in fear of coming off pushy, they likely do not know how beneficial positive reviews can be in your new customer acquisition if you do not tell them.
Never assume that your customers instinctively know to show your business some love online – take the time to explain to them the benefits of reviews before asking them if they would leave one of their own. Verbally asking for reviews might not always flow seamlessly into conversation, but a friendly email request can be just as if not more effective. You’d be surprised how many of your customers are more than happy to leave a raving testimonial once you ask!
2) Make It Easy
It’s human nature to be more likely to do someone a favor if it appears to require little effort on your part, and online reviews are no different. The language you use could make or break your customer’s likelihood of leaving positive online reviews, so be sure to drive home the simplicity with phrasing like “3 easy steps” or “less than 2 minutes” while providing direct links to your review page.
With ease comes accommodation, and the best way to accommodate your lovestruck customers is to empower them to use the online review platform of their choice. If your company is collecting reviews on Facebook, Yelp and Google My Business, for example, provide links to all three pages and allow them to leave their testimonial on the platform they are most comfortable with.
3) Give Love to Get Love
Sometimes, both in business and in life, you first have to show love in order to receive love. Incentivizing your customers is one of the most popular ways to collect online reviews for your business simply because it’s effective. When leaving a positive online review is met with the promise of free products, discounted services or other forms of rewards, your customer will be much more likely to make leaving a review a priority rather than a possibility. Experiment with several types of incentives to see which ones generate the most new reviews from your audience.
4) Engage With Past Reviews
This same “give love to get love” concept also applies when the roles are reversed – if your customers are showing you love with a positive online review, it’s important that your business responds with at least a simple “thank you”. When shopping around for new businesses to work with, consumers often look at the way businesses respond to feedback in reviews. Engaging positively and professionally with all reviews – both good and bad – could help your business win over a few new hearts in the process.
5) Offer a Personal Touch
Which plucks at the heartstrings more: a mass-produced greeting card from your Valentine, or a personalized love letter from their heart? Asking clients for reviews works the same way – the more personalized your message, the more likely they will be to return the love in the form of five stars.
If you worked closely on a client’s account, a personal email from you will hold more weight than a seemingly generic email from your company. The personal relationship you form with your clients can be your greatest asset when collecting positive reviews, especially if their praises are what convinces a new client to work with your company.
Positive Online Reviews: The Ultimate Love Letter
A declaration of love as public as a positive online review shows potential customers that your business knows how to put in the work to make their professional relationships flourish. Now, one big question remains: how do you get started?
If you’ve already begun collecting online reviews from previous clients, you’re well on your way to making online reviews one of your most valuable customer acquisition tools. If you haven’t, however, you may want to consider working with an experienced digital marketing agency (like ours!) with effective strategies, innovative services, and a proven track record for generating positive reviews that lead to conversions.
