Customer Reviews and How to Get Them

Let’s say you’re about to make a big (or even small) purchase. What’s one of the first things you do? If you’re like most people, you probably look up reviews online. Because who are you going to trust more…the salesperson who makes a profit on your purchase or the honest reviews of people who’ve already bought the product or used the service?
If you’re one who looks up reviews before buying anything, you’re not alone! In fact, 90% of buyers read online reviews before they visit a business, and consumers trust those reviews as much as a personal recommendation.

Let’s look at some of the most popular customer review sites.

Top Five Customer Review Sites

Google My Business – GMB puts your business information on Search and Maps, so customers can easily find information about you. Since there are over 3.5 billion searches on Google each day, it’s no wonder GMB is the number one platform for reviews. It’s quick and easy for customers to leave a review here, and that makes it easier for you to get more reviews!

Facebook – Now that businesses are showing up more and more on Facebook (the most popular social platform), it makes sense that business reviews are seen and shared here by so many potential customers. Since most consumers already have a Facebook account, it’s simple for them to leave a review.

Amazon – Do you know anyone who doesn’t buy items on Amazon?! It’s a major source of information for businesses that do any amount of e-commerce. Amazon set the stage for business reviews since it’s one of the very first places consumers started leaving online reviews about products and service.

Yelp – Yelp is the world’s largest platform for online customer reviews, and it allows consumers to leave reviews about local businesses on their website or app. With over 102 million reviews, it is now practically synonymous with the term “business review”.

TripAdvisor – Every month, nearly half a billion people use TripAdvisor to help make their trip the best it can be. Travelers can read millions of opinions and reviews about anything and everything related to travel.

Four Ways to Ask for a Customer Review

Now that we know how important business reviews are, let’s talk about some of the ways you can ask happy customers to become your online advocates.

During a conversation – The best way to ask for a customer review, and actually get it, is to ask in person. Let’s say you’re already talking to someone about your business, products or services…just ask that person if they’d be willing to write a review for you. It can be just that simple and easy!

After a compliment – If someone tells you how much they love your store, their experience with your company, or the products they’ve purchased from you, just ask them if they’ll share that information in a review. You can do this whether you’re in person, online or over the phone. Provide a link to your business review page to make it even easier for them.

Mass email – Another option is to send an email blast to your customers asking them for their honest feedback. Give them detailed directions to make it easy for them to write and submit a review. If possible, offer a reward to reviewers as a way to say thank you!

After a purchase – One of the most common ways to ask for a review is after a purchase has been made. You can ask in person at the end of a transaction or put a note asking for feedback at the bottom of the receipt.

Bottom Line

Getting more customer reviews should be a top priority if your business provides a service or product. In today’s world, reviews can make or break a company. The important things to remember are don’t be afraid to ask for a review and make it easy for your customers to provide feedback. Let us help you make the most impact with your customers! Contact us today for more information.