Positive online reviews are of huge importance in today’s business world, but it can be a significant challenge to actually get anyone to get online and leave those reviews. Search engines take your online reputation into consideration when the algorithm decides where to rank you and, perhaps more importantly, future customers will read those reviews and place a huge amount of significance on them when deciding whether or not to give you their money. And, because some reviews websites (like Yelp) actually remove reviews that they deem “not good enough” to be on your profile, it can be difficult to keep the very best, most glowing reviews at the top of your profile. Here are a few smart ways to ask your past clients for online reviews:
1. Send out a personalized email.
If you want clients to leave you reviews on a specific location, send out an email asking for those reviews. Make sure the emails are personalized. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to write up a special email for every single one of your clients, but it should, at the very least, greet them by name. If you do remember something specific about working with that client, include that in the email, too. It should not feel like a mass email blast. In the body of an email, include a clickable hyperlink that will take them right to the page where they can leave a review.
2. Post a request on social media.
A post highlighting the great reviews you have already received and asking for more is a great way to encourage the people who have already shown interest in your brand by following your social media account to leave you review. People who have already had a positive experience with your company are probably very willing to go and leave you a positive review—they like had just not thought of it before and needed to be prompted.
3. Offer an incentive.
While you certainly don’t want to bribe your customers to leave reviews, you can offer them an incentive for leaving one. A discount at the register if they can show you that they are about to post a positive review of your business is a good option. What about sending out a promotion to users who can prove that they’ve posted a review on Facebook, Google, and Yelp? Posting a review is almost as good and, in some instances, better, than just telling their friends about you. Give your clients a good reason to spend their time leaving you a review.
4. Decide which sites you actually want your reviews on.
It is great to have reviews on all platforms, but there are some platforms that are simply going to be better for you and your brand. Yelp is best for hotels, restaurants, and similar accommodations. Google is often the place for reviews on organizations and big businesses. Facebook seems to have cornered the market on providing a platform for reviews of all industries. Figure out which one works best for you and then focus on it.
5. Highlight reviews on your website.
If you use the reviews that clients have left you in the past, future clients will be more likely to realize that they can leave you a review and that you will see it. Using a widget on your website that shows off reviews that your clients or customers have left and provides a call-to-action for other clients/customers to leave a review is a great way to ask for reviews.
Positive online reviews are of huge importance in today’s business world, but it can be a significant challenge to actually get anyone to get online and leave those reviews. Search engines take your online reputation into consideration when the algorithm decides where to rank you and, perhaps more importantly, future customers will read those reviews and place a huge amount of significance on them when deciding whether or not to give you their money. And, because some reviews websites (like Yelp) actually remove reviews that they deem “not good enough” to be on your profile, it can be difficult to keep the very best, most glowing reviews at the top of your profile. Here are a few smart ways to ask your past clients for online reviews:
1. Send out a personalized email.
If you want clients to leave you reviews on a specific location, send out an email asking for those reviews. Make sure the emails are personalized. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to write up a special email for every single one of your clients, but it should, at the very least, greet them by name. If you do remember something specific about working with that client, include that in the email, too. It should not feel like a mass email blast. In the body of an email, include a clickable hyperlink that will take them right to the page where they can leave a review.
2. Post a request on social media.
A post highlighting the great reviews you have already received and asking for more is a great way to encourage the people who have already shown interest in your brand by following your social media account to leave you review. People who have already had a positive experience with your company are probably very willing to go and leave you a positive review—they like had just not thought of it before and needed to be prompted.
3. Offer an incentive.
While you certainly don’t want to bribe your customers to leave reviews, you can offer them an incentive for leaving one. A discount at the register if they can show you that they are about to post a positive review of your business is a good option. What about sending out a promotion to users who can prove that they’ve posted a review on Facebook, Google, and Yelp? Posting a review is almost as good and, in some instances, better, than just telling their friends about you. Give your clients a good reason to spend their time leaving you a review.
4. Decide which sites you actually want your reviews on.
It is great to have reviews on all platforms, but there are some platforms that are simply going to be better for you and your brand. Yelp is best for hotels, restaurants, and similar accommodations. Google is often the place for reviews on organizations and big businesses. Facebook seems to have cornered the market on providing a platform for reviews of all industries. Figure out which one works best for you and then focus on it.
5. Highlight reviews on your website.
If you use the reviews that clients have left you in the past, future clients will be more likely to realize that they can leave you a review and that you will see it. Using a widget on your website that shows off reviews that your clients or customers have left and provides a call-to-action for other clients/customers to leave a review is a great way to ask for reviews.