Online reviews play a major role in the consumer buying decision. In fact, 92% of consumers reading reviews will use a local business if it has at least a 4-star rating. Studies continue to reveal the impact of customer reviews and the importance of having them to build and maintain an online reputation.
The good news is that it’s not hard to begin growing the number of reviews your happy clients leave to help boost your status. By simply asking and providing convenience ways for your customers to post them, for example, you can begin to catapult your business reviews for online success. Simply follow these four tips to get started:
4 Ways to Gain More Customer Reviews for Your Brand
#1 Make it Easy for Customers to Give Reviews
Most customers are not going to look for ways to leave a review. That’s why you need to ask and make it easy for them to share their positive experiences so they’re more apt to do so. Here are a couple ideas to encourage reviews from your customers:
Email your review profile link to customers. Give clear instructions in your message to click on the link, simply register (if required), and leave a quick review. Let them know that it won’t take too much of their time
Also, include your link in the monthly eNewsletter
Post direct links on your website. Yelp offers downloadable “Find us on Yelp” banners that you can leverage
Share a post for your Facebook Fans to leave a review on your FB page. There is a designated tab for customers and followers to give their experience with your brand
#2 Hold a Fun Social Media Contest
Hosting a social contest to accumulate user-generated content is highly effective in creating buzz around your brand, increasing awareness, and collecting a vault of testimonials that you can use in your marketing campaigns. It is a strategic tactic to build a ton of reviews all in a short period of time.
There are many social media contest ideas like running a sweepstakes, however, the goal here is to generate reviews. Hold a fun contest where your customers take a picture with your product (or shoot a quick 30 second video with it) and then they post why they love your product and how it’s helping them solve their problem. Have a theme and share the guidelines for compliance. Be sure to give them a branded hashtag to use to boost your company’s exposure. Finally, choose a prize that is compelling and enticing enough that gets your audience excited about participating.
#3 Find Creative Ways to Get Your Team Involved
It’s vital that your team understands the importance of encouraging reviews from customers and how it impacts the business online success. Design an incentive program where employees are rewarded when one of their customers posts a review. Choose the bonus system that will motivate your team to hop on board. Given the weight reviews plays in the customer buying decision, implementing a reward program will be an investment well spent.
#4 Reward Customers Who Post Reviews
In addition to your team, consider offering your customers rewards when they take the time to give you a raving review. Local search directories allow you to share coupons and discounts on their sites. You can extend special offers to your fans using special coding on Facebook. Or perhaps do exclusive giveaways for people who send in a video review (more compelling review types that generate tons of engagement). The possibilities are endless! The better your offer, the more reviews you’re likely to obtain.
Conclusion
A final tactic that’s highly worth mentioning in creating positive reviews is to leverage a team that specializes in helping you build a winning online reputation. At Overflow Local, we specialize in creating strategic marketing campaigns that help boost your brand name and presence in your space. If you want to know how we can help you with your online reputation, contact us here and let’s chat!