Introduction
For any business, the most crucial aspect for success and scale depends on online credibility. How customers perceive a company might decide the future of the business.
When trying to acquire customers, we need to understand that they think a business’s claim need not necessarily be true. They prefer to know about the similar experiences of others before making a decision. Customer reviews are what can help during this situation.
Reviews have a direct impact on trust, credibility, scale, and revenue. When customers have their questions answered through other customers’ points of view, such as the end-to-end user journey, FAQs, etc. It influences the purchase decision for good.
This 5-minute read will give you answers to the fundamentals of reviews in general: the why, when, and how. Also, there are bonus pointers related to secret tips and tricks for collecting reviews.
Why Customer Reviews Matter
“Why” does it matter? The answer is simple: it just does, and it always will. Word-of-mouth marketing and influential marketing have existed since the inception of time. Let’s understand three logical benefits to justify why reviews matter.
The Power of Social Proof
As a business with reviews, you’re not the one marketing, rather, it’s from others who’ve already purchased from you. You have a win-win situation right there. On one side, your long-term credibility is getting built, while the other aspect of impact on purchase decisions in the present is in check.
Here are some stats to show you what the customer seeks:
- Based on a survey, out of 10, 9 customers agreed to have purchased a product/service based on online reviews.
- Just 3% of customers agreed to not read online reviews before purchasing.
- Up to 56% of customers change their perspectives over a business after going through its online reviews.
SEO Benefits of Reviews
When you capture reviews, it not only improves your trust and credibility but also the Google ranking of your business. Engaging with reviews further improves your user interaction metrics. Which is one of the metrics considered by Google for improving ranking.
Also, having a minimum of 10-15 can have a positive impact on your local SEO.
More Reviews = More Sales
Once people start to have a great first impression and trust in your business, no one can stop your growth. Customers have the habit of spending money on something that others did and turned out great. It gives them a sense of safety to follow the path of others who have had great experiences.
Customers are ready to spend 31% more on a business that has great reviews. 94% of customers have agreed that a business with negative reviews and also no answer/solution by a business over the same drives them away from purchase decisions.
When to Ask for a Review
With the understanding of Why” it matters, now let’s jump on to analyse “When” to ask for it by getting the timing and method right.
Best Timing for Asking Reviews
Here are 3 quick and simple pointers to get the timing right:
- After Successful Purchase: Once someone has purchased your product/service, reach out to them politely and request them for a review to capture the experience they’ve had so far.
- When Customers Show Satisfaction: Whenever a customer shows satisfaction or anything positive related to your product/service, be it during a regular conversation or just a few words somewhere. Request them to provide the same as a review by mentioning how much it matters.
- Follow-up after Solving Issues: After you solve a problem faced by a customer, reach out to them and request a review. There’s a high chance of receiving a review during this situation if done rightly.
Best Methods to Ask for Reviews
Here are 4 tried and tested methods that have a high chance of getting you a review.
- Email Requests – By getting the timing right, approach a customer over an email with content according to the situation.
- In-Person Requests – The classic old-school way of connecting through a personal touch.
- SMS Requests – Shoot out an SMS campaign to your list of customers who are likely to give you a review based on their experience.
- Social Media – Engage with useful content over social media and request a review from your target audience when the situation is right.
- Receipts & Invoices – Add a QR code or link to your receipt/invoice; this will help you have another checkpoint for review collection.
How to Ask for a Google Review the Right Way
With clarity on “Why” and “When”, let’s move on to the last fundamental aspect, “How”. The question that haunts most businesses is how to ask for a review.
Direct vs Indirect Requests
In a nutshell, there are two ways of collecting reviews. One is direct, and the other is indirect. Direct review collection involves you requesting a review straightforwardly by getting the timing and situation right. While the indirect way is more about you utilising an already present natural situation to get a review from the customer.
When you approach your past customers for a review, never make them feel like you’re using them only to benefit yourself. Keep it natural; they should give the review with their choice because they want to and they know you deserve it.
Bonus Pointer: Make a list of clients where you know you have impacted their life for good; they are likely to give you a review.
Step-by-Step Guide to Asking for a Google Review
This section is to help a business with the steps for Google review collection. It should answer the question of how to ask for a Google review.
Step 1: Create your Google review link and shorten the same if necessary.
Step 2: Personalize your request according to the situation you wish to address
Step 3: Keep it short and simple by showcasing how and why it matters.
Step 4: Offer guidance on how to leave a review. You can do it by attaching sample templates.
Step 5: Follow up with a polite reminder.
Google’s Review Policies You Should Know
Here are a few pointers to help you with:
- Google would flag and remove reviews under certain situations. Speaking of, if the content screams spammy, inappropriate, or even mentions personal information.
- Also, you need to know that it’s against Google’s policies to offer direct rewards and incentives in return for getting a Google review. Rather, we’d suggest you offer an indirect incentive, as a token of gratitude to your customers. During this situation, politely request a review by mentioning why it matters.
In a nutshell, how do you ask for a review on Google and have the best chances to get one?
Keeping incentives aside, just create a natural situation by changing someone’s life for good through your service/product.
Once that’s done, you need not break your head around this question. All you have to do is respectfully and politely request a review. If you’ve impacted someone’s life, they will give you a review.
Secret Tricks to Get More Reviews
These tips and tricks come from our extensive experience in this industry. Here are 4:
Personalization Works Wonders
Whenever you request a video testimonial, try to personalize it to the minute level. The message should feel like you hand wrote it to them. It should contain unique incidents while showcasing gratitude and groundfulness.
The Power of a Gentle Nudge (Follow-Ups)
Sometimes, your thoughts of shying away from follow-ups are what stop you from getting those reviews. Most customers forget to provide a review even if they want to, so a gentle nudge is all that’d be needed to remind them and get your review.
Leverage Automation Tools
Lately, businesses are adapting to automation tools. These tools help a business to streamline the end-to-end process of review management. It can effortlessly help you to collect, import, store, manage, and showcase different formats of reviews. Be it audio, video, or textual. Overall, it helps to build credibility more efficiently.
Rewarding Without Violating Policies
Don’t offer incentives in a barter system format. Such as this for that. Rather, try to do it in a way where it looks like you’re giving an incentive out of gratitude for a specific reason while, on the same occasion, you politely request a review in an atmosphere that feels natural.
Handling Negative or No Reviews
While all that we discussed so far is on the positive side of things, what about handling negative reviews? Rejection? Or worse, no reviews?
What to Do If a Customer Says No?
If a customer says no when you request a review, graciously acknowledge that and, after that, move on to ask for the reason by also mentioning that it’s okay if they don’t want to say.
Once you get the reason, work on it if it’s in your control, or else wait it out.
How to Deal with Negative Reviews?
53% of your customers expect you to respond to a negative review within a week, from which they judge your customer support.
Being respectful and professional in your response is a must. Whether you respond with the solution or respond to understand better for finding a solution depends on the situation at hand. Either way, you solve the problem with what’s in your control.
You need to know that these are the anecdotes that build a business and improve the shortcomings by seeing them from multiple perspectives.
Conclusion
Despite the short length of this article, we’ve understood the fundamentals such as the “Why”, “When”, and “How” aspects of reviews. Conversion rate can increase by a whopping 270% if you have solid credibility online. What’s stopping you from starting now?
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the same applies to the online credibility of a business. Start now by requesting review rightly and regularly. Reap the rewards across a lifetime soon enough.