What do you do when you find a new store, restaurant, or specific product that you don’t know much about? Your first instinct is probably to look at the online reviews. If the reviews aren’t great, or if there aren’t any at all, chances are you aren’t going to try out that new restaurant or buy that pair of shoes.
This is why social proof is so important– and can sometimes make or break a sale. You probably aren’t going to put as much faith in a company that you don’t know much about, unless you see positive reviews from real customers. So, in order to increase your credibility and sales, we’ve compiled five tips that will encourage customers to leave reviews.
- Make it easy to leave a review
This one is pretty simple: the easier it is for customers to leave reviews, the more likely they are to do so! If writing a review for your product or service is complicated, confusing, or involves too many steps, customers are less likely to put in the extra effort to leave one. The reviews should be easy to find and easy to leave.
- Send purchase follow up emails
Sending follow up emails asking your customers to review a product or service is an extremely effective way to increase online reviews. To get the best response, aim to send those emails within a week of the purchase so that it is fresh in the customer’s mind. Often, if a customer sees an email asking for a review, they are going to be willing to leave one, especially if they really enjoy the product or service. The timing of these emails are important as well. Try to send them at times when people are going to be casually on their phones so that they can do it in their spare time when they aren’t as busy.
- Incentivize!
Coupons, discounts, or any other rewards are great ways to incentivize your customers to leave reviews. Not only does this promote future sales from the customers using the rewards, but it also greatly increases the chances of your customers leaving reviews. I mean, who wouldn’t take a few minutes out of their day to leave a review if it meant receiving a discount on their next purchase?!
- Thank your reviewers
Customers love feeling appreciated. If you personally reach out and thank them for leaving a review, they are not only going to feel special because you took the time to thank them, but they are also going to be more willing to purchase from your company again and leave more reviews. You could even send a top reviewer a discount code or free sample after they’ve left a review. This way, you develop close relationships that will lead to more loyal customers!
- Be present on various review sites
The more you have a presence on review sites (Yelp, Angie’s List, Google Local, Trip Advisor, etc.), the greater the chances that people will see your company and leave a review. With this increased exposure, not only will you receive more reviews, but your company will be more likely to show up in search results as well!
There you have it! If you’re looking for more reviews online to boost sales and social proof, try out some of these tips. These methods are easy, effective, and proven to have positive results, so why not get started today?
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