August 18, 2020
Online reviews not only provide social proof to prospects that your products or services live up to claims, but they’re also beneficial for search engine optimization (SEO). Google, however, is particular about how businesses acquire customer reviews. Businesses can suffer negative consequences if the review came by dubious means like reviewing your own business, paying for reviews, and more.
By following these best practices to collect online reviews, your business will be able to generate more reviews ethically.
7 Best Practices to Collect Reviews
Online reviews are crucial for gaining more customers and increasing your website’s position in search rankings which is why your business should be proactive about collecting reviews. Here are actions you can take that will encourage customers to leave an online review.
1. Deliver great products or services.
When customers have a great experience, they’re much more likely to leave a review. However, if they have a terrible experience, they’ll want to share that with the world too. Make sure your products/services are consistent in quality to prevent negative reviews from popping up.
2. Make it easy for customers to find your business online to leave reviews.
Posting a review should be easy for customers so they’re more likely to do it. Some ways you can do this is by setting up a Google business listing, Yelp profile, Facebook page, etc.
3. Display links to your third-party review profiles.
In addition to setting up business listings and social media profiles, make sure that they’re displayed on your website. You can even take it a step further by adding them to email signatures or creating a separate reviews/testimonials page that shows third-party reviews.
4. Use signage in your place of business to encourage reviews.
If you have a physical business location, display signage that lets customers know where they can read and post online reviews. The signage can be on entrance doors, cashier registers, menus, tables, and more.
5. Respond to reviews in a professional and timely manner.
Respond to every customer review and thank the person for posting. Even negative reviews can become positive if your business follows up with great customer service to address the issue.
6. Collect email addresses when completing a sale and follow up within a few days.
An effective way to collect more reviews is by following up with customers by email a couple of days after their purchase. However, you’ll need to get their email to do this which is why it’s important to collect it when they’re completing a sale online or in person.
7. Use a Google-licensed review partner.
Another way you can follow up with customers for reviews is by using a Google-licensed review partner, like Trustpilot and Reviews.io. Although these are paid services, they allow you to test multiple messages and schedules to optimize your strategy.
Acquire More Reviews to Generate Sales
Collecting positive reviews is essential for building an online reputation that helps your business gain more customers. It can be overwhelming, however, to create and launch an effective review acquisition strategy. At Sales & Marketing Technologies, we’ll help your business set up a review collection process that will elevate your online reputation and attract customers.
Call 407.682.2222 or contact us below to schedule a free 30-minute call to discuss review acquisition solutions for your business!
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