According to a recent study, 87% of shoppers start the research for a product online. This means that not only are they looking at the specifications of your product online but they may also consider what other people say about your product. Social proof. One way to get more social proof is to have positive user reviews online. Here are six ways to get great reviews.
1. Make it easy to review you
80% – 90% of customers will leave a review for you as long as it is easy. You can make it easy for them by giving them various digital channels to leave a review on. If they have contacted you with a Gmail account, you can ask them to leave a review on your Google Business Page. You can also put links on your email account or blog to the various channels where people can leave a review.
2. Find mentions of your business online
Using Google Alerts or Socialmention.com, you can find places where your business or product has been mentioned online. If these are positive reviews or testimonials, you can approach the writer of the review and ask them if you can feature their review on your website or social media platforms.
3. Choose the right time
The timing of when you ask for a review is critical. If you ask for a review at the wrong time in your customer’s journey then you could end up with a negative review. Here are some key times when it is a good idea to ask for a review:
· when a customer expresses having a positive experience with your brand or service,
· when a customer re-purchases or renews a product or service,
· when a customer refers another customer to you, or
· when a customer writes about a positive experience they had with you on social media.
4. Strike up a conversation
Don’t ask your customer directly for a review. You should ask them open-ended questions to gauge their experience with your product or service. If they answer enthusiastically you can ask them to write a review for you. By asking them open-ended questions like “how are you liking your purchase?” or “would you like to renew your subscription?” you can find out how satisfied a client is with your product. If they are not happy, it allows you to rectify the situation.
5. Reply to all your reviews
Customers like to be appreciated and if they leave a positive review, they would appreciate a thank-you. If they don’t leave a glowing review, it is important to write to them too and ask them to contact you privately so that you may rectify the situation in private.
6. Get them to fill out a survey
Sometimes your customers are not wordsmiths and will struggle to write a review for you. You could send them a survey and ask them to fill it out. This will also help you to see how your business is doing and where you can improve.
By implementing these six ways into your customer review process, you will be able to improve your social proof on the digital platforms that you are featured on.
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