One of the most important marketing tools in the age of social media is the positive independent customer review. A five star review can mean the difference between a lead and a sale. A one star review can mean losing an all-important reservation.
Some customers love leaving positive reviews without being asked, but they’re in the minority. On the whole, it’s more likely that a customer will leave a review if they’re dissatisfied with the service they received or the products they’ve bought. The reasons for this include:
● They want to air their grievances
● They aren’t receiving adequate responses from customer service and desire urgent attention
● They feel they should warn future customers about their experience.
There’s an old saying in the retail industry that I think applies here — one bad review is louder than five great ones. Whether it’s fair or not, people are far more likely to expect high quality service and would never think twice about praising a business for performing to the standard they expect. However, you’d better believe they’ll tell everyone who’ll listen if they were upset by something a business did.
But enough with the psychology of sales. What you want is more great reviews. So how do you encourage your satisfied customers to leave you a courtesy message? Here are some ideas…
Create a Reviews “Safe Space”
Customers tend to feel much more comfortable with writing reviews if they feel they’re writing them outside of your business’ metaphorical walls. That’s why people are far more likely to leave a detailed review somewhere like TripAdvisor than they are on your own website.
Direct your customers to an external reviews site like Yelp, or to somewhere they can leave a public review like Facebook or Google and remind them that there’s no obligation but that you’d really love their feedback.
Nudge and Remind in a Friendly Way
Gaining your customers’ contact details at the point of sale is incredibly valuable because it means you can keep in touch.
Of course if you like you can ask them how their week’s going, but honestly it would be much more useful for your business (and less creepy) if you asked them nicely how they rated your services and the product they purchased. You’ll be surprised how obliging they can be.
Reward Your Reviewers
Everyone likes a freebie. While you might not feel a review is worth giving a discount for, think about it this way: according to HubSpot, 85% of consumers trust online reviews are much as personal recommendations.
Your rewards don’t have to be huge. How about trying:
● A free soft drink
● A side order on any meal over £10 in value
● 10% off their next order
● Free delivery code for their next order
● A surprise gift for them and a friend they nominate.
Publicise the Positive Reviews You Receive
On the Internet, everybody wants clout. By sharing your positive reviews online you’re doing two things:
Showing your followers how great a real customer thinks you are
Proving that you publicise customer feedback to your audience.
If your customers are regular social media users, and they’re fans of your products or business, they’ll want to be showcased as a fan. Sharing their reviews is a great (and free!) way of giving something back to them!
Have you had some great experiences with customer reviews? I’d love to hear about them! Send me a message or comment below to tell me all about it.