Are you getting good reviews on Google, Facebook, or Yelp from your customers? If not then the problem may be that your potential customers don’t know you exist. This guide will give you five tips to get reviews on Google, Facebook and Yelp.
Five Tips To Get Reviews on Facebook, Google, and Yelp
Be honest, how many reviews has your business received on Facebook, Google, or Yelp? When was the last time you checked?
You probably know that reviews help increase sales, but did you know that a whopping 91% of people regularly read online reviews before making a purchase decision?
It’s no secret that reviews are pretty important. But how can you get more of them? How can you make sure they’re positive ones? Here are five ways to get reviews on Facebook, Google and other review platforms.
Ask at the Right Time
Customers are more likely to leave a review if you ask right after they’ve had a great experience with your company. So, never be afraid to ask!
Ask for What You Want
Tell customers what kind of review you want them to leave. Don’t just say “leave us a review.” Say “please write us a Google review!” or “please leave us a Facebook review!” Also, you can specify exactly what action you want them to take by including your business URL and specific instructions. Be sure to provide clear instructions on how to leave a review. If necessary, include screenshots or other visual aids.
Ask your customers personally
Asking your customers personally is one of the best ways to generate reviews. It’s simple and doesn’t cost a thing. When asking for a review, there are a few important things to keep in mind:
Make your customers feel special. Most people don’t go out of their way to leave online reviews, so when you ask them to do it, they should feel like their opinion matters.
Ask about more than just the product or service itself. Ask if they were happy with your customer service if they felt like they got value for money, etc. Asking these questions makes them think about their experience holistically instead of focusing on (and potentially being unsatisfied with) one particular aspect of it.
Ask them if they would recommend your business to friends and family rather than simply asking for a review on Facebook, Google or Yelp directly—this makes them more likely to actually follow through with that recommendation! Remember, your goal is actually to get reviews on Facebook, Google, and other review platforms.
Provide multiple options for leaving a review
There’s one way to make this easy for your customers. Provide them with links to your Facebook, Google, and Yelp pages. Don’t just send them to your Google page and tell them to “look for the reviews section” because that will lead to frustration.
You don’t want to demand that they leave a review on a certain website either because you can’t control how they feel about each site or if they even use those sites at all.
Also, don’t discourage negative reviews. You might not like poor feedback, but you should always encourage people who are unhappy with your business (or anything else!) to express their dissatisfaction in a way that helps others improve their experience in the future.
Never pressure your customers
Never pressure your customers. It’s important that you don’t come off as needy. Let the customer know about your review sites and how you’d love their feedback, but don’t force them to leave a review on one of those sites. Customers could feel pressured and give you a bad review simply because they felt obligated to do so.
Respond to every review, good or bad
Customers want to know that you care about their experience. Responding to every review is a great way to show that you’re a real person who cares about your customers and your business. If it’s a positive review, thank the customer for their business and tell them how much they mean to you. If it’s a negative review, apologize and make things right.
Reply fast
If someone is taking the time to leave you a review, it’s important for them to hear back from you quickly. We recommend responding within 24 hours of receiving the review if possible. If someone leaves you a positive review, try to respond within 48 hours or less. Positive reviews are great for your business, but customers don’t need an immediate response like they might with negative feedback.
You don’t have to be pushy to get reviews from your customers!
Don’t be afraid to offer incentives for leaving reviews. You can offer them a discount on their next purchase, or even a free product for leaving a review!
Whatever you decide to do, just remember to be genuine. Customers will know if you are being disingenuous, and it will backfire.
How to get more Google, Facebook and Yelp reviews
The moral of the story is that you have to put in a little more effort these days to get people talking about your business online. Don’t let it discourage you though! It’s not an all or nothing process – if you even get just a handful of new reviews over the span of a few months, there’s a pretty good chance that they may eventually add up to positive word-of-mouth social proof, which will eventually bolster your website and help attract more customers for you.
