Starting an online business is quite straightforward nowadays but getting loyal customers who will continuously buy your products or use your service is a whole different ball game. The most successful online marketing experts have thousands of customer reviews on various review platforms such as Yelp and Angie’s List. These reviews help customers to get a clear perspective of what to expect from a particular product before placing an order.
A recent survey conducted by Zendesk showed that 90% of the online consumers who were polled stated that positive online reviews influenced their buying decision. Only 86% decided to purchase after reviewing negative reviews.
Today, we look at five simple ways to motivate clients to review your business online.
Have Accounts in Multiple Review Sites
Register in all the review sites that are relevant to your niche. Some of the best sites that you should consider include Yahoo Local, CitySearch, Google Local, Yelp, and Angie’s List. General review sites such as Trustpilot and Trustlink are an ideal choice especially if you are not in a review-driven industry.
Request Clients to Leave a Feedback
Ask customers to post feedback in any of the review sites that you have registered to garner as many as possible. If your product/service is great and offers real value to the customers, they will not hesitate to write a positive review. If a customer compliments you on the phone or in person, mention that you would appreciate if they shared the same feedback online.
Simplify the Process of Leaving Reviews
You need to make it as simple as possible for the customers to submit a review. One of the guaranteed ways of doing this is by placing direct links to your profile on various review sites in multiple places on your website. Yelp offers an intuitive banner that you can print out and stick it in a conspicuous location in your store or download a digital banner and display on your website.
Offer Incentives
Even the most loyal and satisfied client may need some motivation to spend five minutes out of their busy schedule to write a review. Offering small incentives will not only motivate them to write the review but also show your appreciation for their business. However, the offer should be for writing the review and not for writing a positive review.
Finally, take a few minutes to thank the reviewers for actually taking time off their busy schedule to share their experience. Doing so will encourage them to write more reviews next time they purchase a product from you.
