Clever ways to ask for customer reviews
Author: Cristina G
Published: March 2023
Asking customers for reviews is essential for any business. Why? Well, for starters, they help you build trust and get more people to hire your services or buy products as a consequence: research shows 9 out of 10 people say they trust what a customer says about a business more than what that business says about itself. In addition, showcasing customer reviews can help you improve your search engine ranking, as well as providing valuable feedback for your business. So, the benefits are clear, but sometimes getting people to actually leave a review can be a bit of a struggle.
How can you encourage customers to leave you reviews? Here are some tactics to help you get more and better customer reviews for your business:
Reach out to your customers with a personalized video and get a video testimonial back.
Why a video testimonial? 2 out of 3 people say they’d be more likely to make a purchase after watching a testimonial video. Video reviews are a powerful way to showcase customer experiences with your product or service. They provide a personal touch and allow potential customers to see and hear from real people who have used your product. Video reviews come across more genuine, are highly shareable, and can be used on your website, social media channels, and in marketing materials.
Why reach out via video? When you ask for a favor, in this case, a review, creating a wow factor from the start can make all the difference. If you reach out to your customers with a video message they’ll see that you’ve made an effort and they’ll be more willing to spend the time to leave you a review. Using testimonial video collection tools like VideoAsk can make the process easy and engaging, allowing you to send a video message to your customers requesting a review, and collect high-quality video reviews in return. Check out this example for inspiration.
Customers are more likely to leave a review if the process is easy and straightforward. Provide clear instructions on how to leave a review, and make sure the process is user-friendly. Consider creating a landing page or dedicated review page on your website, with a simple form that customers can fill out to submit their review. Again, you can spice it up with a video form using VideoAsk.
Offering an incentive can be a great way to encourage customers to leave a review. This could be a discount on their next purchase, a free product or service, or a chance to win a prize. Make sure the incentive is relevant and valuable to your customers, and that it aligns with your brand values.
Your customer support team can be a valuable resource for review collection. They’re the ones in constant communication with your customers and have a pretty good idea of when a customer is highly satisfied with your service or product and would be willing to take some time out to leave positive feedback. Teaming up with your Customer Service Managers can turn them into advocates for the review collection process, leading to a boost in the number of enthusiastic and genuine customer testimonials.
Although it’s more time consuming, personalizing your request for a review can make a big difference in the response rate. Use the customer's name and reference their specific purchase or interaction with your business. This shows that you value their feedback and that you’re paying attention to their experience.
So, getting customers to leave a review doesn’t need to be so challenging if done right. Try out these tips and tools to encourage more and better customer reviews for your business. And remember, customer reviews are not just important for your business growth, they’re also a great way to connect with your customers and show them that their opinions and experiences matter to you.